WORKSHOPS >>
 
Creating a School Climate Ripe for Student Success:
A Narrative Solution-Oriented Therapy Approach

In the wake of the Columbine tragedy and other school crises, our schools have become "adult-friendly" places with zero tolerance for children and adolescents exhibiting behavioral difficulties or what may appear to be behavioral problems. Red-flagged children and adolescents are often referred for a case study evaluation, an assessment at a local mental health agency, or sent to the district psychiatrist for an evaluation. Some of these children and adolescents may feel emotionally disconnected from their parents and peers and are longing to connect with an adult or other youth that care about them. Research has indicated that 1 out 10 junior and senior high school students reported that they feel that there are no adults or peers at their schools that care about them. Clearly, efforts need to be made on a large-scale level to return schools back to being to being "child-friendly" places where they promote connection-building with teachers, student empowerment, meaningful learning environments that stimulate critical thinking, and honor the uniqueness of and accentuate the strengths and talents of each student.

The narrative and solution-oriented therapy approaches, which are strengths-based client empowerment models, are quite applicable to school settings and can help create such a school climate. The major theoretical tenets and therapeutic strategies of these models can be used in school team meetings and staffings, in designing realistic individual educational plans, class room behavioral management, and in improving the school climate. This workshop will greatly benefit school administrators, school social workers, psychologists, counselors, and teachers.

Participants will learn the following:

• School team meetings and staffings that identify students' and teachers'strengths, resources, talents, and past successes that can be tapped for solution-building
• Co-constructing with students and their parents solution-determined individual educational plans
• Effective tools for fostering cooperative relationships with challenging and disruptive students
• Strategies for establishing cooperative relationships with difficult parents
• Externalizing strategies to empower the student-school team to defeat the problem
• Building meaningful connections: School personnel serving as inspirational others for disconnected students
• The sacred talking circle: School personnel, students, and their parents co-creating the school of their dreams