Mindfulness

Depression is a common mood disorder that many of us are all too familiar with. Some have experienced it themselves, others have watched family members or close friends suffer from it, and others have suspected that students who they work with are demonstrating depressive symptoms. In this course, you will learn about depression, where it comes from, what it looks like, how to identify it, ways to help and so much more. This course will enlighten and educate you and hopefully make you a more sensitive educator. The information learned in this course will help anyone who interacts with children and adolescents. The course is relevant to all who work in schools and with children of all ages in all settings. This course was developed for school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers, school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists and pathologists and occupational and physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-Service Credit only

Instructor: Lee Markowitz email: MarkowitzLIIPS@gmail.com ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-Service Credit only As we proceed through a new age of teaching, teachers find themselves facing new challenges and expectations…We must have heightened sensitivity to students’ social and emotional well-being, acknowledgement of gender neutrality and fluidity, recognition of anxiety and depression, as well as remaining mindful of Covid-19 and the impact it has had on so many.  Yes, we must teach the academics and yes, school must go on; however, we must always prioritize our students’ safety and comfort.  Above all else, students need to feel comfortable in our classrooms.  They need to feel safe, they need to feel accepted and welcome.  Teachers enrolled in this course will explore proven tactics and strategies aimed at maintaining a positive, encouraging classroom morale so that our students have a fair chance at performing their best and getting the most out of their educational experience. Applicable to teachers of all subjects/grade levels.

Course Description: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a research based intervention that has been proven to improve the mental health of children, adolescents and adults. Mental health is increasingly becoming a crucial component of school systems, as children who are suffering emotionally are not available to learn. Additionally, teachers who are overly stressed, anxious and unhappy will not be effective educators. It is therefore extremely important for educators, therapists, administrators, and all school employees to become better advocates of mental health and to learn some basic techniques. In this course, we will learn about some of those techniques. These important concepts will prove not only relevant for your work with your students but also your general mindset and functioning as an educator. This course is relevant to all who work in schools and with children of all ages in all settings. This course was developed for school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers, school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists and pathologists and occupational and physical therapists. Course Objectives Participants will learn about and research various concepts in cognitive behavioral therapy and how they can be applied to the school setting. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-Service Credit only

The population in our classrooms is always evolving. Ten percent of the population is gay, bisexual, or transgender. These students come to school with needs like any other student. They have a right to feel safe and accepted in order to learn. When a child feels that they are not accepted by their peers they often seek the advice of someone they can talk to in a confidential setting, and teachers need to be prepared to help a student in this situation. This course will help any educator to be a reliable source for their students who feel marginalized due to their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. This course is suitable for K-12 educators, related service providers, and special area teachers. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service only

Most students feel stressed at times in class, but some might be more vulnerable to stress than others. When stress builds up to severe levels for a child, they may be at risk to develop toxic stress—which can have lasting effects on their social-emotional, behavioral, and physical health. If you can recognize signs of stress in your students, you can provide them with support to help them manage it before it overwhelms them. It will cover an array of topics such as recognizing symptoms of stress, possible reasons for school related stress, stress management techniques, meditation, truancy/suspensions, trauma, and also distinguishing between good vs. bad stress. This class is created for any educator or service provider. Suggested for all Educators K-12. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) In-service Credit only  

In this course teachers will learn how to create a POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLAN for specific students as well as the classroom as a whole, ensuring success for their students. There are many ways to define or explain the concept of POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION. Some of the most common ways include: The application of behavior analysis and systems change perspectives within the context of person-centered values to the intensely social problems created by behaviors such as self-injury, aggression, property destruction, pica, defiance, and disruption A dynamic, problem-solving process involving goal identification, information gathering, hypothesis development, support plan design, implementation, and monitoring An approach that blends values about the rights of people with disabilities with a practical science about how learning and behavior change occur A comprehensive Positive Behavior Support Plan includes a range of intervention strategies that are designed to prevent the problem behavior while teaching socially appropriate alternative behaviors. The goal is an enhanced quality of life for individuals involved and their support providers in a variety of settings. In this course teachers will learn how to create a POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLAN for specific students as well as the classroom as a whole, ensuring success for their students. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only  

The mental health of students in schools is an often overlooked, yet extremely relevant issue for today’s educator. Educators are often the first to notice mental health problems and are in a unique position to make a difference when it comes to promoting and addressing student mental health concerns in and out of the classroom. Mental disorders: affect a student’s emotional well-being, affect a student’s ability to learn and may be a factor in why some students drop out of school. This course will cover: common mental health disorders, the role of educators to identify warning signs, communicating with parents and supporting students in the classroom. This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

PDLI9000 (45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS) ON-LINE Instructor:  Randi Miller rmillerliips@gmail.com Graduate Level Credits Course Description: Each year, approximately 2–5% of children refuse to come to school. School refusal can be observed in kindergarten students who demonstrate relatively mild separation anxiety to more severe cases where a student misses’ weeks or months of school. As a result of the social and educational consequences associated with missing school, the issue needs to examine and addressed promptly. This course will look at the factors associated with and contributing to the occurrence of school refusal. Participants will examine the short- and long-term effects of absenteeism, the signs and symptoms commonly associated with school refusal and research solutions to the problem. This course is relevant to all who work in schools and with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for school administrators,  regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists and pathologists and occupational and physical therapists.

(3 credits/45 hours) Instructor: Randi Miller  rmillerliips@gmail.com Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder which significantly affects social/pragmatic language skills, social interactions, relationships as well as school performance. This course will focus on the development of SM and co-existing conditions (such as social anxiety). It will provide a review of evidence based practices for those working with students in a school setting students with SM (or those who may display) characteristics of Selective Mutism. Course objectives; After completing the coursework, participants will: Have knowledge of the diagnostic criteria and characteristics of SM and related disorders Have a foundation of information to support a student with SM in and out of the classroom. Be able to work with peers to support their classmate with SM Create/share resources for parents and colleagues This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for all school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21), special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists.

Traumatic experiences come in many forms ranging from one-time events (like the current pandemic) to experiences that are prolonged and recurring. To date, approximately 50% of the nation’s children and adolescents have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. The effects of these traumatic experiences impact how students focus, attend, learn, form relationships and behave in the classroom. Trauma informed interventions focus on building relationships, routines, choice-making and self-regulation skills. This course has been developed to provide all educators with content knowledge on the types and biology of trauma, ACES, and best practices in trauma-informed behavior and classroom management strategies. The course will provide participants with the knowledge and tools they need to create a safe, supportive learning environment for all students. A timely course given the current public health crisis and school shut down. A good opportunity to be prepared to meet the needs of staff and students when school re-opens. Course Objectives: Participants will: 1. Develop an understanding of what trauma is and the effect it has on brain development 2. Form an awareness of the role trauma can play in classroom performance and behavior 3. Become trauma aware and develop a trauma lens in which they can look at behavior in a different way 4. Examine traditional behavior and classroom management strategies and adapt them to be trauma informed and trauma focused 5. Create an action plan to address the needs of students impacted by the effects of trauma This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for all school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

PDLI9020 (45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS) ON-LINE Instructor:  Randi Miller rmillerliips@gmail.com Course Description: Approximately 10 percent of the school population (or 9-13 million children) struggle with and demonstrate behaviors associated with mental health problems, ASD, developmental and learning disabilities. Additionally, on the rise, are students who struggle day to day from the effects of trauma or bullying. In the classroom, children with behavioral challenges and acting out behavior, are disruptive in the classroom, fall behind academically or never master the skills they need to make adequate progress. This course has been developed to provide educators in and out of the classroom with content knowledge on principles of behavior, the functions of behavior and will provide the participants with a set of skills they can use to identify what a student is getting from his/her behavior and how to best manage and prevent ongoing incidents in/out of the classroom. Applicable all Educators and staff K-12.

“Social and emotional competence is the ability to understand, manage, and express the social and emotional aspects of one’s life in ways that enable the successful management of life tasks- such as learning, forming relationships, solving everyday problems, and adapting to the complex demands of growth and development” -Maurice Elias This course will provide an overview of Social Emotional Learning in schools and explain the five core social emotional competencies. Participants will research SEL curriculum and standards from NYSED as well as content area integration crosswalks. Educators will learn the benefits of teaching SEL by researching successful implementation from schools across the nation, spanning all grade levels. In addition, participants will research growth mindset as well as mindfulness and the correlation with academic achievement. ONLINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

At times, our daily lives can be so overwhelming. Be Mindful: Giving Back to Yourself is designed to help teachers and students become more mindful in order to help relieve stress. It is important to build a positive classroom community and to increase mindfulness. In this course, teachers will learn how to use various techniques to help de-stress themselves and students. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

This course explores the creation of a classroom community that meets the needs of all students, including learners with disabilities and learners with diverse backgrounds. Suitable all educators K-12. A primary objective of this course is to help teachers understand how the Building a Classroom Community approach boosts children’s social and academic skills while reducing behavior problems. Particpants completing this course will: • Receive materials, readings and research relevant to building a classroom community • Learn how to develop strategies that will enable all students to participate in group activities and explore team building activities • Morning Meeting Approach • Investigate the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline • Gather practical tips to try in your classroom right away ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only