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Keynote: The Behavior Code

Institute 4: Is This Student Safe to Return to School? Critical Strategies for Threat Assessment and Management in K-12 Schools

Dr. Rappaport is the chair of this institute on school threat assessment and management, and will present “” with Dr. Sarah Goodrum.

Clinical Perspectives 16: Helping Students Transition Back to School: Addressing School Avoidance and Absenteeism Through Collaboration

Dr. Rappaport will be the discussant for this Clinical Perspectives session on school avoidance and absenteeism.

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School Mental Health: Treating Students K-12 – In person and Virtual

Students of all ages continue to struggle with increased mental health issues since the pandemic upended the world. According to a CDC 2021 survey, 42% of adolescent students felt persistently sad and 22% seriously considered attempting suicide. The U.S. Surgeon General has further emphasized the issue’s urgency with his recent report on the youth loneliness crisis. Our children and teens are crying out for help, and those who work with school-aged youth must stay current with the latest knowledge and skills that will enhance the emotional well-being of our students.

This course is designed to meet those needs and offer participants practical strategies with a mix of lecture, case studies, interactive panels and Q&A. Topics will cover resilience, risk assessment related to suicide and extremism, trauma awareness, social justice and immigrant supports; perfectionism, school avoidance and pediatric emergencies; while attending compassionately to ourselves and our colleagues.

Participants will complete the course with practical and timely clinical information and skills based on emerging research, evidence-based practice and innovative learning strategies. And this year we are excited to now offer two options of format: in person or online livestream.

We welcome all mental health and health clinicians, educators, school administrators, researchers, and others interested in the development and treatment of school-aged children and adolescents.

Who Should Attend

  • Primary Care Providers
  • Specialty Physicians
  • Nurses
  • Psychologists
  • Counselors
  • Social Workers
  • Family Therapists
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Keeping Our Schools Safe: A Safety Assessment Approach to Violence

Child psychiatrists, whether consulting to schools or providing services in private practice or an emergency room, are increasingly asked to make judgments about students’ safety. Thus, it is imperative that they are familiar with the research on assessing student threats, broaden their knowledge base of the standard safety/threat assessment process, and understand the critical information needed for this process. This presentation provides an overview of a comprehensive school safety assessment approach for students whose behavior raises concern about their potential for violence, presenting a model that can help prevent school violence while getting students and families the services they need. Participants will better understand the multi-faceted role that child psychiatrists, working in a variety of settings, can play in building a school culture of safety, performing school threat assessment and responding appropriately, facilitating communication and connection to needed services, and supporting students, families, and educators.

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School Mental Health: Treating Students K-12

Dr. Rappaport will present “Case: School Avoidance” as part of the two-day conference:

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, the impact on our students is increasingly clear but so too are new solutions and approaches. Mental health needs have skyrocketed among youth, and many schools struggle with burned out teachers and administrators, challenging parents and a lack of mental health providers in schools and their communities. We are eager to come together again in person to share successes and challenges on our collective journey through constant uncertainty.

This course will equip participants with up-to-date knowledge and skills to enhance the emotional well-being of children and adolescents at school, as well as the well-being of larger systems and communities. Topics will cover pandemic effects on learning, navigating LGBTQ+ issues, autism & social communication, polyvagal theory, school avoidance, perfectionism and the impacts of prejudice and other traumas. We are excited to also offer an open ‘Doc Roundtable’ to address questions and concerns related to the latest medications, and a powerful lived experience panel on gun violence and youth activism. Participants will leave with practical and timely clinical information and skills based on emerging research, evidence-based practice and innovative learning strategies.

Mental health and health clinicians, educators, school administrators, researchers and others interested in the development and treatment of school-aged children and adolescents will gain updated knowledge and skills via a mix of didactic lectures, case studies, panel discussions and Q&A.

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Depression and Suicide: Balancing Risk and Finding Hope and Connection

Nancy Rappaport, M.D., will discuss how depression presents in children and teens at home and at school, how to proceed when concerned a student may be suicidal, and how to support youth with depression. This workshop will include an interactive discussion of clinical cases to illustrate key points.

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Family is the Best Medicine: Strengthening Family Therapy Skills to Support Children in Crisis

Discussion focuses on addressing clinical problems as challenges for the family to resolve with the help of the child and adolescent psychiatrist, and on promoting effective family function and recovery. Cases presented by participants are used to identify common themes voiced by families that are “stuck” and develop questions and approaches that enhance closeness, encourage effective limits, and build understanding and support within the family. Participants develop skills to effectively engage with the family, build family-therapist collaboration, enhance flexibility, promote appropriate distance in relationships, and resolve conflicts to ensure cooperation that builds family hopefulness and improves family function in relation to the presenting problem.

Workshop 23: The Essential Threat Assessment Toolkit: What Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists Need to Know

Psychiatric threat assessment is an intervention providing essential psychiatric and educational treatment recommendations to schools and parents. Case vignettes and videos are used to introduce and demonstrate the psychiatric threat assessment process, the consultation process with parents of students who make threats, and effective engagement with school administrators and educators. Presentations look at warning behaviors, social media threats, copycat phenomena, and family dynamics. Participants discuss strategies for identifying and safely managing aggressive students in schools and collaborating with family and school personnel to gather critical information. The role of the child and adolescent psychiatrist in addressing firearm safety issues is discussed. Participants receive a set of resources to continue the learning experience and to educate others.
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Workshop 20: Writers Unblock: A Motivationally Enhancing Writing Workshop for Writers at Any Level

Writers at all levels of experience enhance their writing in a welcoming, nurturing, and non-judgmental space. Presenters address barriers to writing and give specific, measurable, achievable, and timely ways that participants can advance their writing. Participants learn about opportunities to incorporate various forms of writing into their training or career; hear from expert writers about their process and strategies for writing; and engage in a real-time writing exercise that motivates and inspires writing efforts beyond the Workshop. Prior to attending, participants have the opportunity to complete a survey about their interests and are invited to pair with another participant to share a writing piece for feedback and advice.