Presentations, Workshops and Roundtable Sessions

Conference Agenda

• 8:15 - 9:00 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast - Music Building
• 9:00 - 10:00 am: Morning Welcome - Lovinger Theater in Music Building
• 10:15 - 11:15 am: Presentations - Various Locations

Presentations

10:15 - 11:15 am - Various Locations

• #1 Presentation -“Get PSyCh’D”: a Peer Support and Career Development Program
• #2 Presentation: Emerging Adulthood & Mental Illness on College Campuses
• #3 Presentation: The Sophomore Year Initiative: Removing Barriers to Empower Students
• #4 Presentation: Immigrant Paradox
• #5 Presentation: Promoting Diversity throughout the College Campus
• #6 Presentation: Revolution in the Counseling Room: Higher Education Access, ‘Organic Intellectuals’ and the  
  Politicized  Landscape of the College Counseling Center
• #7 Presentation:  Single - point-of-contact for Servicing Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in an Urban
  Environment
• #8 Presentation: Systematic Work with Latino Immigrant Families & Issues of Social Justice
• #9 Presentation: Healing the Intergenerational Soul Wound in Latina Lives

Workshops

11:30 am- 1:00 pm - Various Locations

• #1 Workshop: The Circular Approach to Difficult Conversations
  (Please note this workshop is limited to 25 participants)
• #2 Workshop: “Moving Beyond Resiliency, From Surviving to Thriving”: The Peers Educating Peers (PEP) Program
• #3 Workshop: Creating Safe Spaces: A Cross-Collaborative Approach to Supporting the LGTBQ+ Community
• #4 Workshop: Empowerment: From Buzzword to Daily Practice
• #5 Workshop:  Responsive Practices to the Unique Stressors of Graduate Students in New York City
• #6 Workshop: When Thriving Means Surviving: Redefining What it Means to Thrive After Sexual Trauma
• #7 Workshop: Empowerment Strategies for Resilient Students

Lunch

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Faculty Dining Room & East Dining Room in Music Building

Roundtable Sessions

2:00pm - 4:00pm - Music Building Locations

• #1 Roundtable Session: A.L.I.C.E. Training
• #2 Roundtable Session: Understanding and Providing Support for Specialized College Populations Often Marginalized
• #3 Roundtable Session: Honoring Vicarious Trauma: Responding to Burnout in Short-term Trauma Work with Compassion
• #4 Roundtable Session: On Trigger Warnings, Safe Spaces and “Fragile” Students: The Role of Counseling Centers

Wine and Cheese Networking Reception

4:00 pm-5:00 pm - Faculty Dining Room in Music Building

Wine and cheese networking reception following the afternoon roundtable sessions.

Presentations 10:15 - 11:15 am

#1 Presentation:“Get PSyCh’D”: a Peer Support and Career Development Program at CUNY Bronx Community College

Presenters: Emalinda McSpaddne, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Department of Social Sciences, Bronx Community College, CUNY;   Amy Ojerholm, PhD, Acting Coordinator, Student Psychological  Services, Bronx Community College, CUNY;  Esther Levy, LCSW, Student Psychological Counselor, Student Psychological  Services, Bronx Community College, CUNY

CUNY Bronx Community College, the Office of Personal Counseling and the Psychology discipline of the Department of Social Sciences have successfully collaborated over the past year to develop and implement a Peer Support and Career Development Program (“Get PSyCh’D”) for students at BCC pursuing careers in the mental health and social services professions. This ongoing cross-disciplinarily collaborative program was designed to provide participating students with valuable training related to mental health service and awareness, as well as empowering their own dissemination of service information within the BCC campus community.

#2 Presentation: Mental Illness on college campuses: Are students getting sicker or are providers’ perceptions changing? 

Presenters: Stephanie Lemor, M.A., Doctoral Intern Therapist; Pace University Counseling Center

Dissertation Directed and Supervised by Dr. Anna Van Meter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University. Mental illness represents a significant concern for colleges and universities, and can significantly impair young people at a time when they are preparing to launch their adult lives. Furthermore, research suggests that emerging adulthood often coincides with the onset, or presence of, a mental illness. This presentation will review a study aimed to reconcile research that indicates college counselors have perceived an increase in the prevalence of severe mental health problems with evidence that increases in illness severity might be due to factors influencing clinicians’ perceptions of severity (e.g., workload) - rather than an actual increase in prevalence. Results suggest that those who were in the experimental group gave lower severity scores as compared to the control group. The anchors also influenced the diagnosis assigned to each vignette, but not treatment disposition. Clinician and workplace factors (years of experience working at one’s current job, total time working in the mental health field, perceived workload, and clinician’s perceived burden) also influenced severity ratings and treatment disposition.  Having a clear sense for the prevalence of impaired students, due to any type of mental illness, is a priority for colleges and universities, so that they can provide their students with the appropriate resources for them to thrive.

#3 Presentation: The Sophomore Year Initiative: Removing barriers to Empower Students

Presenters: Julia Naddeo; Academic Advisor-Sophomore Year Initiative; Lehman College

To remove barriers and empower students, an inclusive service model was developed – The Sophomore Year Initiative (SYI) Program. The SYI Program enhances collaboration to provide intentional, intrusive one-to-one advising, career counseling, and personal counseling and enrichment activities. Presenters will engage participants in a discussion on common student barriers that prevent persistence through college. Participants will discuss each barrier, strategies utilized and existing approaches Lehman Title V SYI program has championed to empower students. 

#4 Presentation: Immigrant Paradox

Presenters: Eliana Ajodan, Pace University and New York University

Previous Research suggests that second and third generation immigrants may experience severe acculturative stress than first generation immigrants. Some research highlights that second and third generation immigrants seem to perform worse academically and be at greater risk fir behavioral and psychological difficulties than first generation immigrants.  This presentation will explore why this is the case by reviewing previous literature on immigration generation and psychological functioning, school belongingness and behavioral outcomes for children, adolescents and adults.  Implications of this research for counseling centers will be discussed. More specifically, participants will learn how counseling centers can take this information into account and begin to develop effective programming to address this issue to help immigrant students thrive. 

#5 Presentation: Promoting Diversity Throughout the College Campus

Presenters: Susan Breton, PhD. And Ellen Simpao, PhD., Fashion Institute of Technology

Fashion Institute of Technology fosters a diverse, inclusive community through it Diversity Council and the Counseling Center’s Diversity Awareness Workshop.  Through this discussion and experiential presentation, participants will learn how the Diversity Council intentionally creates a campus that is diverse with the students, faculty and staff.  Participants will learn how all participate in the creation of the new programs and continuation of existing programs that promote diversity at the Fashion Institute of Technology. FIT’s diversity Council’s action plan will be presented. In this presentation, participants will review the structure of FIT Counseling Center’s Diversity Awareness Workshops and engage in an activity that is conducted in the workshops.

#6 Presentation: Revolution in the Counseling Room: Higher Education Access, ‘Organic Intellectuals’ and the Politicized Landscape of the College Counseling Center

Presenters: Erin Janette, PhD, Psychologist, Counseling Center of the City College of New York, CUNY

In his “Prison Notebooks”, written during the 1920’s-1930’s, Antonio Gramsci articulated his idea of the ‘organic intellectual’. Gramsci argued that all humans are ‘intellectuals’ but that this basic reality of human nature is obscured because certain groups are often excluded from formed intellectual roles.  He proposed education reforms that would foster the growth of organic intellectuals; he felt that doing so would disrupt the social structures that oppress many in order to protect privilege and power of a few.  The presenter will begin discussion on how to have a more adequate language to articulate the conflicting demands inherent to human work in a politicized context.  Through a discussion of case examples, participants will highlight the political nature of college counseling work; to explore wats that college counseling center therapists might need new (or recovered) language and concepts to describe the challenges of that work; and to posit Gramsci as one thinker from whom we might productively borrow language and ideas.

#7 Presentation: Single - point-of-contact for Servicing Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in an Urban Environment

Presenters: Juana Peguero, MSW Student, Lehman College

New York State passed the Safe Harbor for Exploited Children Act in 2008.  Implementation of the legislation pushed for identification and services for these victims.  Counselors and service providers need more training on how to work with this population.  Each victim’s experience is unique, making the provision of services unique to meet her or his individual needs. In the presentation, participants will learn more about direct practice in urban settings with victims and survivors of commercial exploitation of children. Participants will increase their knowledge of Commercial Sex Trafficking of Children (CSEC) and the services that are available.

#8 Presentation: Systematic Work with Latino Immigrant Families & Issues of Social Justice

Presenters: Silvia Espinal, LCSW, Adjunct Lecturer, CUNY Bronx Community College; Teaching Fellow and Co- Director of the Latino Youth and Family Immigration Project, Ackerman Family Institute

Latino immigrant families face multiple challenges when migrating and living in the United States. In this presentation, techniques and strategies on how to effectively work with Latino Immigrant families from a systematic framework will be discussed. Participants will learn ways to engage students and understand social justice issues that affect Latino Immigrant families.

#9 Presentation:Healing the Intergenerational Soul Wound in Latina Lives

Facilitators: Dr. Jennifer L. Mullan, Psy.D, New Jersey City University, Counseling Center;  Ms. Beatriz A. Villatoro, B.A., Hudson S.P.E.A.K.S, CarePoint Health Christ Hospital

Intergenerational trauma occurs when the effects of trauma are not resolved in one generation. When trauma is too painful to address and there is minimal access to support, the trauma will inevitably be passed from one generation to the next. Many of us have normalized and avoided the effects of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual abuse(s) as a way to “cope” with feelings of helplessness. This transmission process is often invisible, unconscious and harmful, to the development of our collective and individual worlds. This workshop will focus on the experience of healing and transcending trauma, as a process, not as a singular event or action. This presentation seeks to explore the dynamics of We will define and explain the role of the intergenerational transmission of trauma in individual identity, and its origins within the larger collective identity, or our tribes. The presenters will share how true healing has been a holistic and complex process of stepping into and through their individual pain and her-stories in order to see and heal the larger intergenerational wounding.

Workshops 11:30 am- 1:00 pm

#1 Workshop: The Circular Approach to Difficult Conversations

Facilitator: José Alfaro, LCSW; Restorative Justice and Circle Consultant with NYC Schools

The “Circle” format is a powerful approach to having difficult conversations. The concept develops out of the approach used by indigenous people in different parts of the world to hold democratic community discussions and resolve conflicts. Adapted initially in the U.S. by the legal system to facilitate meetings between the victim and the accused, the use of circles has greatly expanded. Now circles are being used to facilitate difficult conversations in a variety of groups, resolve conflicts, encourage democratic community discussions and promote healing and rebuild communities.  One area in which circles are frequently being used is in schools where they facilitate the development of “caring communities” and resolving conflicts.  Research shows that the earlier and more frequently a student is suspended, the more likely the student is to find her/himself dropping out and falling victim to the school to prison pipeline, with this process being significantly greater for students of color. Participants will learn primarily through their participation in a circle.  Together participants will be reflecting on and sharing how we became interested in counseling, how our work has challenged us, and what support we believe will be helpful in our deepening our work. With the support of everyone present the facilitator hopes to provide an environment where participants feel safe enough to be present with being uncomfortable. (Please note this workshop is limited to 25 participants)

#2 Workshop: “Moving Beyond Resiliency: From Surviving to Thriving”: The Peers Educating Peers (PEP) Program

Facilitators: The Peers Educating Peers (PEP) Program at New Jersey City University

Resiliency is the innate ability to overcome extreme obstacles and embrace life’s transitions without undue effort. Resilient individuals demonstrate healthy coping skills, positive social interactions, and academic achievement, in spite of many challenges. Yet in and of itself, resilience does not necessarily equal growth and happiness. As peer educators in The Peers Educating Peers (PEP) Program at NJCU University, the transition from surviving to thriving is every day. What makes PEP unique is the self-growth component added to our skill set, and this is how PEP has learned to thrive. Presenters will be discussing and exploring this shift from surviving to thriving. Presenters will bring it to a more personal level as well, since many come from a background where, despite success as college students and leaders on campus, peers still feel stuck in a “survival mode”.

#3 Workshop: Creating Safe Spaces: A Cross-Collaborative Approach to Supporting the LGTBQ+ Community

Facilitators: Dr. Melissa Zarin, Supervising Psychologist, Coordinator, Peer Educator Program, Stevens Institute of Technology;  Dr. Kristie Damell, Assistant Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator, Stevens Institute of Technology;   Sarah Halliday, Peer Educator and Safe Zone Facilitator, Stevens Institute of Technology

As mainstream media continues to shed light on issues LGBTQ+ individuals face, institutions of higher education are being challenged to ensure that our campuses are inclusive and supportive. Additionally, under Title IX, we are obligated to ensure that all students have equal access and are free from discriminatory practices based on their gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. At Stevens Institute of Technology, a small, STEM-focused, private institution, issues are addressed by using a cross-collaborative approach to support our LGBTQ+ population. This presentation will share how an overhaul of an existing Safe Zone Ally training module, the implementation of student sessions led by trained student facilitators, the development of a Safe Zone Advisory Board comprised of faculty, staff and students, the rebranding of the program, and continuing review of institutional policies that limit options for transgender students was done. Through the challenges faced from the existence of a chilly campus climate to limited funding, presenters will share success stories as they continue to make Stevens an inclusive environment for all students. In this session participants will be provided with a roadmap for best practices.

#4 Workshop:  Empowerment: From Buzzword to Daily Practice

Facilitators: Kishana Ennis, Raysa Felipe, Amal Hadi, Julianna Hall, Rocio Nunez, Diana Taveras, and Ebony A. Wilkerson, Lucinda Bratini, PhD, Counselor, Lehman College Counseling Center

Empowerment is said to be the goal of many of our Counseling Center programs, particularly those targeting people of color, women, LGBTQ, and students from communities affected by poverty. But what do we mean when we use this concept?  How do we recognize empowerment in action?  In this presentation, participants will learn to unpack this often undefined construct, by sharing the work of “Empowered Voices,” a group of women of color who collectively reflect on and organize around issues of identity, oppression, individual and group healing.  In this experiential presentation, we invite participants to consider a multi-dimensional participatory process for how people get power, which can be fostered in relational and cultural contexts. 

#5 Workshop: Responsive Practices to the Unique Stressors of Graduate Students in New York City

Facilitators: Arielle Shanok, PhD, Assistant Director, Student Counseling Services, Wellness Center, Graduate Center, City University of New York; Nicole Elden, PsyD, Outreach Coordinator and Staff Psychologist, Student Counseling Services, Wellness Center, Graduate Center, City University of New York; Robert Hatcher, PhD, Director Wellness Center, Graduate Center, City University of New York

Graduate students in New York City commonly face many stressors including financial hardship, relocation and adjustment to NYC, increasing isolation, shifting beliefs, life decisions and more. CUNY Graduate Center designed services to address the difficulties that students frequently face. Workshops including imposter syndrome, getting what you need from your advisor, mindfulness, stress management and more have been designed to assist students. In this session, participants will engage in an interactive conversation about how to help the unique population of NYC graduate students to thrive. Facilitators and participants will learn about student stressors and discuss services that have been developed to help students thrive.

#6 Workshop: When Thriving Means Surviving: Redefining What it Means to Thrive After Sexual Trauma

Facilitators: Rebecca Frele, LMSW, Counseling and Psychological Services Center, College of Mount Saint Vincent

Sexual assault and trauma are a highly pertinent topic on college campuses. While dealing with trauma is generally covered in most education programs, it is considered a specialized field and often requires certain skill set, theories and approaches in order to connect with the client and have client feel a sense of relief. This workshop will focus on the clinical work to with client. Participants will discuss the difficulties clinicians often have when working with survivors of sexual trauma, reframing and partializing treatment goals, empowerment theory and the client-centered approach.  Additionally, participants will learn how to contain client and clinician anxiety, transference/countertransference, and feelings of impatience and frustration.

#7 Workshop:  Empowerment Strategies for Resilient Students

Facilitators: Mr. Michael Sullivan, Director of Campus Life, CUNY Lehman College and Suzette Ramsundar, Associate Director & Coordinator of the Leadership Program, CUNY Lehman College

The Herbert H. Lehman Center for Student Leadership has empowered and graduated over one thousand students in less than ten years. Every semester students voluntarily sign up to study leadership modules for seven consecutive weeks. Facilitators of the leadership sections take the students through a journey of identifying and discovering their individual strengths and learning how to work with groups to serve their communities. This workshop will take participants through the strategies implemented to empower students of  this prestigious leadership program at Lehman College. Participants will learn reasons why program was scored very highly in a recent Multi -Institutional Study of Leadership, why students showed the greatest increase in Hope and Self Esteem scales in CUNY and how we believe they are empowered.

Roundtable Sessions 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

#1 Roundtable Session: A.L.I.C.E. Training

Presenters: Sargent Samuel Gonzalez, Lehman College Public Safety
A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, inform, Counter, Evacuate) uses strategies such as environmental design, technology and communication, law enforcement response and action to increase the odds of survival for those under attack.

#2 Roundtable Session:  Understanding and Providing Support for Specialized College Populations Often Marginalized

Presenters: Dr. Mohan Vinjamuri; Dr. Jermaine Monk; Dr. Brenda Williams-Grey; and Dr. Carl Mazza, Department of Social Work, CUNY Lehman College

Colleges and universities, particularly those in located in urban areas, are often home to students who are marginalized in the larger society.  With support and recognition of the strengths that they both possess and bring to the classroom these students can be quite successful.  Without understanding and support they are more apt to drop out of their cademic programs. Four social work educators discuss some of these students and address their motivations, strengths, and needs and provide recommendations for educators, counselors, and college administrators to ensure the students’ success. The session will discuss LGBTQ students, young urban African-American males, resiliency of students and students who have transitioned from prison

#3 Roundtable Session:  Honoring Vicarious Trauma: Responding to Burnout in Short-term Trauma Work with Compassion

Presenters: Lauren Appio, PhD, Staff Psychologist; Center for Counseling and Consultation, St. John’s University; Pei-Han Cheng, PhD, Staff Psychologist; Center for Counseling and Consultation, St. John’s University; Christy DaBreo, M.A., Doctoral Fellow; Center for Counseling and Consultation, St. John’s University

University counseling center Clinicians have recognized that more students are accessing university counseling center services. Students are presenting with increasingly severe mental health concerns. Many of the university counseling centers have moved to a short-term treatment model to accommodate increased demand for services. One consequence of this trend is that counseling center clinicians are witnessing increasing numbers of students’ stories of abuse, neglect and societal injustice. With this frame, vicarious trauma responses can serve as a pathway for connection and growth. This roundtable will facilitate a group discussion about coping with vicarious trauma as short-term treatment providers serving diverse students in under-resourced university counseling centers. Participants will be engaged in a discussion about restorative self-care practices and strategies for obtaining institutional support.

#4 Roundtable Session: On Trigger Warnings, Safe Spaces and “Fragile” Students: The Role of Counseling Centers

Presenters: Liz Clark, PsyD., Noel Hunter, M.A., Rana Sioufi, B.S.c – Fordham University Counseling and Psychological Services

2015 has been a year of intense debate, both in national media an on individual university campuses, about the causes, contexts and consequences of the perceived mental and emotional fragility of “Millennials.” Student demands for “trigger warnings” and the creation of “safe spaces’ have been alternately praised as appropriate advocacy on behalf of marginalized populations and derided as stifling intellectual inquiry and avoiding discomforts inherent in learning. The college counselor may play a crucial role in helping students navigate the difficult discourse of sensitivity, triggers and resilience. Participants will learn how to articulate and understand the main points made by both proponents and opponents pf protections such as trigger warnings and safe spaces. In this roundtable session, participants will learn how to think critically about how these issues have impacted the campus climate.  General ideas on how to engage directly with these issues to support student resilience will also be discussed.