One Foot In Education: Exploring Education Through an SPT Lens Fall 2023

One Foot in Education is a must take course for those working in or with schools! 

Absolutely transformative! – connected the dots in ways I didn’t know needed connecting.” -Michelle Tolison

In this course you’ll learn strategies for use in educational settings that promote trauma-informed, social-emotional support in schools. You’ll learn how to explain the neuroscience behind these strategies, as you develop your skills in supporting others in deepening their knowledge and awareness.

Listen to Judy talk about this course and what it’s all about in this short video HERE

You’ll learn how to work with educators and/or within educational systems, while addressing frequently asked questions and concerns, such as:

  • How can an understanding of the impacts of trauma help in school environments?
  • How might the expressions of trauma show up in the classroom?
  • How do I know if it’s trauma, or just behavior?
  • Why is building relationships with some students so challenging?
  • Why are the things I’ve always done before, not working with “these kids?”
  • Why am I so exhausted all the time?
  • What about the impact this is having on the “good” kids?

Embodying Synergetic Play Therapy® principles as we collaborate with teachers, will move us toward our ultimate goals of empowering teachers and supporting shifting their perceptions of students.

“SPT One Foot in Education is a must-take course for school counselors and those who work with, and in school systems. It revealed paradigm shifts I needed to make as I met teachers (not just the students) where they’re at as I teach SPT concepts in my schools. It feels like a light was shone on what I’ve been missing when delivering SPT material the past few years and I can’t wait to see how the staff respond!” – Helen Ritchie, Certified SPT Therapist/Supervisor

On-line Consultation Groups: Throughout this course, you’ll be supported in applying everything you’re learning into your classroom or educational setting. (You’ll complete a brief survey to chose a consultation group that works for your schedule.)
Click here to see consultation survey (scroll down to see dates)

Credit: Participants receive a Certificate of Completion and can also earn 1 or 2 credits from Colorado State University. More information is below.

A pre-requisite for this course is that you need to have completed a level 1 introductory course to Synergetic Play Therapy® (price of pre-requisite is independent of this course’s pricing):

*For additional class details and objectives, please see below.

Category:

Description

This course is for mental health professions who work in school environments, or with schools or educators, and who have taken a level 1 SPT introductory course. The course includes ten 1.5 hour LIVE webinars, an hour of recorded video, and four 1-hour group consultation sessions.

Course Details: 

When: September 20th, 2023 – February 21st, 2024

Important Class Dates: Enjoy lifetime access to course content.
  • September 20th, 2023 – Class 1: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m.  MDT, Denver)
  • October 4th, 2023 – Class 2: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m.  MDT, Denver)
  • October 18th, 2023 – Class 3: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m.  MDT, Denver)
  • November  1st, 2023 – Class 4: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m.  MST, Denver)
  • November 15th, 2023 – Class 5: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m.  MST, Denver)
  • December 6th, 2023 – Class 6: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m.  MST, Denver)
  • December 20th, 2023 – Class 7: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m.  MST, Denver)
  • January 24th, 2024 – Class 8: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m.  MST, Denver)
  • February 7th, 2024 – Class 9: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m. MST, Denver)
  • February 21st, 2024 – Class 10: 1.5 hour LIVE Webinar (5 p.m. MST, Denver)

Where: Learn from anywhere! No commute required!

What You Will Learn?

Topics by class:

  • Class 1: Who Are You in the Lives of Educators?
  • Class 2: The Brain, Nervous System & Self-Regulation
  • Class 3:  Strategies and Practical Neuroscience
  • Class 4: Working from a Developmental Perspective
  • Class 5: Practical Classroom Application
  • Class 6:  Focusing on Adults’ Dysregulation
  • Class 7: Moving Towards Perceived  Challenges and Barriers
  • Class 8:  Regulation Spaces, Lagging Skills & Support
  • Class 9: Creating Support Plans
  • Class 10: Tying it All Together

Specific Learning Objectives:

  1. Participants will explore their role in supporting educators and educational institutions.
  2. Participants will learn how to apply foundational SPT concepts in learning environments.
  3. Participants will learn how brain states and body states impact students’ abilities to learn.
  4. Participants will translate knowledge into language and frameworks that support educators in understanding mental health concepts.
  5. Participants will learn the neurobiology impacting behavior in moments of dysregulation.
  6. Participants will gain skills in supporting educators in using a regulatory focus for understanding behavior so they can intervene before it continues to escalate.
  7. Participants will learn how to teach the skills involved in mastering the ability to self-regulate.
  8. Participants will examine ways to support educators in shifting daily routines to include self-reflection which supports the re-wiring of brains and re-patterning of nervous systems.
  9. Participants will learn how to support the explicit teaching and modeling of interoceptive awareness.
  10. Participants will identify appropriate expectations and goals in different situations, and the neuroscience behind why some strategies are more effective at certain times.
  11. Participants will examine the need for differentiated roles and skills for educators.
  12. Participants will be able to teach others to apply proactive regulatory strategies throughout the school day.
  13. Participants will learn a developmental model that will guide them in assessing the level of support needed for individual educators.
  14. Participants will support educators in creating environments that support self-awareness and self-reflection in students, leading to the discovery of their own regulatory needs.
  15. Participants will learn how to support growing students’ windows of tolerance, to more effectively re-wire the brains and re-pattern the nervous systems of students to support learning and growth.
  16. Participants will explore how to address perceived challenges and barriers to applying trauma-informed, social, emotional support for students.
  17. Participants will learn to support educators in identifying their own states of arousal.
  18. Participants will learn to help educators regulate in moments of dysregulation, helping them avoid exhaustion and burnout.
  19. Participants will examine relationship dynamics and learn how to balance challenge with support, to avoid overwhelm and instead promote a sense of safety and belonging in the classroom.
  20. Participants will explore ways to promote cues of safety in the classroom and set boundaries through this lens.
  21. Participants will learn how to use a regulatory perspective when creating support plans for students.
  22. Participants will explore ways to collect meaningful data to track progress to guide interventions.

Credits: Participants receive a Certificate of Completion and can also earn  credit from Colorado State University. Click here for more information.

Cost: $975.00 (USD)

To make monthly payments, please click here

Instructor: Judith Norman, MA, MS, LPC, RPT-S is Licensed as both a Professional and School Counselor. Judith is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and is also Certified as a Synergetic Play Therapy® Teacher and Supervisor, and in EMDR therapy, along with being trained in Mindfulness in Education. She has been utilizing the tenets of Synergetic Play Therapy® in educational settings for the past 10 years, leading to the development of social-emotional, trauma-informed programming to support students and educators.

Judith has been a School Counselor at Title One schools and two-way bilingual immersion schools, has worked at the district level as a Social Emotional Learning Coach in the United States, and as a School Counselor and Director of Guidance at an international school overseas. Having worked at the intersection of education and mental health for over 20 years, Judith trains and supervises both school-based and clinical mental health professionals. Judith speaks nationally, and consults, and teaches internationally, has developed SEL and trauma-informed programming across various levels of school functioning, and has supported Department of Education state-wide initiatives with district and state-wide training for educators, school-based mental professionals, and educational leaders. Judith led her school district in implementing a Kaiser Permanente “Thriving Schools Grant,” aimed at advancing social-emotional wellness and behavioral health in school districts. Judith co-authored a chapter in a soon-to-be-released book titled, “The Play-based and Expressive Therapies Treatment Planner: A Guide to Working with Children and Adolescents.”

Refund Policy: Cancellations received one month from the start date will receive a full refund. Cancellations received less than one month from the start of the class will receive a full refund minus a $100.00 administrative fee. Cancellation once the class begins will forfeit the payment of the course. However, payment can be applied towards a future course (within two years). If an emergency arises, please contact us to discuss.

Additional information

Choose a payment plan:

Pay in Full, 6 Month Payment Plan

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