Every person carries experiences that haunt them. Sometimes this can be an actual paranormal experience, a traumatic experience, vicarious trauma or anxiety. This session will feature an actual ghost story and an exploration of the ghosts that school counselors encounter and how to deal with them. This session will be interactive, fun, and encourage participants to be reflective about their professional and personal experiences that have influenced them personally and professionally.

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Join us for an inspiring exploration of how lunch duty can evolve from mere supervision to a time of celebration, inclusion, and equity-building within school communities. We'll unveil activities designed to infuse lunchtime supervision with meaningful opportunities for connection, learning, and celebration of diversity. Whether you're a seasoned educator or new to the field, you will be inspired to turn lunch duty into a time of joy, connection, and positive impact on student well-being.

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According to 2023 Yale research, students who participate in SEL programs do better in school, both academically and socially. Effective friendship groups can strengthen conflict resolution, prosocial behaviors and social-emotional skills, helping students gain tools and awareness to navigate relationships in positive ways. Attendees of this fun, interactive session get a chance to try out easy-to-implement, evidence-based resources that support students and address social struggles.

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What could be more exciting than helping a young person discover their passions, strengths, and interests and then apply that to a career? This session will explore how ICAP can be used through the MTSS framework to promote educational systems change to increase student engagement, to address cultural and equity issues, to make education more relevant, and to promote increased post-secondary readiness for all students.

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Ignite student potential with equitable tools and innovative strategies for academic achievement! Learn how Adams County SD14 engages ALL students in college and career readiness, fostering belonging and empowerment. Explore how collaboration, work-based learning experiences, and a curriculum focused on self-advocacy and work values connect academic goals to future aspirations. If breaking down barriers and providing personalized academic planning sounds appealing—join us! This session aims to arm you with ideas to transform your approach, weaving equity and access into your work, ensuring all students thrive.

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Student mental health is a critical issue, yet schools lack capacity to fully address these needs and early intervention strategies. This session explores how virtual modalities can enhance school and district resources by providing timely care for diverse student populations. Attendees will learn about building student resilience, supporting students in crisis, and self-care for school counselors, with insights backed by research and real-world examples from schools and youth organizations.

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Using tabletop games such as Dungeons and Dragons is a growing practice which uses the creative interests of students and therapeutic clients to reinforce relationship building and developing coping skills. This presentation will examine current research, as well as help school and clinical counselors understand the basics of integrating role-playing games into their current practice. This workshop will consist of didactic and experiential activities.

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Join us for an engaging session exploring the dynamic relationship between CTE programs and the evolving workforce landscape. Workforce demands are outpacing supply and CTE is the answer! Gain a deeper understanding of the vital role these programs play in facilitating lifelong learning, career development, and access to education. CTE programs contribute to promoting DEI practices by offering opportunities for all individuals to access quality education and training.

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Reports confirm that youth mental health is in a state of crisis, resulting in a need to increase youth access to prevention-oriented services in the places where they naturally show up and exist, such as schools. This session will provide engaging, practical, resources on reimagining school-based mental health through the prevention lens to increase youth access to the experiences and support they need to be well, belong, and engage fully in their learning experiences.

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LGBTQ+ youth are coming out at earlier ages and at higher numbers than ever before. Yet, their mental health outcomes are shocking, with rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide much higher than the general population. This presentation will help participants understand the mental health disparities and overarching risk factors facing LGBTQ+ youth, and explore mindsets, strategies, and protective factors that can create more LGBTQ-affirming environments at home, school, and in community.

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Vapes are not just being used by adults trying to quit smoking. Some people mistakenly believe that was the purpose behind its invention, but that is categorically false. In fact, more than 70% of these devices are purchased by youth 20 years and younger because kids were actually the intention of this product. Many of these devices have become drug delivery systems. It's critically important that counselors, educators, parents, and law enforcement know what's happening in this situation.

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Have you ever attempted to host a social-emotional learning parent event? Did it fall flat? Did just a handful of parents attend? In this session, you will learn about my many failed events and how I was able to finally flip the script. You will learn useful tips and tricks for how to host a well-attended and engaging event for parents and students. At the end of our time together, you'll get the chance to start planning your own SEL Event.

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Have you ever actually been taught how to de-escalate a student or respond to a call for support from a classroom? In this session, my goal is to equip you with useful knowledge and skills to help you respond to those calls from a place of empowerment rather than just guessing and seeing what sticks. We will explore relevant neuroscience, discuss specific examples, and give strategies to be utilized in the moment so that you can connect, regulate, and get the student back to class.

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For years we have heard about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and the damaging effect they can have over the lifetime of an individual. Exciting recent research indicates that Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE) can help provide a buffer against ACE and even allow traumatized children to thrive as adults. This session will encourage you to keep on "Igniting Change" by diving into ACE and PCE and the role of epigenetics in a child's development along with providing examples.

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Join a diverse group of individuals who practice, advocate, and champion meaningful ICAPping statewide as we share the most recent updates, including new messaging, draft revisions to the state-wide rules, and the future of ICAPping. We need your participation more than ever as powerful ICAPpers who are always engaging in ICAPping and helping learners join in meaningful career conversations.

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In this session, participants will learn how to integrate the latest in neuroscience research from Dr. Lori Desautels’ into their school counseling program. Participants will engage in different techniques that can help shift the energy in their classrooms and counseling sessions, as well as walking away with a list of over 100 three to five minute activities. This session will also describe how the Cripple Creek Victor School District utilizes their district level neuroscience educator.

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Sometimes it feels like the most difficult part of being a school counselor is managing the adult conflicts. Between co-workers, parents, admin., and support staff, everyone has experienced conflict. But, what is the most effective way to manage the conflict? In combination of Restorative Practices and Crucial Conversations, our team has explored various ways to support each other and lean into difficult conversations. This presentation will focus on responding to conflict, not just reacting.

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Teachers and counselors have the overwhelming job of keeping up with the emotional needs of challenging students. Come learn a simple, yet profound, 7-step expressive writing process that helps kids work through stress and trauma. It can be used by teachers as part of a writing curriculum, counselors in small groups, or one on one.

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Extensive research has been conducted to better understand contributing factors of occupational turnover and burnout across multiple fields, but little is known about specific factors impacting school counselors deciding to leave the profession. The purpose of this research study is to examine factors school counselors identified as impacting their decision to leave the profession. Join us for a discussion of this study, its results, and the implications for future advocacy or practice change.

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It is just a Minute Meeting. Minute Meetings are quick meetings designed to reach every student. This session will show you how to create the Google form and use this information about the three domains. These basic questions open the relationship with every student. With this information you will have the lighter for a better program and blazing knowledge to help your students. Glowing marks in the past, and many counselors have alighted to try, so join us. Come learn how to get data, data, data.

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Nonsuicidal Self Injury (NSSI) affects many school-aged students. NSSI may increase risk for suicide, however, it’s often a coping mechanism and even life-preserving. Historically, schools have treated NSSI punitively and as crises. Jeffco Schools partnered with Dr. Janis Whitlock, founder of Cornell University’s Research Project on Self-Injury, to create and improve protocols to support students with NSSI. Learn about NSSI protocols for you school, meaningful supports to offer students, staff, and families, and to increase your awareness about NSSI in your community.

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Attendees will be exposed to the Strategic Solution Focused Brief Therapy Model for school settings, this means we do problem solving prior to using Solution Focused Brief Therapy techniques. This is the Ellen Quick Model, which came after Insoo Kim Berg and Steve De Shazer's Model. Be prepared to participate and practice in groups with case scenarios in order to apply the material to your school setting.

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Hear from district leaders and school counseling colleagues about implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program that is: - integral to the mission of the district and school - informed by data - delivered systemically to all students - helps close achievement and opportunity gaps - produces results.

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How are students different because of your school counseling program? Learn ways to share the valuable work you do every day to have a positive impact on students. There are no limits; build your leadership and advocacy skills for not only your students, but also for the school counseling profession. Come join us for this interactive, engaging session that will strengthen your school counseling program and you will leave with practical solutions.

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Learn from experienced counselors at a RAMP school about how they expanded their SEL group program in a way that is efficient for the counselor and transformative for the students. Participants will learn: - how to leverage a curriculum designed specifically for counselors - make it work for their students so that they don’t need to recreate the wheel - the importance of impactful professional development - how to use groups to reach students who go under the radar

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This presentation introduces participants to the Time Task Analysis (also known as the “Use-of-Time-Calculator") and discusses ways to personalize a TTA to track and manage data related to how a counselor’s day-to-day time is spent. A basic TTA and advanced/individualized TTA will be introduced. Participants will learn how to use this data collection method to advocate for their program, their counselor identity, and analyze trends. Practical tips and take-home strategies will be discussed.

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Participants are invited to learn strategies to collaborate with their school and district leaders and how to align their comprehensive school counseling program with their Unified Improvement Plan through a multi-tiered, multi-dimensional system of support. ASCA professional standards and mindsets and behaviors will be highlighted, along with the use of ASCA templates to build the foundation for an evidence based, data driven school counseling program that aligns with the outcomes of the school.

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This presentation will cover how to get started on RAMP during the chaos of a school year and how to balance the process with your daily school counseling duties. This includes tips and tools we used to stay organized and on track with our application timeline. We will share our journey RAMPing in a Title I school set in a trauma-filled community and how we have benefited from our RAMP title since.

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Diversity brings richness to learning experiences; equity ensures that every student has the tools to succeed; and inclusion fosters a sense of belonging and community (Golden, 2024). What is the “A” and how can we do better promoting DEIA throughout the school community? This presentation will help school counselors reflect on their own thoughts and beliefs, as well as take away some useful tips to help strengthen their counseling programs and help create a more positive school culture.

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In this session, we will be describing the implementation of a variety of creative Tier 2 interventions at the middle school level. So many times, we are charged with providing support and interventions for student who are struggling with attendance, achievement, and behavior, and traditional small groups don't fit the need. We will discuss how we use data and staff recommendations to provide weekly Tier 2 interventions and track student success and progress.

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The advanced training delves deeper into the FACE Your Fears Model. It includes a deeper explanation of the model and practice developing game plans. This training enables anxiety work to go from theoretical to real practice. If you were not able to attend the first training, this training will provide an overview of the model and some practice that is fun, interactive and irreverent.

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A picture is worth a thousand words. This visual can help students see: 1.) the important relationship between thoughts, feelings and behavior; 2.) where they are emotionally and behaviorally at any moment; 3.) the cognitive reasons they are there; 4.) where they want to be emotionally and behaviorally instead; and 5.) what it will take cognitively to get there. Students can learn to control where their THINK Thermostats are set and thereby learn to control where their FEEL and DO Thermostats end up.

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Do you create a caring school culture the same way in an urban alternative Title 1 high school experiencing murder, threats on staff lives, and rampant truency as compared to an upper middle class suburban middle school? Hear from two schools that are using B.I.O.N.I.C. Team (Believe It Or Not I Care) school clubs to empower kids to reach struggling peers to let them know they are "seen," they "matter," and they are not alone. B.I.O.N.I.C.'s 20 years of impact K-16 worldwide is bigger than ever!

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Counselors wear many different hats in a day with little time for intentional planning. Learn about a play-based group process that can address student needs and foster social-emotional growth. We will utilize directive and non-directive play therapies, solution-focused strategies and CBT to coach social skills. Additional topics will include, how to thoughtfully group students, structure group sessions and be an SEL coach for students. I hope to re-ignite the passion you have for your work.

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Wonder why our students are more explosive and less engaged than ever before? You will leave this session with research on why we need to change our practices to meet our student's current needs. I will share research evidence-based universal supports you can implement right away to support a school environment that focuses on building resilience and agency in our students and staff, resulting in increased job satisfaction and increased learning and growth in our students.

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This presentation describes the partnership between Thompson School District and the School Counseling Mental Health Initiative (SCMHI) research team to analyze the effectiveness of a Tier 2 Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) integrating therapy dogs. Participants will examine the strengths and weaknesses of intervention delivery and data analysis in school counseling. Participants will also process how a collaborative approach can improve their interventions and school counseling program.

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Shelby Clark

School Counselor at Denver Public Schools

Supervision in counseling is instrumental for the development of counselors. However, many school counselors, school counselor educators, and school counseling supervisors do not feel that the supervisory experience is meaningful. This session will integrate research related to the lived experiences of school counselors in training to develop a model for meaningful supervision that focuses on the skills and experiences unique to the school setting.

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Embassy Suites Conference Center - Front Desk

Empowered counselors ignite student success! Learn leadership and advocacy skills to champion your students, promote your program, amd elevate the counseling profession. Gain practical strategies for collaboration, communication, data-driven decision making, and community engagement.

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Discover the impact of Colorado's state-supported online learning program, focusing on its success in districts and charter schools statewide, but especially in rural and small districts. This session explores the over 250 courses available and district case studies, showcasing how districts are expanding educational opportunities and student options, overcoming challenges, and promoting academic growth, all the while bridging educational gaps with a comprehensive, enriching, and affordable program.

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Perfectionism is sneaky and can show up for students as anxiety and depression, school refusal and opting-out, OCD and body image issues, or anger and procrastination. After this session, counselors will be able to: 1.) Discuss effective strategies to use with each type of perfectionism to help students increase academic performance, attendance, and improve mental health outcomes; and 2). Implement evidence-based interventions that can be executed in school settings in 15 minutes or less.

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Come and hear about how the CSCA structure works. The governing structure, the positions, the committees, all of it! Go wild in learning the difference between elected roles and appointed roles. Hear about the history of CSCA and how you can plug in and ignite change in our professional association.

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While best practices are to avoid dual relationships as much as possible, depending on the community in which school counselors work, that may not be possible all the time. School counselors need to manage dual relationships to avoid ethical and legal issues in their school setting. This presentation will focus on real life scenarios and how to manage specific situations in an ethical manner. The presenters are the CSCA Ethics Committee members.

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M.A.G.I.C. = Mindfulness, Acceptance, Goals, Inclusion and Confidence. These are the components of a DBT-based creative arts group designed for ages 8 -10 and 11 - 14. Participants will learn the structure of the M.A.G.I.C. groups currently offered in the community, learn the seminal interventions from the group, learn how to integrate elements of the groups into a school-based format, and learn options for collaborating to bring the groups into the schools, virtually.

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This will be a presentation of the newly developed Crisis Response Toolkit, designed to provide K-12 school districts with essentials in writing crisis response plans, including sample policies, procedures, and resources. Building off of the PREPaRE model, a nationally recognized model for crisis response and interventions, along with other best-practices, participants will gain an understanding of the steps for crisis management, from the planning phase through recovery after an event.

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Looking for concrete and practical ways of improving your counseling program? Find out some of the systems and strategies, plus a little pun fun, that the Arvada West HS counseling department uses that has improved their time management and organization, and has allowed them to excel to be recognized as the counseling department of the year in Jefferson County. Everything being shared will be available for you to copy and take back to your program.

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We will give a presentation on the CSU Bridge Scholars Program that serves First Generation, limited income, first-year students during an 8-week residential program on CSU's Fort Collins campus. The program is geared to close the gap for first-generation students to acclimate to CSU's campus during the summer before students start their first year at CSU. The goal of the presentation is to inform high school counselors of the opportunity for their seniors.

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Ignite your students career interest with a school-wide career day! Sounds too scary? It really isn't... This presentation will provide you with the tools, resources, and insights necessary to guide you in developing your own school-wide career day. We will share how we started and where we are now with supporting students discover their interests in different careers within the career cluster of their choice.

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The diagnosis is formal. The limitations are substantial. But what accommodations should be written into the student's 504 plan? Learn how to write strong 504 plans, focusing on what a student needs, rather than what the family wants. Through evaluation, data collection, and the assistance of Chat GPT, counselors will be empowered to write accommodations that are student centered through resources, tips, suggestions, and visuals. You'll want to ignite a fire to what you've been doing before!

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School counselors are in short supply! Colorado is in a unique position to have funding for school counselors, but finding already licensed school counselors can be difficult. As a result, we are experiencing increased numbers of unlicensed counselors in training or clinically licensed counselors being hired as school counselors. This session will explore critical supervision considerations to support the development of new school counselors and the transition of mental health counselors.

Career & Technical Education (CTE) saves lives. It's what this presenter believes, AND it is getting more attention than in past years. Come learn enough tidbits about the world of CTE in Colorado to get you feeling excited for how it could positively impact your students, be encouraged by what how it could positively affect your families. Also learn how you can gain an endorsement that makes part of your job reimbursable through CTE funding and increase your allies in the CTE teacher community.

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Transform your lessons, groups, and individual sessions with engaging strategies that amplify counseling concepts! Discover new technology tools, props, games, movement-rich activities, cooperative learning experiences, and opportunities for creativity. Learn classroom management strategies that keep your lessons moving smoothly while increasing the fun! You will leave with inexpensive ideas you can implement quickly that will ignite excitement in your students and deepen their learning.

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In the demanding and evolving field of education, school counselors play a vital role in supporting the well-being of students, and the responsibilities of this profession often come with significant challenges. Participants will explore practical techniques for self-care, boundary setting, and stress management tailored specifically to the unique demands of the school counseling profession. Wherever you are in your journey, join us as we aim to thrive, not just survive, for the long haul.

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Come learn about great new books that will help you support students' social and emotional needs! Books will cover topics including feelings, mindfulness, kindness, friendship, growth mindset, anxiety, bullying, grief and loss, and other challenges that elementary students face. Attendees will receive an annotated list of the books discussed in this session, and will leave with activity and discussion ideas for using the books with students.

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Learn about how to best support GT students with affective goals through SEL and Tier 2 programming. Ideas will be shared on how this can look at the middle school and high school levels and through collaboration with GT coordinators. Sample SEL lessons will shared along with other resources.

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Join us as we delve into the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the realm of school counseling. We will explore the potential of AI-driven tools that streamline some of our work, unleashing us to focus on more meaningful student interactions and less on administrative tasks. Writing 504 accommodations, lesson plans, pre-post tests, letters of recommendation, synthesizing qualitative data, creating fun and useful tools to use with students, and more!

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This session provides a unique opportunity for district school counselor leaders to come together, share insights, resources, and best practices, and forge valuable connections within their professional community. By fostering a collaborative environment, this session aims to empower attendees to enhance their leadership skills, leverage collective wisdom, and develop innovative strategies to address the evolving challenges facing schools and students today.

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Renee Cawley

Counseling Lead

It is estimated that 49.5% of today’s adolescents have some form of mental disorder. As our nation’s youth mental health crisis continues, psychologists have deemed schools as a prime environment for intervention. However, many U.S. school counselors, especially those in rural and low-income areas, are struggling to meet the increased need for student mental health support due to lack of funding and/or staff. Our panel of experts will provide insights on the prevalence of mental health issues among our youth and strategies schools can take to help.

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Do your school and district administrators understand their return on investment with you as a school counselor? Would you like to learn about tools within the ASCA National Model that can help you advocate for your role? This session will provide attendees with strategies to implement a school counseling advisory council and steps to have a successful annual administrative conference. School counselors provide sizzling services to their schools and need to let others know!

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In 2023-2024, the Colorado Education Initiative partnered with the Colorado Department of Education and Indigo Pathways to create Meaningful Career Conversations trainings statewide. The work encompassed universal, targeted, and intensive trainings (including a Near-Peer Training for high school students, a family/ community facing training, and a training designed for the experienced career advisor). This session will provide state-wide updates for 2024-2025.

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Feel like you want to dive into the world of Career & Technical Education (CTE) in Colorado? Want to be a champion for CTE for your students, families and communities? Wanting to add an Endorsement to your SSP license? Become a CTE Specialist Endorsed School Counselor! Join for this four-hour course: CTE in Colorado, that will be tailored specifically for School Counselors (typically this course is 8 hours or 3 months in length). This is a special opportunity to complete this engaging and info-packed requirement for endorsement! Complete a few ‘homework’ items that will be relevant to work you do with students and Career Development including topics like: Work Based Learning, Equity and Inclusion, Meaningful Career Conversations, Messaging & Perceptions. Feel readied to submit for endorsement with CDE after earning the completion certificate AND ready to be the biggest champion of CTE for your school/district! Details will be provided during the course for this process. Learn more here: CTE Specialist Credential – Colorado Career and Technical Education (coloradostateplan.com)

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How do we meaningfully and systematically help students suffering from anxiety? Sometimes 504’s are written to protect students from anxiety, but is this the best solution? Usually it isn’t. Anxiety must be challenged, and this should be done in a way that is personalized and involves parents as partners. An easy model for understanding anxiety and the brain will be shared, along with a method for engaging with anxiety that is also easy to understand and implement immediately.

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School counselors often struggle with helping students make positive changes in their lives. Motivational Interviewing is a person-centered approach that can be utilized in school settings to help students access their own motivation to improve grades, build positive relationships, overcome bad habits, and pursue meaningful lives. This presentation will cover the basic tenets of Motivational Interviewing and will focus on practical techniques that can be utilized successfully in a school setting.

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Fentanyl is now the #1 cause of death for Americans in the 18-45 age range. The fastest growing age demographic in America for fentanyl poisoning and death is now 14 years of age, and younger. It's no longer a drug that is killing addicts, it's a weapon of mass destruction, destroying a generation. Awareness is not enough; we must provide comprehensive education. This session will teach attendees exactly how to do that.

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Character development and social-emotional skills are vital for students' civic, work, and personal lives. Integrate these approaches into daily school life with staff buy-in. By combining SEL instruction and self-reflective tools with character-based exercises, school counselors can drive change. Equip staff with low-burden, high-impact strategies, starting with adult behavior change and impacting students' academic, social-emotional, and career growth. Shift your school's culture towards inclusion and compassion.

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LGBTQ+ affirming care training is necessary for staff providing behavioral health care to LGBTQ+ students. This population experiences higher rates of mental health challenges, as well as troubling encounters with providers who do not fully understand or acknowledge the concerns that stem from being a part of a marginalized community. This workshop is designed to help participants develop skills to enhance the delivery of culturally relevant and affirming care to LGBTQ+ students.

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Are your lessons a bit burnt out? Does it seem like your students have lost the spark? If you are like most counselors, this is something on which we’ve had to fuel up. Guide yourself here to improve your lessons by not having to put out the wildfires. This session has scorched evals with the hottest scores, and has been presented at ASCA. So, join us! Don’t let your lessons burn out before you start. With some fun and interaction, you'll walk away trained to handle the most intense heat.

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Explore the transformative potential of AI in school counseling, where efficiency meets impact. Join us as we delve into practical applications of AI tailored specifically for school counselors. Learn how AI-driven tools can streamline administrative tasks, allowing counselors to focus more on meaningful interactions. Discover how integrating AI can catalyze positive change in counseling practices, and increase your ability to get resources to ALL students. We will also discuss ethical limits.

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Atrium of Conference Center

Whether you are new or feeling kind of stuck, please come join our high energy, spirited session where we will discuss best practices, as well as set realistic expectations and goals for yourself and your program. Hear from two veteran counselors that met because of their involvement with the state school counselor associations, and how they have shared resources and tools, and want to help you have no limits to your success!

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The SHP Counselors from Poudre School District will talk about their work in the MTSS framework related to substance use in our schools, with the hope that other professionals can add tools to their toolbelt. Tier 1: Intervention and Education for all students, staff, and parents/guardians. Tier 2: Targeted Interventions for small groups.

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The Awards Dinner is a special event that honors all of the work of school counselors across the state including School Counselors of the Year, Advocate of the Year, RAMP Schools and the final School Counselor of the Year reveal.