School Counselor as Mental Health Consultant: Addressing Anxiety and Depression in Schools

Summer Academy 2018

School Counselor as Mental Health Consultant: Addressing Anxiety and Depression in Schools

Child and adolescent lifetime prevalence rates of mental health disorders are estimated to be as high as 50%, with anxiety and depression being most common (Merikangas et al., 2010). School counselors are well positioned to support students with mental health issues through the delivery of direct intervention services and consultation with school staff and parents. The purpose of this workshop is to provide school counselors with research-supported conceptualizations of anxiety and depression, and evidence-based strategies that are practical given a school-based context.

Learning Goals include:

1. Critically analyze the research literature on the conceptualization and treatment of child and adolescent anxiety.
2. Understand the two-factor theory applied to child and adolescent anxiety disorders as a conceptual tool to developing interventions.
3. Learn strategies to help students manage anxiety including systematic desensitization, exposure, response prevention, distraction, and physiological relaxation.
4. Learn to apply principles of learning when conceptualizing and treating depression in a school setting.
5. Learn to implement behavioral activation as a treatment for child and adolescent depression.

Michael I. Axelrod, Ph.D. is the Director of the Human Development Center and a Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Dr. Axelrod’s clinical and research interests include helping parents and schools solve problems involving academic, behavioral, and social/emotional functioning. He has written numerous professional papers and presented nationally on topics involving child/adolescent, pediatric, and school psychology. Dr. Axelrod is also the author of Behavior Analysis for School Psychologists (Routledge Press). He is a licensed psychologist and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, families, and schools.

Summer Academy 2018 Feedback

Learn More