S.T.A.R.R., Inc.

This interactive workshop will focus on several bullying issues, including teasing, cyber bullying and aggressive behaviors.  All participants will be provided with the tools and resources for both dealing with bullying and intervening effectively.  Various strategies and techniques will be covered which participants will be able to apply to all types of harassment including the challenges and barriers to actual intervention.

This workshop will introduce some of the issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) teens.  There will be an overview of language and terminology, history and law, and adolescent development.  Participants will learn how to create an environment that is safe and supportive for all children/teens.  

This workshop will address several different types of challenging students and will cover specific mechanisms for working with multiple needs students in both short and long term situations. The techniques can be applied to students of all ages and behaviors.  Role-plays are utilized to further develop the participant’s engagement skills.

This interactive workshop will focus on anti-LGBT name-calling and will provide participants with the tools and resources for intervening effectively.  Various strategies and techniques will be covered which participants will be able to apply to all types of harassment that is based on race, gender, identity, etc. The challenges and barriers to intervening effectively will also be addressed.

This workshop is a must for anyone who works with culturally diverse students.  Gain a better understanding for how your own identity and biases affect your work with students and learn specific techniques to become a more competent and culturally aware professional.  This workshop will be educational, thought provoking and very interactive.

If you have ever thought, “These kids are crazy!” then this workshop is for you.  Learn about teen mental health, including why kids act the way they do, the most prevalent mental illnesses that affect pre-teenagers and how to deal with teens that have mental health issues.  Specific examples of various mental health behaviors will be used.

Often, the most difficult youth are the ones who are the angriest. Whether it is displayed through violence or silence, most of the young people struggle with feelings of powerlessness, which they try to mask from others. Participants will receive an overview on recognizing and dealing with rage in at-risk youth. Through case studies, anger management exercises and theory, participants will learn the causes of anger and its different forms; how to help youth recognize, accept and manage the aggression; and how to channel the youth’s aggression toward positive actions and goals.

This workshop will provide participants with a definition of child abuse and neglect. Participants will learn to recognize behavioral and physical signs of all types of abuse and neglect. This workshop will also help you understand the impact of abuse and neglect on child development. Prevention and intervention strategies will be discussed. The process of reporting abuse and neglect to the proper authorities will also be covered.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for Americans aged 15 to 24 years old. The goal of this workshop is to enhance a workers ability to recognize the factors that lead teens to think about and often act upon suicide. It will also provide appropriate interventions in order to prevent individuals from committing suicide. A variety of teaching techniques will be used, as well as case examples.

In this workshop, participants will explore definitions and meanings of loss, the stages of mourning, and various cultural responses of grief/loss.   Participants will learn how to engage with youth and learn strategies for working with youth who are dealing with grief and loss issues.

We all have stress….the question is, how do we deal with it appropriately.  Participants will take a stress self-evaluation test and will be educated on the physical, emotional and psychological effects of stress. During the workshop participants will learn several stress relieving techniques and will be encouraged to make adjustments to their daily lives in order to keep stress levels down and ultimately improve their quality of life.

This workshop will focus on how to deal with appropriate boundaries when working with children and teens and addressing some of the ethical concerns that occur when lines become blurry.  Group discussions will include concrete examples on how to effectively make safe and responsible judgments in the classroom and during after school programs.  Various scenarios will be presented that involve conduct with both the students and co-workers with the goal of discovering the best solutions to some challenging ethical dilemmas