Supporting Students’ Holistic Needs: Examining Social-Emotional Learning, Mental Health, Executive Function, and Motivation – Summer Institute 2024

Courses

Credits	Event Type	Dates/Time	Price	Registration
10 Hours/PDPs	2 Day Seminars	July 11-12, 2024 8:30am - 3:00pm	$300	You must have an account to register for courses. Create an Account Already have an account? Log In

Please note that you may register for this course individually or as part of the 5-day elementary or middle & high school Executive Function Academy.

A societal shift is happening where educators are tasked with not only teaching academic skills, but also ensuring their students have interpersonal skills as they grow and develop. For this reason, social-emotional learning is a hot topic in schools throughout the country. How do we teach these skills while managing students’ mental health and executive function needs? What does motivation truly mean and look like for students? Throughout this seminar, participants will engage in hands-on activities, group discussions, and reflective exercises to deepen their understanding and practical application of social-emotional learning (SEL). We’ll examine mental health, executive function, and motivation as important aspects relating to the core competencies of SEL with the goal of empowering educators with the knowledge and tools to foster holistic student development.

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

Define and understand Social-emotional learning (SEL) and its 5 Core Competencies
Understand how students’ mental health, executive function, and motivation needs can present in a classroom setting
Teach students regulation strategies for managing their mental health and executive function needs
Create classroom and individual student plans that navigate student needs while promoting their social-emotional growth

Level

This course is appropriate for educators at all levels (elementary, middle, secondary).

Materials

Materials will be provided on-site.

Additional Course Logistics

Delivery mode: In-person.
Attendance: Live, on the date and time listed in the course information section.

About the Instructors

Christine Vander Werf, MSW, LICSW

Christine is a counselor at Landmark High School whose work centers around supporting student management of their major mental health needs, as well as building their self-awareness, independence, and self-advocacy skills. She has particular expertise in working with LGBTQ+ students and facilitates the Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) on campus, as well as serving on the cross campus Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee. She’s spent the past decade working with vulnerable populations including those with HIV, children with trauma, and students with anxiety, depression, ADHD, communication disorders and learning disabilities. She holds a Masters in Social Work from Wheelock College and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Providence College.

Laura Sherman Polvinen, MSW, LICSW

Laura is the Director of Counseling at Landmark Elementary-Middle School in Manchester, Massachusetts and has been at Landmark since 2015. A Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Laura has spent the past 12 years working with children and families with needs ranging from trauma, chronic illness, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and learning disabilities. She also spent 5 years as an adjunct faculty member at Wheelock College teaching in the Graduate Social Work Program. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in both Psychology and Spanish from Tufts University, and a Master of Social Work degree from Wheelock College.

Course Listing