Mental health workshops to support your school community
Thrive Alliance Group has developed a series of mental health workshops to teach your school staff members how to recognize and respond appropriately to student mental health issues. We can also deliver presentations for parents on a variety of topics related to mental health.
To create a climate and culture that supports social-emotional learning and mental wellness, the entire school community needs to be part of the solution. When you actively build that environment, your school continues to grow stronger and your students can achieve greater academic success.
Professional development for teachers and school counselors
These are some of the mental health workshops we can offer to your teachers, school counselors, child study team, and other staff. Workshops can be delivered in person or virtually. We can also create custom mental health training workshops based on your specific needs.
Trauma Informed School Communities
This workshop provides an overview of the relationship between past traumatic experiences and present behavioral problems, which can interrupt learning in a school setting. Participants will gain an understanding of trauma and how it affects our neurobiology. They will learn how a child may act, feel, and think when functioning in a “survival in the moment state” and be able to identify triggers in a child’s environment that lead to the experience of traumatic stress. Participants will learn specific steps toward helping traumatized children regulate emotions and control problematic behaviors.
Transference Focused Psychotherapy
Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is a manualized treatment and evidence-based approach that was developed to work with patients with a wide variety of emotional disturbances including personality disorders (PD). The components of TFP can be applied to people who present with lesser difficulties, such as anxiety disorders, school refusal, anxiety disorder and varying levels of behavioral problems very commonly found in school environments. TFP complements the development of IEPs due to its emphasis on goal setting and measurable achievement, and is used to enhance the overall mental wellness of students and families.
Taking Charge of School Refusal
School refusal is one of the most frustrating and developmentally disruptive behaviors in students, and it’s becoming increasingly common. Identifying the root cause of the problem is critical to determining the best strategy for overcoming school refusal. Participants learn to assess the form (how) and the function (why) of school refusal to uncover the cause(s), and learn to use that information to apply the most effective strategy.
Anxiety and Depression
Students of all ages who experience anxiety and depression can present in many different ways in the classroom. Even the most experienced educators can face a multitude of challenges in recognizing the issue and responding appropriately. Spend time with a few of our Thrive experts to understand the clinical aspects of anxiety and depression, how it can affect your students, as well as proven strategies to support these students in your classroom.
Suicide Screening and Prevention
Participants will learn to apply the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, a widely used screening tool. This tool is simple to administer and provides objective data to determine the appropriate level of intervention. All too often, students are sent to the ER who don’t need to be. Even worse, students who are actually at risk for suicide are overlooked.
In this workshop, we will also review suicide statistics and suicide risk/protective factors for youth.
Mental Health Education
Mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community (World Health Organization).”
In this workshop, participants will explore this definition, how it translates to a school setting, and the impact mental health has on students’ academic progress. School staff will learn to identify and recognize the warning signs of mental health issues and how they present in childhood. We will share suggestions and strategies along with resources and current trends seen in school-aged children. Presentations can be adapted to address the mental health of school personnel.
Positive Discipline
All behavior has a purpose and that purpose is to achieve belonging and significance. Children are always making decisions about themselves, others, the world, and what they need to do. As a result, the way we respond to a child’s behavior creates a message that becomes part of their identity. Traditional responses to behavior are often reactive and involve discipline. However, studies have shown that the most effective ways to manage behaviors include using kindness, firmness, and providing children with opportunities to learn from their mistakes. There is more to behavior than what is on the surface.
Supporting Gender Identity in Schools
Gender Identity incorporates a person’s deep sense of self-concept, how they see the world, and how they want others to perceive them. In this workshop, we will discuss how this applies to school, and how to create an all-inclusive environment, and the best way to get started.
Mental health workshops for parents
These are some of the mental health workshops we can offer to parents and other community members. Workshops can be delivered in person or virtually. We can also create custom parent workshops based on your specific needs.
Family Conflict Resolution
Strive to stay positive. Focus on cooperation instead of control. Model flexibility. Delay the discussion. Have a plan for argument-related meltdowns. These are only a few of the tools you will learn for navigating family conflict. At the end of this workshop, participants will gain a deeper understanding into their own actions and the behavior of their children, which will ultimately lead to a stronger connection within the family dynamic.
Positive Parenting
When faced with so many challenges, how do we maintain our positive approach to parenting? We will be discussing 8 Tips for Positive Parenting along with numerous strategies to use when trying to manage moments of dysregulation in our children, reinforce behaviors we want to see, and celebrate the small successes.
Positive Discipline
All behavior has a purpose and that purpose is to achieve belonging and significance. Children are always making decisions about themselves, others, the world, and what they need to do. As a result, the way we respond to a child’s behavior creates a message that becomes part of their identity. Traditional responses to behavior are often reactive and involve discipline. However, studies have shown that the most effective ways to manage behaviors include using kindness, firmness, and providing children with opportunities to learn from their mistakes. There is more to behavior than what is on the surface.
Teens and Screens: Connecting in a Digital Age
Screens and technology are ever-present in our lives today. At times, it may feel as though our daily lives are spent in front of a screen. Our children are spending even more time than we do. When does it become a problem? Participants will learn the negative effects of excessive teen screen time and social media use. We’ll share the most recent data and trends regarding smartphone usage, as well as the impact social media has on the mental health and well-being of our children. So what can parents do? Along with these statistics, participants will also learn how to manage screen time in effective ways, healthy ways to connect in our digital age, and how screens can be used as a tool to connect rather than disconnect.
Parent-Teen Conflict: Navigating, Managing and Resolving
There are many common threads at the source of parent-teen conflict. Identifying these sources and then learning what to do when conflict arises are critical to lessening tension and conflict.Teens are struggling for their independence, yet sometimes are unwilling to assume the accompanying responsibility. At the root of this is communication; communication is key. Participants will learn how to effectively communicate with teens, manage a conflict, and use the problem-solving model to establish better relations.
Helping Students and Families Better Manage Stress and Anxiety
All families deal with some type of stress and anxiety in the home. Participants will explore the definition of stress, identify what happens to their body when they are stressed, and learn strategies to properly manage anxiety. Modeling these behaviors is extremely important in helping our children through this process. We’ll share techniques and strategies that parents and caregivers can use to manage their own stress and anxiety when working with their children.
Family & Anxiety in the Age of Covid
Anxiety involves a fear of the unknown, excessive worry, and total avoidance. The pandemic has led to increased anxiety levels in adults and children. Participants will explore normal anxiety vs. anxiety disorder and the implications that the pandemic has had on families. So what do we do? There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but participants will learn how to teach healthy coping strategies to children experiencing anxiety, and how to prepare your kids to manage future stresses.
Mental Health Awareness
Mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community (World Health Organization).”
In this workshop, participants will explore this definition and how it impacts their child as well as themselves. Parents and caregivers will learn to identify and recognize the warning signs of mental health issues and how they present in childhood. We will share suggestions and strategies to help children manage their mental health needs, along with resources and current trends seen in school-aged children.