School Psychologist and Counsellor PD package – 2024

This 1.5hr webinar – Understanding and defining your role – focuses on the core idea that sits behind most decisions we have to make in our work – what is my role? While every school and every psychologist or counsellor operates differently, there are some universal considerations and reflections we can make that will help provide that clarity and communication (for yourself and others).

Some of the key ideas that will be covered include:

• Who cares anyway? Why role definition is important to you and your wellbeing
• Defining your role – what do you think it is? What do others think it is? And what do you think it should be?
• What is the best way to do your role (hint: there is no best way – but we’ll cover some good ideas!)
• Communicating your role to others
• How do you hold firm on your boundaries?

This 1.5hr webinar – Using data to define and improve your work- will help you think about the questions you might want to answer about your work and how you can use data to help. This is not a class in statistics (excel is all that is needed – I promise!), but is a webinar about how you can tell the story about what you do, how well you do it, your strengths and opportunities for growth. 

Some of the key ideas covered will include:

• Demystifying data (hint: you don’t have to be good at statistics) – understanding what you can do with it
• You have to start somewhere – reflecting on what data you have access to and what data you want to get
• Exploring examples: service use data, service delivery data, student feedback
• How you can use your data – setting goals/KPI’s, balancing workload, improving your work, demonstrating your value

This 1.5hr webinar – Supporting students at risk of significant self-harm and suicide – provides an overview of caring for students, yourself and others, when there are risk issues. Of all the situations we deal with in school, this area is one that most psychologists and counsellors reflect on as being the most difficult and stressful. This webinar focuses on creating a series of processes that help you standardise what you do, reduce decision fatigue and create a more consistently positive system.

Some of the key ideas that will be covered include:

• The importance of having clear processes that span the continuum and timeline of risk – from initial identification to management/support and (hopefully not ever needed) postvention
• Synthesising processes and resources to develop a framework for support through each stage (including a template for risk assessment and processes for supporting a student when risk issues are identified)
• Case example of supporting a student with significant self-harm and suicidality following initial identification of these concerns
• Looking after yourself and others – why doing the work now will help look after you later

This 1.5hr webinar – Using digital systems (to make your life easier!) – is all about creating more efficiency in your work. Almost all of us are guilty of doing things the same way we’ve always done it, even when we recognise there might be a better way to do it. Effort now = massive benefits later! Don’t believe me? What if you could make your note-taking more efficient and save yourself 2 minutes per note? You do 500 sessions a year – that will save you almost 17hrs!

Some of the key ideas that will be covered include:

• What is the argument for and against modernising your systems?
• Identifying opportunities to make your work more efficient
• Using templating, automation and smart systems to reduce your workload
• Exploring two examples – digital referrals and digital note-taking

This 1.5hr webinar – Presentations and groups at school made easy – focuses on the practical considerations that will make delivering presentations and groups so much easier. This will not cure your fear of public speaking! But it will help give you the confidence to efficiently prepare, write and deliver activities that can be so impactful and well-received by students, parents and staff. 

Some of the key ideas covered in this webinar are:

• What is the benefit of delivering presentations and groups? Helping you consider the return on investment (and make sure your leadership team get this too!) 
• Presenting skills – it is not as scary as you think, and you are almost certainly over-preparing!
• Presenting practicalities – how to write a presentation (quickly) and considerations for organising it so it runs smoothly
• Group program practical considerations – how to go from considering a group, to running it successfully

This 1.5-hour webinar – Boundaries, burnout and being well – explores the day-to-day barriers to looking after ourselves at work. What is it about how we choose to see ourselves and our work, what do others really expect of us and how do we manage the guilt/imposter syndrome/drive to do more so that we can work in a way that is sustainable and thoughtful? 

Some of the key ideas that will be covered include:

• What really gets in the way of creating a sustainable way of working? Your stuff, their stuff and how the ‘stuffs’ combine
• How do we determine our “pressure points” and what can we put in place to manage this?
• Saying no – knowing how to say it, when to say it and not feeling so danged guilty about it!
• Self-care (but not candles and bubble baths) – working hard now to protect yourself later

This 1hr webinar – Effective collaborative meetings for school psychologists and counsellors – focuses on the dynamic and useful role that collaboration in schools plays. This practical session will explore what you can do to build well-run, efficient, and impactful meetings that drive positive change in counselling and pastoral care

Some of the key ideas that will be covered include:

• Developing an ideal meeting structure –  tips and ideas for creating meetings that support collaboration and innovation.
• Navigating collaborative meetings – effective techniques to engage counselling and pastoral care teams for maximum impact.
• Elevating team efficiency – strategies to streamline your meetings, optimising time and resources.
• Key formats that generate effective meetings – practice meeting templates, agenda items, attendees, and examples of operational and strategic items – key take aways!

This 1hr webinar – Practical guide to assessments in schoools – explores the practical and realistic approach to conducting assessments in schools. Rather than focusing on the administration and interpretation of specific assessments, this presentation focuses more on the practical reflections and considerations, as well as what happens after an assessment is completed.  

Some of the key ideas that will be covered include:  

• What is considered an assessment? 
• Administering assessments in session – standalone assessments (e.g. DASS)
• Who decides? Consideration for referrals, decision-making, assessment selections 
• Troubleshooting: environmental considerations, limited external information, limited access to standardised assessments,  
• Report writing: purpose of the assessment and intended audience 
• Maximising partnerships: families, teachers, support staff, external parties 
• Recommendations: now what.  

Join Matt for a half hour Q&A session. This is your opportunity to ask questions on your mind about your work in schools and to hear ideas from Matt (and your colleagues)

This 1hr webinar – Supporting admin and support staff (in their care of students) – explores the unique experiences of schools administrative and other front-line staff who are often exposed to a range of student mental health, behavioural, social-emotional and learning challenges.

How can we support our support staff to create a shared understanding of our student needs, while also acknowledging roles and boundaries?

Some of the key ideas that will be covered include:    

• Identifying your support staff 
• Setting boundaries and information sharing  
• Confidentiality: How to share “enough”  
• Working collaboratively  
• Post-incident support: roles and responsibilities 

This 1hr webinar – setting up and utilising a wellbeing space – is part science, part art, and all interesting! There are significant benefits to creating and using a wellbeing space, but a lot of challenges too.

Some of the key ideas that will be covered include:

• Assessing (or re-assessing) the pros and cons for you in your school using a wellbeing space
• How to pitch (or re-pitch) the value of this space to school staff, parents and students
• Tips and ideas for how to physically structure your space
• Establishing your processes and procedures (e.g. who can use this space, when and how)
• Exploring the common problems (e.g. supervision/monitoring, inappropriate use)

Join Matt for a, half hour Q&A session. This is your opportunity to ask questions on your mind about your work in schools and to hear ideas from Matt (and your colleagues)