Presentations and Workshops

                                                                             2020-2021 School Year


Annually, Bedford Public School counselors host a series of programs for parents and mental health workshops on developmentally appropriate topics. Some of these programs are in partnership with Bedford Health and Human Services. Each program typically involves a presentation that includes a variety of resources and handouts. We leave plenty of time for further discussions and questions. "Evenings with the Counselors" is designed to not only provide parents with information and resources but we aim to help parents develop a support network. We recognize that many parents have similar questions regarding how to navigate through their child's school years and our program is a great venue to meet other parents who share common experiences. A list of the 2020-2021 programs is detailed below and will be updated through the year.

*Please see the Health and Well Being tab for additional parent programming and resources

COVID Life and School Reopening
Thursday, September 3rd, 7:00-8:00pm
Presenter: Mary DeLorenzo, Consulting School Psychologist

Join the Bedford counseling team and Health and Human Services consulting School Psychologist Mary DeLorenzo, MEd, CAGS to discuss how to prepare for the return to school and how to help your child create a new normal with new rhythms. The discussion will center on:
     • how to prepare for and discuss the plan for return to school with your child
     • coping skills and mindfulness
     • how to build resiliency during this difficult time
     • tools and resources to help children and families


Resilience Required: COVID-19 and Teen Mental Health
Tuesday, November 17th, 7:00-8:00pm
Presenter: Jon Mattleman
Facilitator: Charles Alperin, BHS Social Worker

Grief, loss, the rise of anxiety and depression, and ongoing uncertainty about the future are impacting our children. Join Counselor Jon Mattleman for a dynamic virtual program providing a framework to understand and navigate this school year, your teen/tween's mental health, and how to be a support. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of Jon and the BHS social worker to get concrete answers and practical steps they can take now.

Supporting Children's Well Being During Covid-19 and Beyond: Self-Regulation and Mindfulness
Wednesday, December 2nd, 6:00-7:00pm
Presenters: Davis Counseling and Behavioral Therapy Team

Please join our zoom meeting for tips and resources to support self-regulation for your children during the challenge of living and learning during COVID-19 and beyond. We will provide information regarding:
     an overview of Self-Regulation as a necessary skill for both adults and children
     Co-regulation and its impact on our ability to teach, parent and relate to others
     Structure and routines to optimize learning and overall regulation
     Mindfulness and ways to incorporate these skills into a daily routine
     Growth mindset: Ways to enhance social-emotional learning and perseverance

Presentation Link
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Supporting Adolescents' Mental Health & Well Being During Difficult Times
Thursday, February 4th, 6:30-7:30pm
Presenters: JGMS Counseling Team

Please join us to gain a greater understanding of how anxiety and depression presents in adolescents, how it impacts them and strategies parents/caregivers can use to support our teenagers mental wellbeing. Our goal is for you to leave with some ideas about what you can do to help. 
Webinar Recording 
(passcode: 69MxAMW!)
Slidedeck

Supporting Children During Covid-19: Advocacy and Independence
Wednesday, February 10th, 6:00-7:00   **This event was rescheduled: March TBD
Presenters: Davis Counseling and Behavioral Therapy Team

Please join us for tips and resources to support self-advocacy and independence for your children during the challenge of living and learning during COVID. We will provide information regarding:
     An overview and importance of Self Advocacy/Independence 
     Developmental stages
     Strategies to help with self-advocacy 
     Empowerment/the art of letting go 

QPR: Question, Persuade, and Refer - Suicide Prevention
Wednesday, March 17th at 7pm
Presenters: Jon Mattleman

Join us with Jon Mattleman of Minding Your Mind. Jon will teach us the three simple steps that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. The signs of crisis are all around us and knowing how to spot them can make a difference. After completion of QPR Training, you will know:
     How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide
     The common causes of suicidal behavior
     The warning signs of suicide
     How to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone who may be suicidal
     How to get help for someone in crisis

Building Skills for Managing Big Emotions
Monday, March 29th at 7 pm
Presenter: Dr. Rachel Kramer

A session focused on parents and caregivers of our younger learners, but all are welcome. As the pandemic continues, we know that many parents are understandably feeling weighted down by pandemic fatigue and, for some families, this is compounded by the fact that children are experiencing more intense emotions. This session will offer strategies and coping tools to manage intense moments with your child.
Webinar Recording

Supporting Emotional Well-Being for Tweens and Teens
Monday, April 5th at 7 pm
Presenter: Dr. Rachel Kramer

This session will present the ways we can understand and support our teens and tweens regarding the developmental issues they face. Strategies will focus on helping parents and caregivers feel more confident and courageous to engage in difficult discussions with the youths in their lives.
Webinar Recording

Pandemic Parenting One Year In: Supporting Social Development and Combating Social Atrophy
Monday, April 12th at 7 pm
Presenter: Dr. Rachel Kramer

During the pandemic, we are all getting much less practice with face-to-face communication. Children and adults worry about not knowing how to relate to people once pandemic restrictions are lifted. This session will focus on strategies for parents and caregivers to support their children’s social skills and combat social atrophy.

Presentation Links for Previous Progamming

Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program - Parent Night 

Presenters: BHS Counseling Team
Presentation Link
The Signs of Suicide Prevention Program (SOS) is a universal, school-based depression awareness and suicide prevention program designed for middle-school (ages 11–13) or high-school (ages 13–17) students. The goals are to: (1) decrease suicide and suicide attempts by increasing student knowledge and adaptive attitudes about depression, (2) encourage personal help-seeking and/or help-seeking on behalf of a friend, (3) reduce the stigma of mental illness and acknowledge the importance of seeking help or treatment, (4) engage parents and school staff as partners in prevention through “gatekeeper” education. Please join us to learn more.

Strategies to Help Your Child Manage Anxiety - High School
Presenters: BHS Counseling Team
Please click here for the presentation
What We Learned from Lynn Lyons - Please join us to dig a little deeper into Lynn Lyons' understanding of how anxiety affects us and strategies we can use to help our teenagers learn how to manage their anxiety better. Our goal is for you to leave with some ideas about what you can do to help. 

Strategies to Help Your Child Manage Anxiety - Middle School
Presenters: JGMS Counseling Team
Please click here for the presentation 
What We Learned from Lynn Lyons - Please join us to dig a little deeper into Lynn Lyons' understanding of how anxiety affects us and strategies we can use to help our teenagers learn how to manage their anxiety better. Our goal is for you to leave with some ideas about what you can do to help. 

Previous Bedford Parent Speaker Series 

All three speakers are dynamic and have a wealth of experience working with teenagers, children, parents and schools. More information about each of the presentations is below. We look forward to seeing you there. 

The Pressured Child 
Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. www.michaelthompson-phd.com
When: October 7, 2019 @7:00pm
Where: BHS Auditorium 

In the presentation, Dr. Thompson describes the psychological journey that children experience during their thirteen years in school. He reminds adults that children are almost never judging themselves by grades: they are always monitoring their own development and constantly searching for three things: connection, recognition and a sense of power. He illustrates how children find those in many different arenas of school life. There are three kinds of children in school: 1) those whose journeys are characterized mostly by success, 2) those whose journeys are characterized by a chronic but manageable struggle, and 3) those whose journeys are characterized by fury and despair. Each journey has its own different pressures. Every child is constantly developing strategies for coping with the pressures that he or she feels.

Raising Kids in the Age of Anxiety
Lynn Lyons
When: Friday, October 11th @7:00pm
Where: Bentley University


What can parents and educators do to help young people escape the influx of anxiety that seems so prevalent today? Join Lynn Lyons, clinical social worker and psychotherapist and Challenge Success co-founder Denise Pope, to explore concrete and often counter-intuitive strategies to understand and manage stress and support kids to have balanced, fulfilled lives.

Raising Resilient Children and Adolescents 
Robert Brooks, Ph.D Child Psychologist, Professional Speaker & Author of 16 Books
When: April 29, 2020 @ 7:00pm
Where: BHS Auditorium

In this presentation Dr. Brooks describes factors that help children and adolescents to deal more effectively with stress and pressure and become resilient. He discusses: (a) the importance of empathy in understanding and responding to children (b) why some children from birth have a more difficult time developing a positive self-image and resilience than other children (c) the importance of identifying and reinforcing each child or adolescent's "islands of competence," and (d) specific strategies for nurturing self-discipline, responsibility, caring, hope, and resilience in our children.