Professional Development
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, our professional development has moved online. We have found this modality to be effective and far-reaching, and we intend to continue in virtual space for the foreseeable future. Please contact Brenda Nikelsberg at bnikelsberg@ackerman.org to register or for more information about any of the offerings below.
Reflective Groups for Educators (RG-E):
RG-E is a monthly group meeting (1.5 hours/month) that helps educators (i.e., teachers, supervisors, administrators, school mental health professionals) to better understand the social, emotional, and learning needs of their students through a process that steers away from premature hypothesizing and problem-solving in favor of employing and honing reflective capacities such as validation, empathy, compassion, curiosity, attunement and mindfulness. Led in virtual space by Ackerman faculty who help to create a safe, collegial, non-judgmental atmosphere, the process of RG-E entails four steps: 1. attending to educators’ personal experiences; 2. understanding students’ individual needs within the larger context of family, school, community and culture; 3. examining educators’ social location and the impact this has on relationships with students and others within the school community; and 4. generating new, applicable ideas and strategies to implement for and/or with students.
Webinars and On-line Workshops
Our faculty is prepared to present on a range of topic and welcome opportunities to tailor PD sessions to the unique needs of your setting.
Examples of topics:
- Building children’s social-emotional competencies
- Climate-building in your setting
- Working with children with behavioral challenges
- Developing trauma-informed interventions
- Stress management for staff and clients
Individual Child Consultations:
As part of Ackerman Institute for the Family, a renowned mental health and family therapy training facility, CKCC is pleased to offer consultations on individual children who present particular challenges to the adults who support them. Examples include learning issues, behavioral difficulties, family conflict, developmental concerns and social-emotional skill deficits. We work collaboratively to come up with high quality, creative interventions that can be readily implemented.