Workshops | Seminars

Drs. Maag and Kemp and their staff offer several workshop topics. These topics focus on providing professional development to personnel in education and mental health and that provide services to youngsters in a variety of settings including public and private schools, residential treatment facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and correctional institutions. All workshops are offered in half-day, full-day and two-day formats. Contact us to schedule a workshop.

Managing Resistance

Our most popular workshop topic is managing resistance. This topic was developed by Dr. Maag over the past 10 years of conducting research and working with school districts, residential facilities, and psychiatric hospitals. A special price on the accompanying book, Peculiar Tracks for Derailing Resistance, is provided to contracting agencies that purchase 30 or more copies. Dr. Maag also conducts a workshop on controlling emotions and behaviors. This workshop is designed to help practitioners keep their cool when confronted with the most confrontational youngsters. It makes an ideal companion to the managing resistance workshop.

Controlling Emotions and Behaviors

face We sometimes limit our ability to effectively dealing with others because of overreacting emotionally and engaging in counterproductive behavior. A system for stubbornly refusing to make ourselves miserable about anything ever again, no matter how disagreeably we perceive others treat us, is described. This claim may seem outrageous but no more so than the concepts and techniques presented.

This workshop is an ideal companion to managing resistance and reflects the orientation of ACT. In order for use to access alternative communication techniques, we need to keep our cool under pressure. When people are typically under pressure, they access behaviors that have become habitual through years of use. Unfortunately, these behaviors are not always the most effect to perform in a given situation. This presentation will help you stay level-headed so that you can access alternative communication techniques.

Communicating for Effective Collaboration

helping hands The second most popular workshop topic is communicating for effective collaboration. This topic was developed by Dr. Kemp from 10 years of working collaboratively with others both as an administrator and consultant. It focuses on helping both educators and mental health professionals work together to address the needs of youngsters with challenging behaviors.

Behavior Management

roller coaster Both Dr. Maag and Dr. Kemp offer workshops on behavior management. They have conducted these workshops individually and together over one and two day formats. The topics range from basic principles and use of positive reinforcement to developing class-wide self-management programs and school-wide positive discipline programs.

Paraeducator Training and Support

teacher and student Paraeducators are often overlooked for training opportunities, yet their job responsibilities continue to expand and they may not be prepared to fulfill them. This presentation covers topics such as effective communication techniques that will make problem solving and conflict management easier with both other staff and students. Other areas addressed will include; the elements of a quality instructional tutoring session, roles and responsibilities of a paraeducator versus a teacher, behavior management techniques so students will receive the maximum benefit from their time with you.

Some time will also be spent discussing No Child Left Behind and its implications for paraeducators as well as other legal and ethical guidelines that must be followed in educational environments.

This interactive session will be informative, fun, and remind paraeducators just how valuable they are to students and the educational system.