Home
All courses
Assessment
Mastering Mental Health Assessments: Understand the Why, When, and How to Effectively Support Student Needs

Mastering Mental Health Assessments: Understand the Why, When, and How to Effectively Support Student Needs

Instructor

Categories

Review

(1 review)

With the continuous rise in mental health needs, schools must make the emotional well-being of their students a priority. This means that educational teams must be able to assess mental health and provide support as necessary. However, school staff often find it difficult to know when, why, and how to conduct a mental health assessment.

This course covers the legal requirements for mental health assessments related to the IDEA and IEP process, as well as best practices for assessment and support in educational settings. This course will empower school psychologists to effectively advocate for students’ mental health needs with improved assessment and intervention skills.

Sarah Davis

Sarah graduated from Temple University, Class of 1993, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Education; Temple University, Class of 1995, with a Master of Education in Special Education; and Temple University, Class of 2002, with a Juris Doctor degree. Sarah has over twenty years of experience in the areas of education and special education. As a special educator, Sarah has worked in both urban and suburban school districts and has taught students with Autism as well as students with a wide range of behavioral needs, social and emotional needs, and learning differences. As a lawyer licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, Sarah specialized in the areas of School Labor & Employment, Education, Special Education, and Pupil Services. Sarah has represented and advised families, public school entities, and educational agencies on all facets of education and special education law, with a particular focus on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Section 1983. In addition to representing clients in administrative hearings and federal and state courts, Sarah also has provided extensive training, professional development, and lectures on best educational practices and special education policies and practices to school districts, public agencies, educators, attorneys, and universities. As an educational administrator, Sarah was an assistant director for the early intervention program aged 3-5, serving students with special needs for the City of Philadelphia. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Sarah was a director at a nonpublic school for children on the autism spectrum and a program manager for inclusion for a suburban public school district, where she worked to expand the district’s inclusionary practices. Currently, Sarah works as a special education administrator for a public school district located in San Diego County.

Rachael Payne

Rachael is a licensed educational psychologist and credentialed school psychologist who is in her tenth year of working with children and in schools. She is also a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology in the state of Texas, where she has worked in districts in the Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston areas. Rachael has experience in multiple roles and has experience in psychological and psycho- educational evaluations, functional behavior assessments, and crisis response. She loves collaborating with other evaluators, teachers, parents, and children to discover the best path and program so that they can succeed. Outside of work, Rachael loves to travel and has spent multiple months traipsing around Europe with her husband. She enjoys spending time with her teenage son, who she is teaching to bake, and playing with their dog and cat.