STARS - Student Therapy and Resource Services

Creating Visual Supports for Children with Autism - Live Webinar
2022-12-01 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Phoenix)
Course Highlights
Creating Visual Supports for Children with Autism

Ideas and strategies that help children with autism spectrum disorders through sensory integration, communication, behavior, daily living, social skills, and education
Develop visual supports, schedules, and social stories that can benefit young children with autism
Select practical visual supports that can be used to help engage the young child with autism

Older Adult SIS meeting - Hybrid or In Person
2022-12-01 18:00 - 20:00
What: Join us for an informal follow up from the Arizota Fall conference dementia tract lead by Monika Lukasiewicz, OTR/L
This is a hybrid meeting (in-person & zoom). Join us for an informal follow up from the ArizOTA fall conference lead by Monika Lukasiewicz.

Location

Town Center by Oakwood Creative Care 247 North Macdonald Mesa, AZ 85201
Zoom Link: HTTPS://US02WEB.ZOOM.US/J/427692076
MEETING ID: 427 692 076

Smart But Scattered: Executive Dysfunction at Home and at School - Live Webcast
2022-12-02 07:00 - 15:00
Children who have deficient executive skills often have trouble getting started on tasks, get distracted easily, lose papers or assignments and forget to hand in homework. They make careless mistakes, put off work until the last minute and have no sense of time urgency. Workspaces are disorganized and teachers often refer to their backpacks or lockers as “black holes.” Often considered chronic underachievers, these children are at risk for academic failure as well as emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Dr. Dawson, co-author of the best-selling books Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, 3rd Ed. (2018), Smart but Scattered (Guilford, 2009) and Smart but Scattered Teens (2013, Guilford) uses case examples along with interactive discussion to demonstrate how the executive skills manifest in daily home and school activities. Learn how to assess these skills and take home evidence-based strategies to help children and adolescents overcome executive skills weaknesses.
Leave this seminar with a set of tools that includes strategies for task/environmental modifications, skill development through cognitive/behavioral techniques and creation of incentive systems. You will be able to give teachers and parents a means for developing and improving the following:

Organization
Time management
Impulse control
Goal-directed persistence
Executive skills critical for independent functioning

Social Anxiety and Perfectionism: Clinical Tools to Let Go of Unrealistic Standards and Build Real Connections - Live Webinar
2022-12-02 07:00 - 15:00
Your clients with perfectionism are in a no-win situation, and it can feel like you’re stuck there with them.
When perfectionism exacerbates social anxiety, your clients struggle to stand up for themselves – to assert their needs in high-stakes situations – and seek assistance from others. Their lives are one missed opportunity after another.
When your clients fail to meet their own unachievable standards, they maintain that being hard on themselves is necessary for success – despite your attempts to soften their self-criticism and educate them on how it impairs performance.
When you highlight their victories, they reset the bar and insist that the standards weren’t demanding enough in the first place.
The toolbox for social anxiety treatment that you already have is incomplete if it doesn’t have strategies to shift perfectionism.
Join distinguished expert Dr. Martin M. Antony for this unique one-day training that provides practical, step-by-step, evidence-based strategies for helping clients overcome perfectionism-driven social anxiety. You will learn to:

Deliver concrete cognitive strategies tailored to create positive change for clients who struggle with unreasonable social standards
Overcome common roadblocks to exposure therapy and utilize exposure exercises to increase social interaction
Connect clients with their values as a source of motivation for shifting both their perfectionistic mindset and their social behaviors

Your clients need your help to address unrealistic standards and build real connections. Get the cutting-edge strategies you need to make a difference in their lives. All with our 100% Satisfaction guarantee. Register today!

Extended Adolescence - When 25 Looks More Like 18: Clinical Strategies for Clients Struggling to Meet the Demands of Adulthood - Live Webinar
2022-12-02 09:00 - 17:00
The interplay of new technologies, socio-cultural shifts, and educational stressors have created obstacles for young people like never before.
Research suggests that while today’s youth enter adolescence much sooner, they actually reach adulthood much later…resulting in an “extended adolescence.” Our traditional therapeutic tools now fall short, as we endeavor to help clients meet the demands of adulthood.
Join award-winning author and international speaker Sharon Saline, Psy.D., and national trainer and child/family consultant Steve O’Brien, Psy.D., for an enlightening experience designed to redefine and redesign your treatment approach to help young people forge a path to adulthood.
You will learn strategies to:

Navigate ADHD, anxiety, autism and other obstacles to develop life skills
Reprogram the dopamine dependent brain
Cultivate openness and flexibility with Gen Z culture
Collaborate with well-intended but over-involved parents
Instill motivation to advance real-world engagement
Promote “connected independence” in young adults

This timely and engaging training will shed new light on Generation Z youth and equip you with practical, contemporary tools for empowering these young people to shift gears and move toward a rewarding and meaningful adulthood

Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Bingeing and Body Image: What Every Clinician Needs to Know - Live Webinar
2022-12-05 06:00 - 14:00
“I’m too fat.” “I’m on a diet.” “Today is a cheat day.” Once I lose weight, I’ll be happier.” “My eating is out of control.”
This kind of language runs rampant in our society and has no doubt made its way to your office. Clients who struggle with weight and food issues get caught in a vortex of shame, preoccupation and hopelessness. Trapped between the rigidity of dieting and the chaos of overeating, every day can be an emotional battle that may exacerbate or even result in low self-worth, eating disorders, anxiety or depression.
Treatment of these issues is more than a matter of weight loss or self-control. In fact, many times these very interventions do more harm than good!
Join Judith Matz as she shows you how to help your clients identify the shame that is woven into the diet-binge cycle, challenge unhelpful thoughts and feelings, and repair dysfunctional relationships with food – no willpower necessary!
Packed with practical tips and backed by research, this comprehensive 1 day seminar will teach you how to:

Identify issues related to food, weight and body image in your very first session.
Utilize CBT, mindfulness and attuned eating strategies to transform shame into empowerment.
Discover personal bias and attitudes that may be counterproductive to the therapeutic process.
Help clients develop a healthy framework that ends out of control eating and is not subject to fad diets.
Learn why clients get stuck in the diet/binge cycle and how to finally break it.

Sign up today!

The Ten Best-Ever Anxiety Treatment Techniques: Updated Strategies to Help Even the Most Challenging Clients - Live Webinar
2022-12-05 07:00 - 15:00
Helping your clients overcome anxiety is challenging. You’ve tried the common techniques but aren’t confident you applied them correctly and worse, your client is still struggling. If you’re feeling frustrated and unsure of what to do next? Then don’t miss this opportunity! Join neuroscience and anxiety expert, Dr. Daniel van Ingen as he teaches you the 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Techniques and help you master:

Applying the techniques with difficult cases
Using the techniques with different age groups
Treating clients with co-morbid diagnosis
Options to use with groups and individuals that work in every clinical population
Applying the neuroscience of memory reconsolidation and the default mode network to create successful exposure therapies and reduce rigid, anxious thought process

This fresh approach will give you a complete set of tools to work with anxiety symptoms. You’ll learn what the latest research has proven and you’ll be confident that you can apply these techniques in clinical practice. Most importantly, Dr. Daniel van Ingen’s pragmatic approach will provide you with practical strategies you can immediately use with all clients.

2-Day Conference: Play Therapy: Engaging Powerful Techniques for the Treatment of Disruptive Behavior Disorders and Trauma - Live Webcast
2022-12-05 07:00 - 2022-12-06 15:00
Childhood Disruptive Behavior Disorders are on the rise! Tantrums, anger, defiance, threatening behavior …
How can we as therapists more effectively decrease acting-out behaviors and help repair, rebuild and create strong parent-child relationships?
Join me, Clair Mellenthin, expert in child and family trauma and attachment, as we dive into the impact of Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder on children, teens, and their families. You’ll learn effective, powerful, evidence-based play therapy interventions including guided imagery, mindfulness, expressive arts, and sand tray play – all of which include parent-child relationship enhancement activities.
This workshop will show you how:

the impact of attachment plays a role in the etiology in childhood disruptive behavior disorders
to utilize attachment-centered play therapy techniques to treat these diagnoses in children
to strengthen parent-child relationships
to improve overall self-esteem and confidence – giving the child tools to control their challenging symptoms and help heal the family system.

Register today to explore the power of play therapy – and incorporate these strategies into your mental health practices with young clients and their families!

Supporting Self-Regulation Development in Young Children - Live Webinar
2022-12-05 13:00 - 15:00
Course Highlights
Supporting Self-Regulation Development in Young Children

Strategies to support child development sequences through natural learning opportunities
Providing children with a sense of security and belonging through daily interactions and meaningful experiences to promote trust and self-confidence
Encouraging consistency with daily routines to best support child success – allowing flexibility as needed with individualized treatment planning with family identified priorities
Evidence-based coaching strategies and reflective practice to empower families and caregivers in a variety of environments

Supporting Self-Regulation Development in Young Children - Live Webinar
2022-12-05 13:00 - 15:00
Highlights

Strategies to support child development sequences through natural learning opportunities
Providing children with a sense of security and belonging through daily interactions and meaningful experiences to promote trust and self-confidence
Encouraging consistency with daily routines to best support child success – allowing flexibility as needed with individualized treatment planning with family identified priorities
Evidence-based coaching strategies and reflective practice to empower families and caregivers in a variety of environments

The Sensory and Sleep Connection - Webinar
2022-12-06 12:00 - 14:00
The American Academy of Pediatrics (2020) estimates 25-50% of all children and 40% of adolescents are affected by sleep problems. Since so many children suffer from sleep issues, it is essential for all healthcare providers to recognizethat sleep problems in children: can mimic symptoms of ADHD; cause depression and anxiety; may be linked to depressed immune responses; and in recent studies show a link to increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity (Sleep Foundation, 2021). Adolescents who get an inadequate amount of sleep struggle more academically and have a higher incidence of mental health problems (Colrain &Baker, 2011). Daytime and evening activities also improve orinterfere with sleep quality. Using active learning strategies, participants will be able to provide caregiver education andwill learn evidence-based sleep routine and hygiene recommendations and strategies to support improved sleep-in pediatric clients. Promoting improved sleep-in pediatric clients improves family relationships and children’s success engaging in other important daily occupations.
Highlights

Evidence-based strategies to support improved sleep
Implementing balanced screen/activity time, routines, and better sleep hygiene that promotes immediate change in sleeping patterns
Addressing the negative impacts of inadequate sleep inthe pediatric population through the latest evidence, treatment strategies, and case studies

Solving the Handwriting Puzzle - Live Webinar
2022-12-07 10:00 - 12:00
Highlights

Effective strategies to build student self- esteem
Confidently address various handwriting deficits such as spacing, handwriting pressure, reversal, and hand dominance
Easy to incorporate interventions to progress handwriting therapy to successfully meet goals

INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: Making AT for Educational Success: A “Hands On” Make and Take Workshop with Therese Willkomm
2022-12-08 08:00 - 15:30
Greetings,
The Arizona Department of Education Assistive Technology (AT) team is excited to announce our next 2022–23 national presenter: Therese Willkomm, PhD. This workshop is designed for special educators and related service providers.
Making AT for Educational Success: A “Hands On” Make and Take Workshop
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2022
Time: 8:00 a.m.−3:30 p.m.
Fee: $26 (breakfast and lunch included)
Where: Roosevelt School District Wellness Center
Address: 1030 E Baseline Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85042
About Therese Willkomm
Dr. Therese Willkomm, PhD, is the Director of New Hampshire’s State Assistive Technology Program with the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). Dr. Willkomm is clinical associate professor emeritus in the Department of Occupational Therapy. She developed, coordinated, and taught the assistive technology courses for the Graduate Certificate Program in Assistive Technology for 23 years. She is known nationally and internationally for her innovative strategies for creating solutions in minutes. She has designed and fabricated over two thousand solutions for individuals with disabilities. She has presented her work in forty-two states, ten foreign countries, and three U.S. Territories and has authored over twenty publications, including her recent book, Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes Book 3: – “Make Stuff and Love People.”
Workshop Description:
This workshop will explore hundreds of assistive technology solutions that can be made in minutes using everyday tools and materials. Each participant will make ten different multi-use assistive technology solutions, including solutions for: reading, writing, communicating, vision, physical access limitations, life skills, self-regulation, and tabletop mounting/stabilizing solutions. Attendees will receive a copy of Dr Willkomm’s latest book, Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes Book 3: – “Make Stuff and Love People.”

Autism: Across the Spectrum - Live Webinar
2022-12-09 06:00 - 13:00
Course Highlights
Autism: Across the Spectrum

50 Hands-on therapy tools and strategies that help children with autism spectrum disorders through sensory integration, communication and language, behavior, social skills, and education
Receive ready-to-use handouts, checklists and inexpensive therapy strategies to make your work easier and more efficient from a certified SLP and mother of a child on the spectrum
Case studies and videos to support families and children in daily living solutions that will help in the school, home and community
Sensory integration problem solving and treatment solutions available to children with autism spectrum disorders as presented in young children
Understand early patterns of development in infants and toddlers who have or are at risk for developing autism spectrum disorders

The Building Blocks of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) - Live Webinar
2022-12-09 08:00 - 10:00
Course Highlights
The Building Blocks of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

Diagnostic criteria needed to differentiate Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) from other speech sound disorders
Essential components of motor-based treatment approaches for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Practical treatment strategies you can use the next day with clients who have mild to severe Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

Self-Regulation Interventions for Children & Adolescents: Reduce Frustration, Emotional Outbursts & Oppositional Behaviors - Live Webcast
2022-12-09 08:00 - 16:00
This seminar will help you to better intervene with the challenging child—the one who won’t sit still; doesn’t follow directions; often throws tantrums; or has difficulty waiting for their turn. They may “hit first and ask questions later”. They react impulsively and have difficulty expressing what they need or what is frustrating them. We know this child is intelligent, caring and kind, but their behavior doesn’t reflect these positive qualities. These are the children who confuse and frustrate parents and who overwhelm teachers and peers. They struggle to meet basic expectations and are unable to succeed in school, with peers and at home.
Join clinical psychologist Dr. Ehlert and learn to effectively intervene with the emotional and behavioral dysregulation of children with High-Functioning Autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities and Sensory Processing Disorders. Through hands-on activities and dynamic discussion, you will learn techniques, behavioral strategies, problem-solving strategies and brain training exercises to:

Address the sensory, language and executive functioning processing deficits that trigger them
Increase their self-control, social success, emotional control and task completion
Teach flexibility, tolerance, thinking it through and decision-making
Reduce the frequency and duration of their tantrums and emotional outbursts

Walk away with proven emotional, behavioral and processing strategies that lead to social and academic success!

Adaptive Strengthening Activities for Children with Motor Dysfunction - Live Webinar
2022-12-12 10:00 - 12:00
Highlights

Best practices for strengthening in children with neuromuscular dysfunction
Immediately apply adapted strengthening activities for gross and fine motor deficits

Playful Parts: The Intersection of Play Therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Live Webinar
2022-12-15 06:00 - 14:00
When kids experience trauma or other negative life events such as abuse, neglect, bullying, racism, violence, or educational difficulties, they often hold powerful negative beliefs about themselves, such as “I’m broken”, “I’m unlovable”, or “It was my fault”.
As a therapist, you know that play is a child’s natural language for expressing emotions, processing experiences, and resolving internal conflict. But did you know that you can expand this work further by incorporating Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy into your session? By weaving the essence of IFS, parts work, with play therapy interventions, you can help kids conceptualize themselves and their experiences in a healthier way.
Join Carmen Jimenez-Pride, LCSW, RPT-S, and Certified IFS Therapist, as she expertly pairs the therapeutic power of play with the non-pathologizing, flexible approach of IFS. Through expert explanation and demonstration, Carmen will teach you how to integrate these two powerful therapy methods so you can help young clients:

Release shame as they explore and make sense of their internal sensations and experiences
Give voice to all their “parts”, none of which are bad or wrong
Express and process painful emotions, urges, and memories without assigning blame or shame to them
Unhook from distressing beliefs about themselves and their experiences
Enhance social relationships, foster emotional wellness, and build on personal strengths
Develop cognitive flexibility and reframe self-doubt
And so much more!

Take your play therapy interventions even further by incorporating IFS – sign up today!

Changing the ADHD Brain: Moving Beyond Medication - Live Webinar
2022-12-15 07:00 - 15:00
Many persons diagnosed with ADHD prefer not to take medication. There are various reasons for this including side effects and concerns with long-term use. In this seminar, you will learn more about these reasons, as well as alternative interventions for ADHD.
Looking at ADHD from a developmental perspective, we will consider reasons for the apparent increase in ADHD diagnoses over the past two decades. By understanding the way the brain works in ADHD, you will be able to better identify a variety of strategies to significantly impact the nervous system and positively influence symptoms of ADHD in your clients.
Not only will you walk away with information about some of the most common non-medication interventions for ADHD such as computerized cognitive training, mindfulness meditation, and neurofeedback, you will also learn a variety of practical strategies that can be implemented immediately and at low cost.
We will navigate the vast research on exercise, movement, diet, sleep, disruptive technologies, supplements, and the impact of the environment on ADHD, summarizing the findings and applying the information to “real life”. You will leave this seminar with the tools and knowledge to develop a holistic approach to working with adults and children with ADHD.

Social Media, Reality TV & Influencer Culture: CBT, EFT, and More for Enhanced Treatment of Clients Impacted by Toxic Content - Live Webinar
2022-12-16 06:00 - 14:00
Creating lasting change in therapy is hard work – especially when your client is distracted, disengaged, or lacks the necessary skills to retain therapeutic interventions…
If you’re struggling to make progress with your young clients, you’re not alone! Social media, reality TV, and influencer culture immersion have caused a critical thinking drought. And it’s making therapy harder.
Understanding how social media and reality television impact your clients – decreased self-esteem, increased anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation − is vital for the whole picture of mental health and has a direct impact on you as the professional.
Join Janine Oliver, PhD, LCSW, clinician and researcher of reality tv and social media as she demonstrates the connection to critical thinking decline and shares ways to improve your efforts as a therapist to make your interventions more effective, efficient, and durable. You’ll get:

Strategies to sustain lasting critical thinking skills
Confidence grounded in new skills and research to navigate social media and reality tv
Proven strategies to enhance engagement and problem-solving to help your client come up with their own solutions
Exercises and assessment tools to build resilience and grit to enhance clients critical thinking

Register now and walk away confident and grounded in new skills and research to navigate social media, virtual reality and external influences impacting people today!

Foundations of Applying Evidence-Based Practice - Live Webinar
2022-12-20 17:00 - 19:00
Course Highlights
Foundations of Applying Evidence-Based Practice

Resources to access evidence-based research through reputable open access sources
Strategies to critically review research methodologies to support your clinical practice
Integrate evidence-based research into clinical utility through case examples

Food and Mood: A Therapist’s Guide to The Role of Nutrition in Mental Health - Live Webinar
2022-12-28 07:00 - 15:00
Diet is an often-ignored aspect of the prevention of poor mental health and the promotion of good emotional health. The causes of behavioral health problems are complex, and nutrition is a valuable yet often missing piece of the puzzle to help clients improve their emotional state.
Imagine if you could feel more confident talking with clients about nutrition from a therapist’s point of view, and do so while adhering to our ethical code.
Kathleen Zamperini, LPC, NCGC-1, CMHIMP, brings a unique perspective as a licensed professional counselor with a degree in nutrition and certification with the Mental Health Integrative Medical Institute. She uses the language of a therapist to explain key concepts of integrating a cognitive behavioral approach with nutritional strategies to improve treatment outcomes.
Discover the clinical applications to transform the way your clients view food and revolutionize your clinical toolbox to ethically educate clients about nutrition and how they can make lasting changes.
