The School Psychologist's Survival Guide


Book Description

A practical and accessible guide for helping school psychologists meet their everyday challenges In this newest addition to the Jossey-Bass "Survival Guide" series, popular blogger Rebecca Branstetter offers help for school psychologists who must often travel to multiple school sites, deal with students with severe disabilities, meet with concerned parents, and manage school crises. The book is filled with practical advice, proven strategies, and useful tools, complete with reproducible forms, letters, and checklists for busy professionals. Filled with the tools, strategies, and ideas for school psychologists who must deal with the myriad challenges of working with a diverse group of students, often in multiple locations Another book in the popular Jossey-Bass "Survival Guide" Series Rebecca Branstetter is an experienced school psychologist and popular blogger ("Notes from the School Psychologist": studentsgrow.blogspot.com) This vital resource offers a down-to-earth guide for both novice and seasoned school psychologists.




The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Executive Functioning Disorder


Book Description

The vital skills children need to achieve their full potential! Being organized. Staying focused. Controlling impulses and emotions. These are some of the basic executive functioning (EF) skills children need to function and succeed as they grow. But what can you do if your child is struggling with one or all of these skills? With this hands-on guide, you'll learn what EF difficulties look like and how you can help your child overcome these challenges. Psychologist Rebecca Branstetter teaches you how to help improve the executive functions, including: Task initiation Response inhibition Focus Time management Working memory Flexibility Self-regulation Completing tasks Organization With checklists to help enforce skills and improve organization, The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Executive Functioning Disorder is your step-by-step handbook for helping your child concentrate, learn, and thrive!




So, You Are a School Psychologist


Book Description

This book, written in Dr. Turner's unique college lecture style, has real world, practical suggestions that can be immediately implemented. His straightforward, “matter of fact” approach effectively conveys important points without “fluff.” As a former teacher, counselor, and academic dean, his perspective on education is well rounded. His formal education includes two master's degrees, a doctorate in psychology and post-doctoral work in autism and behavior modification. “Dr. Turner's book is an excellent first step in the right direction. It is an example of his commitment to doing what is right for students. I found the sections on assessment and the IEP process particularly enlightening. This book would be an informative read for any individual involved in the IEP process..” - William Shupe, M.A., NPS Principal“Dr. Turner has written a comprehensive book that can save many interns, first year school psychologists, and even seasoned veterans valuable time if his strategies are utilized. Many people (professionals too) confuse activity with being successful and effective. However, many school psychologists are so busy running from meeting to meeting and are in “stomping out fires” mode and the day is over before they knew it started. They are very active, but not very effective. Dr. Turner shows us how planned activity and organization are effective. Dr. turner provides us with a common sense model of how to learn good professional habits and make them a part of our professional and daily life.” - Roger McCoy, PPS school psychologist for Riverside County SELPA“This book is very thorough and innovative in the progressive future of school psychology. As a new School Psychologist entering the field, I love the detailed information and direction.” – Alice Bass, School Psychologist InternDr. Turner is a licensed educational psychologist in California, lead school psychologist in a mid-size district, private pilot, Marine combat veteran, and adjunct college professor. He is a mentor to interns, guiding them through their 1200 intern hours required by the state. As a former member of the Board of Directors for the California Association of School Psychologists, he is aware of the many pressures and legal issues facing educational psychology and special education. Dr. Turner also received a research grant to study strengths-based interventions and is a promoter of shifting the perspective from “strengthening weaknesses” to “building on strengths.”




Thriving in Graduate School


Book Description

Addresses the mental health challenges of graduate school and how students can succeed and thrive. With rates of depression and anxiety six times higher among graduate students than the general population, maintaining emotional wellbeing in graduate school is vital! Students must be prepared with skills that will not only help them perform well but also help them feel well. Thriving in Graduate School: The Expert's Guide to Success and Wellness is the first book on graduate student mental health written by mental health professionals. It promotes psychologically healthy approaches to navigating the graduate school experience and teaches students that they are not alone in their mental health struggles. The authors introduce students to unique perspectives that are key to positive mental health. Additionally, this is the only book of its type to explore issues routinely faced by historically marginalized graduate students. Special sections at the end of each chapter written for faculty, administrators, and mental health professionals augment the book by suggesting ways that each of these groups can help guide and support graduate students through their journey. Featuring vignettes and experiences from actual graduate students, Thriving in Graduate School sheds light on common—but hidden—truths to help students manage the many challenges they will face and even thrive during their graduate school years. Written with compassion and humor, this is a must read for prospective students and those who seek to support them.




Facilitating Effective Communication in School-Based Meetings


Book Description

This book offers guidance for school-based professionals participating in the special education process. It provides a foundation for effective oral communication and meeting facilitation in team meetings while highlighting methods to enhance collaboration between educators and families. School psychologists across the United States share how they structure meetings, provide examples for how to communicate educational and psychological concepts, and describe personas they present to support the meeting process. Chapters present a sequential facilitation process for school psychologist-led meetings and apply that process to problem-solving, suspicion of disability, eligibility/feedback, IEP, and manifestation determination meetings. Within each chapter, featured practitioners describe ways to address common challenges that arise. Aimed at graduate students and professionals, this text is a unique, example-based resource to enhance readers’ ability to facilitate and participate in the special education process.




DBT? Skills in Schools


Book Description

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills have been demonstrated to be effective in helping adolescents manage difficult emotional situations, cope with stress, and make better decisions. From leading experts in DBT and school-based interventions, this unique manual offers the first nonclinical application of DBT skills. The book presents an innovative social?emotional learning curriculum designed to be taught at the universal level in grades 6-12. Explicit instructions for teaching the skills--mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness--are provided in 30 lesson plans, complete with numerous reproducible tools: 99 handouts, a diary card, and three student tests. The large-size format and lay-flat binding facilitate photocopying; purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by T. Chris Riley-Tillman.




Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education


Book Description

Educators must both respond to the impact of trauma, and prevent trauma at school. Trauma-informed initiatives tend to focus on the challenging behaviors of students and ascribe them to circumstances that students are facing outside of school. This approach ignores the reality that inequity itself causes trauma, and that schools often heighten inequities when implementing trauma-informed practices that are not based in educational equity. In this fresh look at trauma-informed practice, Alex Shevrin Venet urges educators to shift equity to the center as they consider policies and professional development. Using a framework of six principles for equity-centered trauma-informed education, Venet offers practical action steps that teachers and school leaders can take from any starting point, using the resources and influence at their disposal to make shifts in practice, pedagogy, and policy. Overthrowing inequitable systems is a process, not an overnight change. But transformation is possible when educators work together, and teachers can do more than they realize from within their own classrooms.




Latina Psychologists


Book Description

In this book, twelve eminent Latina Psychologists illustrate how they practice gender- and culture-sensitive psychotherapy, counseling, research, pedagogy, social justice, and mentoring. They share how they create their own path in the midst of oppression – by becoming aware of the connection between their lives and their gendered, cultural, social, and political circumstances – and how they liberate themselves and those who seek their psychological services. Based on lived experiences, they reveal how they integrate a borderlands theory, a testimonio method, and an embodiment analysis into a Latina Feminist Psychology. More importantly, these Latina Psychologists offer easy-to-follow advice to help readers thrive while living in the cultural borderlands.




Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain


Book Description

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection