NHASP Fall Conference!

Friday, October 14, 2022

Fostering Student Well-Being through a Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Complete Mental Health

Presented by 

Shannon Suldo, Ph.D. 

October 14th ,2022 8am-3:30pm

This event will be in-person at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH

Continuing Education Credits

6.0 CE credits are available for this event!

NHASP is a NASP-approved provider of CPD hours and Certificates of Attendance will be accepted toward NCSP. A total of 6.0 CE credits will be awarded for this event.

NH Licensed Psychologists should note that NASP is an approved CE provider and these credits count towards licensure renewal requirements. 

Workshop Description

School psychologists are a critical part of the school team charged with providing a continuum of evidence-based strategies to promote student resilience and enhance mental and behavioral health. This professional learning will discuss best practices in promotion of student complete mental health, using programs and practices within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) that includes universal (Tier 1), targeted (Tier 2), and indicated/individual (Tier 3) mental health services.  A modern dual-factor model of complete mental health directs attention to both positive and negative indicators of well-being and problems, respectively. In addition to preventing and reducing mental health problems, enhancing subjective well-being is essential to ensure optimal student outcomes.

Thus, this workshop will emphasize evidence-based positive psychology interventions for universal, small-group, and individualized supports. At the Tier 1 level, participants will learn programs and practices to promote all students and teachers’ subjective well-being, and reduce and prevent student emotional and behavioral problems. For Tier 2, participants will become familiar with example evidence-based options for time-limited programs for common mental health challenges. Planning for Tier 3, participants will consider how to coordinate with community resources and/or incorporate practices that address students’ gratitude, hope, optimism, and use of character strengths within individualized treatment plans. Participants will learn how a MTSS that promotes all students’ complete health contributes to academic success by addressing barriers to learning that stem from mental health problems.

The schedule for the day is:

7:15 am:              Registration Opens/Breakfast

8:00-10:00:         Workshop Session I

10:00-10:15:      Morning Break

10:15-12:00:      Workshop Session II

12:00-1:00:         Lunch

1:00-2:00:           Workshop Session III

2:00-2:15:           Afternoon Break

2:15-3:30:           Workshop Session IV

3:30 pm:             Conference Ends

Target Audience

This workshop is appropriate for School Psychologists, Psychologists, Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Regular Education Teachers, and Speech Pathologists. The workshop is available to current NHASP members at a special reduced rate as a membership benefit. Additionally, members of other North East Regional state associations can attend at the NH member rate as part of our regional collaboration. 

Students are provided a reduced registration fee for this event. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to show these skills in each of the following areas:

1. How Complete Mental Health Links to Students’ Academic Success
   1. Describe and current conceptualizations of mental health (e.g., disease/distress model vs. comprehensive models of “Complete Mental Health” from a positive psychology perspective that include indicators of wellness in addition to emotional distress)
   2. Outline studies that demonstrate links between students’ mental health (including happiness) and their academic achievement and schooling experiences 
2. Essential Features of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports to Promote Complete Mental Health
   1. List evidence-based programs and practices recommended for inclusion in a multi-tiered framework for school mental health that includes universal (Tier 1), targeted (Tier 2), and indicated/individual and crisis services (Tier 3).
   2. Describe assessment options, such as universal screening of student mental health, to systematically identify students for supplemental support through Tiers 2 and 3.
   3. Discuss systems change considerations during implementation of a MTSS for complete mental health, including creating school teams and partnerships, securing buy-in from key stakeholders, and data-based decision making.
3. Introduction to Positive Psychology: Understanding and Assessing Key Constructs Relevant to Students’ Happiness
   1. Highlight key constructs within the field of positive psychology, including subjective well-being (i.e., happiness), character strengths, strong relationships, and how these constructs relate to youth resilience
   2. Explain how to assess positive psychology constructs (i.e., subjective well-being, character strengths) among youth and how to use data from such assessments in (a) universal screenings of student mental health, and (b) progress monitoring and evaluative efforts
   3. Describe of how positive psychology fits in with other services in a multi-tiered system of supports for student mental health
4. Positive Psychology Programs and Practices to Increase Subjective Well-Being
   1. Implement a time-limited intervention to improve teachers’ happiness and reduce burnout
   2. Discuss universal (Tier 1) programs and practices for promoting students’ well-being through schoolwide and classwide prevention efforts that strengthen relationships, and cultivate positive emotions about the past, present, and future
   3. Outline targeted (Tier 2 and Tier 3) positive psychology interventions for promoting students’ happiness

About The Presenter

Shannon Suldo, Ph.D., is a Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the School Psychology Program at the University of South Florida.  She received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 2004. She is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Florida and continues to provide school-based mental health services to youth in the Tampa area. She has extensive research and clinical experiences in school-based mental health services, including: establishing empirical links between student mental health and academic success; conceptualizing and measuring student mental health in a dual-factor model that considers psychopathology and well-being; evidence-based positive psychology interventions for promoting positive indicators of student well-being; schoolwide strategies to identify youth with mental health problems; and supporting teachers’ emotional well-being.

She also studies the stress, coping strategies, and mental health of high school students in accelerated courses, and is Principal Investigator of two large federal grant to identify and build factors that predict success among students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. She is also Principal Investigator of a large federal grant to evaluate a selective positive psychology intervention to increase middle school students’ subjective well-being. She has published more than 75 studies that convey findings from her research on how to assess and promote complete mental health. She is the author of Promoting Student Happiness: Positive Psychology Interventions in Schools, a 2016 book within the Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series; co-editor of Fostering the Emotional Well-Being of our Youth: A School-Based Approach, a 2021 book published by Oxford; and co-editor of The Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools: Supporting Process and Practice (3rd edition), a 2022 book published by Routledge.

Registration Information

Cancellations received prior to October 10th, 2022 will be refunded less a 5% administrative fee. No refunds will be provided for cancellations received after 5pm on Monday, October 10th, 2022. 

Online payments will be accepted for this event. Please note that NHASP is now using payment processing from Wild Apricot to simplify your checkout process. You will no longer be re-directed to PayPal for payment.  

Purchase orders will not be accepted for this event. 

*Students currently enrolled in a school psychology or school counseling program receive a reduced registration fee for this event. 

There is not a remote option for this event. 

Lunch and other food will be provided at this event. Please note any dietary requirements in your registration form. 

For questions, please contact NHASP President Kate Grieve. Contact information is located in the sidebar or on the contact us page. 

The conference will be held at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH. 

The address is: 

70 Constitution Ave
Concord, NH 03301

(603) 225-0303

Directions are available at the Grappone website. In brief:

From the North:
I-93 South to exit 15W. Turn right at stop sign and proceed to flashing yellow light. Turn right at flashing yellow light onto Commercial Street. Proceed to stop sign and turn right, continuing on Commercial Street, and turn right into Corporate Center at Horseshoe Pond.

From the South:
I-93 North to exit 15W (393/202 West). Turn right at flashing yellow light onto Commercial Street. Proceed to stop sign and turn right, continuing on Commercial Street and turn right into Corporate Center at Horseshoe Pond.