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Summary by Karen Wille, NSPA Student Representative - UNK

Make A Difference: Be the Difference

By Gene Cash, NASP President

"/ am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. " (Edward Everett Hale)

Gene Cash gave an empowering presentation on how school psychologists can make a positive difference in the lives of children we work with. He explained how school psychologists can make a difference at a personal level, school level, district level, state level, and national level. At the personal level, school psychologists are encouraged to volunteer to be a Big Brother or Big Sister, coach a sports team, become trained in crisis prevention/intervention, and always set a good example at work and in the community. At the school level, it is important to establish rapport with teachers, parents, and other staff, write letters of introduction when new to a school, write thank you notes, attend open houses, have a publicized website, and volunteer to hold trainings and workshops. At the district level, school psychologists should write to each school board member to show appreciation for them, volunteer to present at meetings, become active in the local school psychology association and start or join a crisis intervention team in the district. At the state level, school psychologists should become actively involved in their state associations, get to know their legislators, give talks on school psychology as a career to undergraduate classes, and become familiar with difference makers in the state Department of Education and collaborate with them. As a school psychologist hoping to make a difference at the national level, you should become an active member of NASP, connect others with NASP resources, and keep up to date on current issues related to school psychology. On the NASP website, there are many resources that can be helpful when doing some of the items mentioned above. For example, there are e-notes that can be used for sending a quick thank-you. NASP has a website to guide you through the process of creating your own website (http://www.nasponline.org/communications/webpage/index.aspx). NASP has a power point already created that can be used when talking about school psychology to undergraduates or others interested in the career.

Promoting Mental Health: The School Psychologist's Responsibility

By Gene Cash, NASP Presidenthttp://www.schoolcrisis.org

"What we do to children, they will do to society." (Karl Menninger)

Before students can achieve at their highest potential academically, they must first have their complex emotional needs met. Only then do they have the ability to focus on learning. Gene Cash strongly believes that the school psychologist should be the one on the forefront of promoting mental health in schools. In his presentation, Dr. Cash said that all children face some mental health, behavioral health, or medical problems. Some of these include anxiety about school performance, unhealthy peer pressure, school phobia, feeling depressed or overwhelmed, and considering dropping out of school. The Three-Tier Mental Health Service Delivery Model was explained. Tier 1 services, provided to all students, include school-based prevention and universal interventions and early identification of students with mental health and behavioral concerns. Tier II services, provided to at-risk students, include targeted school interventions with community support. Tier III services, provided to students with severe/chronic problems, include intensive school interventions with community support and intensive community interventions with school support. The remainder of the presentation discussed some facts about mental illness and its devastating impact on children, families, and communities. It is important for schools to be involved in mental health for a number of reasons. Some of these include: school success is directly related to mental health, school failure is strongly related to untreated mental illness, and offering mental health services in the schools improves access to treatment for many families.

For more information on school psychologists and school-based mental health services or to view the Three-Tier Mental Health Service Delivery Model, go to http://www.nasp online, org/press/continuum.pdf.

School Violence Prevention & Response

By John Dudley

John Dudley began his presentation by describing the eyes of school nurses, social workers, and school psychologists. He explained that these sets of eyes have the ability to see things others cannot, and if knowing what to look for, can be extremely helpful in preventing violence in schools. Dr. Dudley described the chilling details of some acts of school violence. While the perpetrators do not fit one specific category, most of them had a few things in common. They do not have positive relationships with adults and do not feel as if adults notice or care about them. Also, when planning to commit an act of violence, children usually tell other children, but no one tells a responsible adult. While nobody wants to think about something like this occurring in their school, we must be prepared in the best way we can. Dr. Dudley strongly encourages school psychologists to become a part of the school safety team and review procedures in the safety manual. School psychologists can push for changes within the school that may reduce violence. Some of these changes may include: hanging up posters that have the number to a confidential hotline students can call if they suspect any possible threat, implementing better dress codes that reduce the chances of students carrying weapons, eliminating lockers and back-packs, and not allowing open campuses in middle schools and high schools. Dr. Dudley ended by saying that we must be ready for another crisis, and school psychologists must be one of the leaders on the team.

For more information on preventing and responding to school violence, go to www.schoolcrisis.org.

40 Developmental Assets

By Kraig Lofquist, Director of Pupil Services Millard Public Schools

Developmental assets are positive experiences and qualities students need to succeed. The more assets a young person reports having, the less likely he or she is to make unhealthy choices. In his presentation, Mr. Lofquist discussed the 40 developmental assets and how they are grouped into eight areas of human development. External assets include support (family, neighborhood, school climate), empowerment (youth as resources, service to others, safety), boundaries and expectations (family/school/neighborhood boundaries), and constructive use of time (creative activities, youth programs, religious community, time at home). Internal assets include commitment to learning (school engagement, homework, reading for pleasure), positive values (caring, honesty, responsibility), social competencies (planning and decision making, resistance skills, peaceful conflict resolution), and positive identity (personal power, self-esteem, sense of purpose, positive view of future). Mr. Lofquist said, "Asset building is common sense, but not common practice." He explained that adults must be intentional when providing children with assets. School psychologists must be intentional when working with students and also when working with parents. We must not only support students when they are in our schools, but we must support parents in developing opportunities for their children to build assets.

For the 40 Developmental Assets chart and more information on assets for young children, go to www.search-institute.org.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Issues

By Bob Don-Mr.

Dorr is associated with PFLAG: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. PFLAG is a program that promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons and their families and friends through support, education, and advocacy. The program believes that being homosexual is absolutely not a choice. Mr. Dorr presented some facts about homosexuals. There is a high suicide rate with gays and lesbians, and the attempted suicide rate is three times as high for persons who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (GLBT), compared to non-gay teens. GLBTs do not have many of the same privileges as heterosexuals. These privileges include: inheriting from their partner, marrying, accessing loved ones in case of emergency, adopting children, and displaying public affection. There are many challenges GLBTs face on a daily basis. School psychologists can advocate for GLBTs by displaying a "safe zone" symbol outside their office to ensure that they will be understanding, supportive, and trustworthy if a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender student needs help or someone to talk to. For more information about PFLAG, go to www.pflag.org