Our friends from WHS join us today to discuss the transition from 8th to 9th grade.  Dr. Stacy McGuire, WHS Principal and Director of School Counseling, Dan Doherty are our guests.  Right at the time of year when our 8th grade students are selecting their high school electives, Mr. Doherty and Dr. McGuire discuss advice for parents, selecting a class schedule that makes sense and what what high school has in store for our middle school students.  http://whscounselingcenter.com/:  The Westfield HIgh School Counseling Center Websitehttps://www.wws.k12.in.us/whs:  The WHS website

046 8th to 9th Grade Transition w/WHS

Craig, Jill and Juli speak to Christy Berger who is the Director of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Wellness for the Indiana Department of Education.  This episode takes a global and local look at what SEL is, how it's being implemented in schools, what is going on at the government level as well as why it is a priority and not a buzz word.  Wonderful resources for parents here!  https://www.doe.in.gov/sebw:  The Indiana Department of Education's website for Social Emotional Learning.  There are a ton of great resources here including toolkits, a Science of Happiness Course, and much more.  Stuff for all age levels here.  https://casel.org/:  The is the website for CASEL, The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.  CASEL helps make evidence-based SED an integral part of education from preschool through high school.  Check out their resources tab!

045 Social Emotional Learning at the State Level

In this episode Jason Tarnow is the guest.  Jason is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate with Pathways to Healing in Noblesville, Indiana where he uses Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy as a staple in his practice.  Jason explains the science and practical applications behind EMDR along with why he believes it can help us all.  https://pathwaystohealingcounseling.com/:  The Pathways to Healing Website.https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/:  What is EMDR from EMDR Institute, Inc.

044 EMDR Therapy

Dr. Amy Ricke joins the Toolbox for this episode on eating disorders.  Dr. Ricke is a psychiatrist at The Selah House, an eating disorders treatment facility located in Anderson, IN.  Dr. Ricke shares why the adolescent years is the perfect entry point for parents to learn more about this issue.  Tips, warning signs, treatment options and resources are all packed into this conversation.https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/:  Website for the National Eating Disorders Association.http://www.iaedp.com/:  Website for the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionalshttps://www.selahhouse.com/:  The website for The Selah House treatment center in Anderson, INhttps://anad.org/:  Website for The Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disordershttps://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/support-groups/:  Website for The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awarenesshttp://www.edtfi.org/resources.html:  The Eating Disorders Task Force of Indiana

043 Eating Disorders with Dr. Amy Ricke

Craig, Juli and Jill pick up where they left off with Dr. Grate, Superintendent of Westfield Washington School.  In this, Part II episode, they really dig into Dr. Grate's insight on all things middle school.  Great advice for parents along with several "things to come."https://www.stvincent.org/Services/Mental-and-Behavioral-Health:  The St. Vincent Mental and Behavioral Health Websitehttps://indymca.org/y-westfield/:  The Westfield, IN YMCA webpage.https://www.pltw.org/:  The national website for Project Lead the Way

042 Dr Grate Part 2

Craig, Jill and Juli have a candid conversation with district Superintendent, Dr. Sherry Grate.  Dr. Grate shares her vision for the district along with challenges and successes in her first few years of leadership.  Several useful parent resources shared as well.https://www.wws.k12.in.us/domain/451:  Westfield Washington School's Superintendent webpagehttps://www.spreaker.com/show/wws-podcast:  Dr. Grate's podcast, "Inside the Rock"http://parentuniversity.wws.k12.in.us/:  Westfield Washington School's Parent University website

041 Dr. Grate, Superintendent of Westfield Washington Schools

In this first episode of our third season, Craig, Juli and Jill welcome their new principal, Mike Hall to The Toolbox.  Mike comes to WMS from Monon Trail Elementary School also in the Westfield Washington School District.  Listen to Mr. Hall share his vision for WMS and why he was so eager to serve as the school's next leader.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-yaqtIXNJ4:  YouTube video about Paul Tough's book How Children Succeed.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8:  Ted Talk with Angela Duckworth on the topic of Grit.https://www.search-institute.org/:  The Search Institute Website.  Lots of parent resources here.

040 Mike Hall, New WMS Principal

Local Licensed Mental Health Therapist, Rachel Hall returns for Part II of a series on The Core Emotions.  In this episode, she focuses on fear.  Hear why it is so important to experience it, why she is afraid of frogs and how we can help ourselves and our teens experience this core emotion.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=85z4N_sHXJw&disable_polymer=true:  Video from Pixar's "Inside Out" demonstrating fear.https://brenebrown.com/:  Website for Brene Brown.  TONS of info. here!https://pathwaystohealingcounseling.com/:  Website for Pathways to Healing Counseling.

039 Core Emotions Part II:  Fear

Rachel Hall returns to The Toolbox.  This is a follow up from episode 34 where we just scratched the surface when discussing teens and trauma.  Realizing that the core emotions are such a part of trauma, we concluded that a deep dive into the core emotions is needed.  This episode is the first in a series of chats about the core emotions starting with "anger."  pathwaystohealingcounseling.com:  Pathways to Healing Counseling Website.  Rachel's contact/bio included along with all that Pathways has to offer.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaJEWGSOD7s:  Video of Pixar film "Inside Out" on featuring "Anger."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-kMJBWk9E0:  Video mentioned by Craig with Dan Harris narration.  This video explains in plain terms how meditation helps our emotions.

038 The Core Emotions Part I

Adam Lesser is the Deputy Director of Implementation for The Columbia Lighthouse Project in New York City.  He is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and former Middle School Counselor.  Adam shares about the Columbia Suicide Prevention Scale widely used by counselors, therapists, doctors and shares why this needs to be a tool for any and all folks who are concerned about anyone's intent with suicide.  http://cssrs.columbia.edu/:  The Columbia Lighthouse Project Websitehttps://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/:  The National Suicide Prevention Lifelinehttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201705/13-things-parents-should-know-about-13-reasons-why:  A recent article from Psychology Today expressing concerns about the Netflix show "13 Reasons Why."

037 The Columbia Lighthouse Project and Suicide Prevention

Craig, Jill and Juli start a new feature.  Every two weeks they share updates in their world of middle school counseling.  Hear been happening (especially because more than two weeks have gone by!) and check out Juli's resource from the workbench!https://peacelearningcenter.org/:  The Peace Learning Center website located in Indianapolis, IN.https://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/mindfulness-based-programs/mbsr-courses/about-mbsr/history-of-mbsr/:  The Center for Mindfulness website located at The UMASS Medical School.  Information on Mindfully Based Stress Reduction.  https://www.stressedteens.com/:  The home page for Stressed Teens.  So much info. for parents, teachers, and students here!

036 2-Week Tidbits

In this episode, Craig and Juli discuss the science behind anxiety with guest, Amanda Slonaker.  Amanda works for the Zionsville School District just next to Westfield.  Amanda is that district's Coordinator for School Psychology and a Clinical Neuropsychologist.  Amanda is not only medically trained, but she does a wonderful job of explaining what happens in our brains in ways that are easy to understand.  Lots of helpful resources shared as well!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umBbQvnShaA&disable_polymer=true:  News video of story Amanda explained about man fighting off a mountain lion.https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Over-Mood-Second-Changing/dp/1462520421/ref=pd_sim_14_2/147-3933574-5991734?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1462520421&pd_rd_r=62620cc9-3541-11e9-8361-31a05a5f3960&pd_rd_w=NmUuX&pd_rd_wg=3PYsI&pf_rd_p=90485860-83e9-4fd9-b838-b28a9b7fda30&pf_rd_r=2TRDNCS902780QG5FJ5N&psc=1&refRID=2TRDNCS902780QG5FJ5N:  Mind over Mood bookhttps://www.amazon.com/Helping-Anxious-Child-Step-Step/dp/1572245751:  Helping Your Anxious Child book.https://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml:  National Institute of Mental Health websitehttps://www.nasponline.org/:  National Association of School Psychologists websitehttps://www.stopbreathethink.com/:  Stop Breathe Think app websitehttps://www.calm.com/:  Calm app websitehttps://www.headspace.com/:  Headspace app websitehttps://lookupindiana.org/:  Look Up Indiana website

035 Neuroscience of Anxiety

In this episode, Rachel Hall joins The Toolbox.  Rachel is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the Mental Health Liaison to the Boone County Sheriff's Department in Indiana.  Of the many areas of counseling services, Rachel and her colleagues specialize a lot in the area of trauma.  Hear her share why we should not consider this a major tragedy each time we hear that word.  Learn what is a Big T vs. a Little T, what EMDR Therapy i, resources to help parents and kids and much more. https://pathwaystohealingcounseling.com/:  PathWays to Healing Counseling websitehttp://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/:  The Eye Movement Desensitization & Processing Institute website.  Learn all about EMDR here.  https://www.stopbreathethink.com/:  The Stop Breathe Think website.  You can download this app to your phone or any device as well.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx41SPMLBMg:  Scene from the movie Inside Out demonstrating the core emotions.

034 Trauma and Teens

Craig, Jill and Juli start a new feature.  Every two weeks they share updates in their world of middle school counseling.  In this first feature, they discuss transitioning to high school, EMDR Therapy, and Restorative Justice among other tidbits.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=psN1DORYYV0:  Brene Brown Ted Talk on Shame.https://pathwaystohealingcounseling.com:  Pathways to Healing Counseling Website.  Info. on EMDR here.http://whscounselingcenter.com:  Westfield High School Counseling Center Website.https://peacelearningcenter.org:  The Peace Learning Center Website.  Info. on Restorative Justice here.

033 2-Week Tidbits 1

Craig, Juli and Jill sit down w/their colleagues from Westfield High School.  Dan Doherty is the Director of the WHS Counseling Center, and Dr. Stacy McGuire is the proud principal of her alma mater!  In lieu of WMS 8th graders and parents starting to discuss scheduling for high school, this is the perfect time of year to hear all about what WHS has in store for next year and beyond.  From a freshman mentor program to "Does your GPA really matter" and everything in between, this is a great episode to learn about all that WHS has in store for students.  www.whscounselingcenter.com:  The Westfield High School Counseling Center webpagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ:  Information from Carol Dweck on Growth Mindset

032 Middle to HS Transition w/WHS 2019

Kyle Miller is the guest in this next resource for parents.  Kyle is a long time school counselor for Westfield Washington Schools, but he is starting his first year as the district's Director of Social Emotional Learning.  Kyle will share how we can help students "get ready to learn" and teach students "what's happening in our brains" so we can "avoid the rollercoaster" and "share the calm."https://casel.org/:  The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) website.http://parentuniversity.wws.k12.in.us/:  Westfield Washington Schools Parent University website.https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/:  The Enneagram Institute website.https://apertureed.com/dessa-overview/:  The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment website.

031 Social Emotional Learning

Craig and Jill sit down with two WMS parents whose kids were interviewed in Episode 28.  Hear Gina and Amanda share their thoughts after hearing their children interviewed. Hear them share their struggles and solutions in their homes as well as some really great resources that may help you.  This is a real conversation with real people managing real issues in the digital age of screens.https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208982:  IOS Screen Time app info. from the Apple site.https://families.google.com/familylink/:  Family Link Parental Control App by Google. https://meetcircle.com/:  Circle, by Disney website.  Another monitoring app for parents. https://www.screenagersmovie.com/:   Screenagers documentary website.  TONS of info. for parents here as well as the movie trailer.

030 Parent Interview on Screen Time

Craig interviews Lisa Tabb, Executive Producer of the documentary Screenagers in lieu of hosting an upcoming screening of the film. https://www.screenagersmovie.com/:  Screenagers documentary film website.  Many resources here!https://www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/:  Dr. Ruston's Tech Talk Tuesdays Blog

029 Screenagers Documentary Interview

Three Westfield Middle School students sit down with the counselors.  They share their use of screen time, thoughts on their parents' rules, and shed a light on students think and feel regarding this issue with which most parents struggle.  A candid, authentic look at how teens feel about growing up in this digital age. https://www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/finally-apple-releases-screen-time-controls:  Info. on the ScreenTime app in iOS 12 for Iphones.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQx2X0BXgZg:  Screenagers documentary movie trailer.https://www.screenagersmovie.com/:  Screenagers documentary website.

028 Screen Time:  An Interview with Teens

Jake Gilbert is the Dean of Wellness at Westfield High School.  He is also a state champion football coach and has always found himself in positions working with youth.  In this episode he discusses the importance of mentoring and what WHS is doing to connect with incoming students and widen their "web of support."

The Toolbox: A WMS Counseling Podcast

The Toolbox: A WMS Counseling Podcast

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