Friday, April 27, 2018

ASCA Ambassador Jennifer Feazell


     FGCU's Department of Counseling is proud to announce that our soon to graduate school counselor, Jennifer Feazell, was selected as an ASCA ambassador. In this role, Jennifer will be attending the 2018 ASCA annual conference and assist as a session monitor.
     The ASCA conference brings together approximately 3,000 school counseling professionals for four days of inspirational keynote sessions, informative breakout sessions, in-depth looks at hot topics in the school counseling profession and networking opportunities galore.
     The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) supports school counselors' efforts to help students focus on academic, career and social/emotional development so they achieve success in school and are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society. ASCA provides professional development, publications and other resources, research and advocacy to professional school counselors around the globe.

Regional Career Fair

Counseling and Technology

FGCU's Department of Counseling students learning more about technology assisted counseling in the Advanced Methods course. For more information about our counseling programs, visit http://fgcu-counseling.blogspot.com/2018/04/around-world-in-180-minutes.html







Around the World in 180 Minutes.

Students from both programs of the Counseling Department participated in FGCU's Intercultural event, Around the World in 180 Minutes. Together with Dr. Ann Tilman, students assisted in facilitation of four types of Mandala  creation: (1) Individual, (2) Collaborative, (3) Sand, and (4) Large-Scale Coping Strategy Parachute Mandala. At the end of the event, coping strategies from the large-scale mandala were placed on mirrors in the freshman buildings to provide further end-of-semester support to first year students.

For more information about becoming a clinical mental health counselor or school counselor, visit:
https://www2.fgcu.edu/mariebcollege/Counseling/













Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Free Seminars from the National Center for Victims of Crime


Please see the training opportunity available through the National Center for Victims of Crime – these seminars are free and available at locations across the state!

Civil Justice for Victims of Crime in Florida, will explore how victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, child sex abuse, drunk driving, homicide, workplace violence, terrorism, elder abuse, identity theft and financial and property crimes can use civil lawsuits to obtain justice, hold responsible parties accountable, prevent future crimes, and obtain the financial resources victims need to rebuild their lives.  The program will cover resources and strategies for victims considering civil lawsuits, and will include a panel of attorneys to answer specific questions of Florida law. The training is completely free, and we also serve a complimentary breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack. We will be holding the seminar in the following locations, and you can sign up at the links below:

Jacksonville – May 9th, 2018 
Florida Coastal School of Law 
8787 Baypine Road
Jacksonville, Florida 32256
  
Orlando – May 10th, 2018
Vitas Healthcare
3700 Commerce Boulevard, Building A
Kissimmee, Florida 34741
  
Miami – May 15th, 2018 
St. Thomas School of Law 
16401 NW 37th Avenue 
Miami Gardens, Florida 33054
  
West Palm Beach – May 16th, 2018
Palm Beach State College
4200 Congress Avenue 
Lake Worth, Florida 33461
  
Tampa – May 18th, 2018 
University of Tampa 
401 W. Kennedy Boulevard 
Tampa, Florida 33606


Tuesday, April 17, 2018

2018 Human Trafficking Symposium at FGCU

The 2018 Human Trafficking Symposium will be held on May 3rd on the FGCU campus. You may register here –  https://tinyurl.com/Human-Trafficking-2018 or use the link on the flyer.

Please note: If you are registering multiple people from your agency, please change the Quantity prior to hitting the Register Now button.

Questions? Contact:

Dr. Amanda Evans
Interim Program Coordinator, Master of Social Work
Department of Social Work
http://www.fgcu.edu/CHPSW/SocialWork/3790.asp

Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL  33965
239-590-7829


Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Human Trafficking Symposium at Florida Gulf Coast University



The fourth annual Human Trafficking Symposium will be held on Thursday, May 3, 2018 from 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Cohen Center Ballroom.  The symposium is presented by the Department of Justice Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University; the Department of Social Work, Florida Gulf Coast University; and Christy’s Cause, Inc., a local non-profit working to eradicate child sex trafficking.

The keynote speaker is Louis Bivona, founder and chairman of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, northeast region and founder Bivona Child Advocacy Center. Admission is $50.  Lee Health employees may attend at no cost with employee badge.  Florida Gulf Coast University students may attend at no cost, based on space availability.  Breakfast and lunch are provided.

Human trafficking is on the rise tied with arms dealing as the second largest criminal industry in the world and the fastest growing, according the US Department of Health and Human Services. Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. Victims are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of commercial sex or forced labor. Victims are children, teenagers, women, and men. Thousands of American children are at risk of becoming victims of child sex trafficking (US Department of Justice) with Florida ranking third in reported human trafficking cases (National Human Trafficking Resource Center).

“The US Department of State reports that less than 1% of sex trafficking victims are identified,” said Dr. Amanda Evans, EdD, MSW, LCSW, Assistant Professor, Florida Gulf Coast University Department of Social Work. “The goal of the symposium is to provide new tools to identify and treat victims of human trafficking and to reignite our passion to help the 99% of unidentified victims in our community.”

“We are so pleased to have Lou Bivona join us as keynote speaker for this year’s symposium,” said Christy Ivie, founder of Christy’s Cause. “Service to missing, exploited and sexually abused children has been his lifelong driving passion.”  

Bivona and John Walsh established the Adam Walsh Center in 1982 which became the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 1984. His personal fundraising efforts resulted in more than $30 million raised.  In 2001 he led efforts to establish the Bivona Child Advocacy Center (BCAC) in Rochester, New York, which streamlines the process for law enforcement and human service professionals to meet with and address the needs of child sexual abuse victims. The center has dramatically increased the conviction rate for sex crimes against children from 10% to 80% in the Rochester area.  BCAC has served 19,000 children with more than 16,000 arrest or plea bargains since 2001. Three years ago, under Lou’s leadership, BCAC moved to a 30,000 sq. ft. $5.3 million state of the art Child Advocacy Center.

The symposium will offer professional training tracks for law enforcement and prosecution, health care providers and mental health professionals.  Breakout speakers include
  • Francine Donnorummo, SVU Chief Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Court; 
  • Lt. Daniel Cote, Major Crimes Section, Lee County Sheriff Office;
  • Kristy Dutton, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Director Emergency Services at Lee Health;
  • Jennifer Wolff, BSN, RN, Lee Health; 
  • Amanda Evans, EdD, MSW, LCSW, Assistant Professor, Florida Gulf Coast University Department of Social Work; 
  • Deborah J. Cunningham, Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Court; and 
  • Sgt. Wade Williams, Collier County Sheriff’s Office


Licensed clinical social workers, mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists can receive up to 5 hours of continuing education hours through the Department of Social Work, Florida Gulf Coast University.   Nurses can receive two hours of Human Trafficking continuing education credits by attending the WeCare break out session.

To register visit www.bit.ly/htsfgcu or email humantraffickingsymp@fgcu.edu


Shattering the Stigma

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

WHAT, WHY, AND HOW? LGBTQ STUDENTS’ CHALLENGES AND A ROADMAP FOR THEIR SAFETY AND WELL-BEING IN OUR SCHOOLS

This event is FREE to all.  
What is the latest contemporary research discovering about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer plus young people in school settings? What are the psycho-social issues and needs as well as the challenges within the familial context pertaining to rejecting families? Importantly, what can help this group of students, now 14-19 percent of our district populations in Florida, become more resilient and thrive in their school communities? Join us for this informative cultural competency and best practice professional development webinar which will shed light on this vulnerable group of children, who still in 2018, is highly at risk yet ripe for support and resiliency.
De Palazzo brings a passionate spirit and a solid depth and breadth of school-based knowledge to her role as Equality Florida’s new statewide Safe School Director, serving for over 25 years as a classroom teacher, Broward School District LGBTQ Coordinator, national LGBTQ consultant and anti-bias trainer.  In Equality Florida’s role since August of 2016, De has developed relationships with District administrators in 51 of Florida’s school districts, tending to the unique needs of LGBTQ students. De co-initiated “Courageous Conversations about Race,” a race and equity-based initiative in Broward County Public Schools and is a national adjunct trainer for “Future Work Institute” a diversity and inclusion workplace consulting organization, as well as a certified anti-bias trainer for the Anti-Defamation League. She was a member of GLSEN’s National Board of Directors, founded GLSEN Fort Lauderdale, and was a nationally certified trainer for GLSEN anti-bias training program, as well as the Human Rights Campaign Welcoming Schools K-5 Project, a comprehensive approach to improving school climate in elementary school environments. De cofounded the first national LGBTQ conference for and by school district employees in 2011 and the first Florida LGBTQ school district conference for upper-level administrators, general counsels, and school board members, now in their fifth year and third years respectively.

Southwest Florida Counseling Center Workshop



American School Counselor Association April 2018 webinars


http://bit.ly/ASCAWebinars18

Monday, April 9, 2018

CARD: Autism Support




Florida's First Choice for Autism Support



April is finally here and I hope that means I will you see you at Fiesta by the Bay on April 20th!  Be sure to get there by 5:30 p.m. to maximize your time at Glazer Children’s Museum.  Please remember tickets must be purchased online prior to the event.  This month many of our Autism Friendly partners are hosting Sensory Friendly events throughout the area. ZooTampa at Lowry Park and Naples Botanical Garden on April 14th, and MOSI on April 21st.  As it is Autism Awareness Month, I am sure there are many more wonderful events scheduled as well.

The thing I love about these sensory friendly events is they provide families a low-risk chance to try out certain outings. Or, for those who have mastered the large venue visits, it can provide a fun bonding time for the whole family with smaller crowds. As you know, it is an autism spectrum and sometimes where we are on our journey can be considered a spectrum too. Sometimes these types of events might be your first attempt at stretching boundaries. You might get there and decide quickly that ten minutes might be the most that you or your loved one on the spectrum can tolerate. But that experience of entering, initial engagement, and excitement provides you with something to build on for the next attempt. The important thing is to never give up. Keep trying, keep collecting experiences until they can be tolerated more easily. I always found it helpful to preview the event or location with my daughter beforehand, through the social stories often created by CARD, or online videos, photos, and maps. And to provide distractions; for example, when my daughter was reluctant to do something we would give her a task of counting how many <insert certain objects> she could find.  You might just be beginning your journey or not need sensory friendly events at all to enjoy outings but I hope to see you out and enjoying one of the many events available. 


Michele Jewell
Constituency Board Chair


Dr. Karen Berkman, executive director of CARD was honored by HIPPY National to be an invited plenary session speaker along with Brenda Brinson, Hillsborough HIPPY Parent Involvement Program Director at their conference in San Antonio on April 10, 2018. They will be talking about their outcomes over the past 5 years of this collaborative project for delivering a home instruction program for children 3-5 years of age and applying it to children diagnosed with ASD. Our data has shown academic, social and communication progress in the participants and higher levels of family engagement and a sense of confidence within the caregivers. Several graduates of the program have moved on to regular education kindergarten classes and are performing at grade level or above. But progress is not always measured by test scores. Children were described as more cooperative, more engaged, calmer, and more focused when caregivers did the curriculum activities together.  One graduate even made honor roll in his autism support classroom. We were just notified that our CARD team working on this project was nominated for the prestigious Avima Community Award issued by HIPPY International for our commitment to families and children. We will learn the outcome of that nomination at the conference!
 
WORLD AUTISM DAY
The area of employment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder has been a prominent topic in our field.  This is also a priority of the Learning Academy team at USF. As such, we have gotten involved in a pilot project providing job coaching to individuals at a local company in order to promote successful outcomes. As a result of our efforts in the employment area, Dr. Karen Berkman, Director of the Learning Academy was asked to attend an invitation only event at the United Nations in New York City for World Autism Day events. This specific event included international leaders in the area of employment and ASD from Fortune 500 Companies as well as others leading efforts from universities and agencies. Opportunities for networking and planning future projects was a part of the event. Photos from the day are below.
 




Only a couple of weeks until Fiesta by the Bay is here! Do you have your tickets? Tickets will only be sold online and the last day will be Thursday, April 19th. So don't delay.

Tickets:  $28 for adults & $10 for kids ages 3-17.
Purchase your tickets today!

Glazer Children's Museum will open at 5:30 to allow families to begin exploring and playing throughout the exhibits. At 6 p.m., Fiesta by the Bay will begin on the 3rd floor and guests can begin eating, grab a drink from the cash bar and view the silent auction. Take a look at the amazing buffet provided by Saltblock Catering here. Also, on the third floor there will be craft activities for guest and their children to enjoy.

Join the Facebook event page to view auction items and get the latest updates as we get closer to the event.



Click image to expand flyer





We couldn't be any prouder of Erica King, a Learning Academy student, whose article was recently published in April's edition of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine. Read the full article here.





Pepe will see you at Glazer Children's Museum for Fiesta by the Bay!
Check our Community Calendar for upcoming events near you.

Florida's First Choice for

Autism Support

 

CARD provides support and assistance with the goal of optimizing the potential of people with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities.


Copyright © 2018 Center for Autism & Related Disabilities at USF, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in to our CARD mailing list.

Our mailing address is:
Center for Autism & Related Disabilities at USF
Dept. of Child & Family Studies, USF
13301 Bruce B Downs Blvd, MHC 2113A
Tampa, FL 33612

Endorsement Policy: As a policy, CARD will not lend its name to the endorsement of any specific program, practice, or model that is offered for service to people with autism and related disabilities. However, the sharing of information and training opportunities are key functions of the CARD program.
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