Description
Schools are a logical point of access for suicide prevention, assessment, and intervention services; however, a majority of teachers feel unprepared to hold the gatekeeper role and provide a referral to a school-based helping professional. Therefore, this instrumental case study sought to explore how 21 teachers in an initial licensure program interfaced with a student presenting with suicide risk factors. Implications and practical tools for educators, as well as a call for action for both the school-based helping professionals and educator professions are presented.
Admission is free and CEUs are available for those attending the live event. A recording of the event will be available online.
When
Apr. 29, 2025, noon to 1 p.m.
Office/Remote Location
Online - Zoom Webinar
Admission Information
RSVP online to receive a Zoom link for the event
Speakers
Associate Professor-in-Residence Heather Baltodano-Van Ness, Assistant Professor Katherine Feather, Associate Professor Heather Dahl-Jacinto
Heather Baltodano-Van Ness received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction: Special Education from Arizona State University. She has 25 years of experience in working to support the educational success of students with autism and emotional/behavioral disorders in a variety of contexts (e.g., public and charter schools, residential treatment, clinic-based, secure-care settings). Her work largely focuses on teacher preparation and evidence-based practices for social-behavioral skill development in students with significant delays. She is a board certified behavior analyst and a nationally certified school psychologist. Her areas of expertise include psychoeducational assessment practices, applied behavior analysis, and classroom behavior management.
Heather Dahl-Jacinto received her Ph.D. in counseling from Old Dominion University, with cognates in qualitative research and supervision. She received her M.S. in mental health counseling from Central Washington University. She previously was an assistant professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her research interests are focused on mental health and include crisis intervention (e.g., suicide prevention and assessment), mental health education, qualitative research methodology. She has held service positions at the local, regional, national, and international level, including president of the Western Association of Counselor Education & Supervision (2018-2019), and has received awards for her research and service in counselor education.
Katherine Feather received her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from the University of South Carolina and her M.A. in community counseling from the University of Akron. As a counselor educator, she is committed to enhancing multicultural and social justice counseling competencies, promoting leadership development, as well as helping students become reflective, skilled practitioners. In addition, she actively integrates clinical and supervision experiences as a clinical professional counselor into the classroom. She has an extensive clinical background working with persons with disabilities; specifically, working with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families, as well as counseling individuals adjusting to their visual disability. Her scholarly and research interests include establishing ASD counseling competencies for the counseling profession, school-to-career transition of students with disabilities, and psychosocial adjustment and family adaptation to a disability.
