Meet the 2020 MASCA Conference Keynote Speakers
By Ruth Carrigan | December 2019
The 2020 MASCA Conference is only a few months away. We are excited to be at the Boston Marriott/Newton, a beautiful, centrally located facility with easy access to Boston, the Mass Turnpike and public transportation. Breakout sessions will be available by early January, but we are happy to announce our Keynote Speakers.
Monday, March 30, 3-6 pm – Pre-Conference
Allison Edwards
15-Minute Counseling Techniques that Work: What You Didn’t Learn in Grad School
Allison Edwards is an affiliate professor in the human development counseling department at Vanderbilt University, the author of “Why Smart Kids Worry” and “Worry Says What?” and the creator of Anxiety Tracker, an iPhone app that helps track anxiety. Edwards has more than 20 years’ experience working as a school teacher, school counselor, child/adolescent psychotherapist and educational consultant to schools throughout the country.
Join Edwards as she presents “15-Minute Counseling Techniques that Work: What You Didn’t Learn in Grad School.” Feel like you don’t have enough time to do counseling? Learn 15 counseling techniques that can be implemented in less than 15 minutes from when a student walks into your office. The program can be suited to elementary, middle or high school counselors (or a combination of all) and participants will not only learn the strategies but will be doing them alongside Edwards as she teaches how to implement them. Get out your Play-Doh! This hands-on, experiential program will revolutionize your counseling department and help kids leave feeling empowered.
Tuesday, March 31 – Keynote
Julia Taylor
Mental Health Literacy: Raising Awareness
Dr. Julia V. Taylor is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia. Taylor is the author of many books: “The Body Image Workbook for Teens,” “The Bullying Workbook for Teens,” “Salvaging Sisterhood,” “G.I.R.L.S: Group Counseling Activities for Enhancing Social and Emotional Development” and a children’s book, “Perfectly You.” She frequently presents her research and experiences with educators, parents and students at the national level.
Join Taylor as she presents “Mental Health Literacy: Raising Awareness to Provoke Change.” Current research indicates that one in five students will experience a mental illness before the age of 25, with symptoms beginning during adolescence. The lifelong trajectories for these conditions can be greatly improved with early identification and intervention. School counselors are ideal to provide Tier 1 programming to reduce stigma, promote help-seeking behavior and enhance mental health literacy for youth. This session will provide an overview of current research and best practices to address the topic, with a plethora of suggestions and advocacy resources.
Both professional development points and graduate credit will be available to conference attendees. For more information, registration details, and Call for Programs, go to www.masca.org. Contact Ruth Carrigan at Ruth.Carrigan@whrsd.org with questions.
Monday, March 30, 3-6 pm – Pre-Conference
Allison Edwards
15-Minute Counseling Techniques that Work: What You Didn’t Learn in Grad School
Allison Edwards is an affiliate professor in the human development counseling department at Vanderbilt University, the author of “Why Smart Kids Worry” and “Worry Says What?” and the creator of Anxiety Tracker, an iPhone app that helps track anxiety. Edwards has more than 20 years’ experience working as a school teacher, school counselor, child/adolescent psychotherapist and educational consultant to schools throughout the country.Join Edwards as she presents “15-Minute Counseling Techniques that Work: What You Didn’t Learn in Grad School.” Feel like you don’t have enough time to do counseling? Learn 15 counseling techniques that can be implemented in less than 15 minutes from when a student walks into your office. The program can be suited to elementary, middle or high school counselors (or a combination of all) and participants will not only learn the strategies but will be doing them alongside Edwards as she teaches how to implement them. Get out your Play-Doh! This hands-on, experiential program will revolutionize your counseling department and help kids leave feeling empowered.
Tuesday, March 31 – Keynote
Julia Taylor
Mental Health Literacy: Raising Awareness
Dr. Julia V. Taylor is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia. Taylor is the author of many books: “The Body Image Workbook for Teens,” “The Bullying Workbook for Teens,” “Salvaging Sisterhood,” “G.I.R.L.S: Group Counseling Activities for Enhancing Social and Emotional Development” and a children’s book, “Perfectly You.” She frequently presents her research and experiences with educators, parents and students at the national level.Join Taylor as she presents “Mental Health Literacy: Raising Awareness to Provoke Change.” Current research indicates that one in five students will experience a mental illness before the age of 25, with symptoms beginning during adolescence. The lifelong trajectories for these conditions can be greatly improved with early identification and intervention. School counselors are ideal to provide Tier 1 programming to reduce stigma, promote help-seeking behavior and enhance mental health literacy for youth. This session will provide an overview of current research and best practices to address the topic, with a plethora of suggestions and advocacy resources.
Both professional development points and graduate credit will be available to conference attendees. For more information, registration details, and Call for Programs, go to www.masca.org. Contact Ruth Carrigan at Ruth.Carrigan@whrsd.org with questions.