There have been so many challenges for educators this year: health, distance learning, technology. With so many difficult decisions how have you managed to take care of your mental health, or your students’ mental health? No doubt you have felt over-worked, under-appreciated, stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, and the list goes on.
This year's KAIRS administrators conference will focus solely on mental health and wellness. What is the difference between trauma and stress? How can you find a healthy work/life balance? What is causing stress and what triggers are distracting you from success? How can you support each other with shared resources?
The sessions will be focused on providing practical information and resources to help you navigate the current uncertain environment and how to stay healthy in the future.
Plan to attend the 2021 KAIRS Annual Administrators Conference and share in inspirational and informative topics pertinent to administrators of our schools, which represent over 35,000 students and include Catholic, Lutheran, Independent and various other Religious schools from across Kansas. This year's conference will be held via Zoom and is free to all KAIRS members!
BEING MINDFUL, BEING HEALTHY:
Tools for Better Mental Health
KAIRS Administrators Conference
Monday, February 8, 2021
Conference Schedule: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Wherever you are via Zoom!
Schedule:
9:00 a.m. - Welcome - Dr. Nick Compagnone, KAIRS President
9:05 a.m. - Heidi Goehmann – Resourcing 101 – Tips for Finding Local Mental and Relational Health Resources that Will Work for You.
10:00 a.m. Heidi Goehmann – Finding Tools for your Mental Health Toolbox.
11:00 a.m. - Break
11:15 a.m. - Katie Eck - Believing in a Better Future: Understanding the toll that trauma has on our physical and mental health.
12:15 p.m. Lunch on your own
1:00 p.m. - Katie Eck - What is Causing Our Crazy and How to Deal With It.
2:00 p.m. Katie Eck - Weighing the Scale: Life/Work Balance.
3:00 p.m. - Break
3:15 p.m. - KAIRS Business Meeting
4:00 p.m. - Recognization of KAIRS Distinguished Teacher of the Year for: Diocese of Wichita, Diocese of Salina, Diocese of Dodge City, Diocese of Kansas City, Lutheran Schools, Christian Schools, and Independent Schools.
Speakers
Heidi Goehmann
LCSW, LIMHP
Writings on Mental Health, Relationships, and Hope.
Monday: 9:05 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.
“Resourcing 101 – Tips for Finding Local Mental and Relational Health Resources that Will Work for You."
Each of the students and families entrusted to our schools have different needs. When we help them engage with the support resources they need, they will be able to be more successful academically and socially in the school environment. But where to begin? How do we find good counselors in our area? What other resources are out there? In this session we’ll begin the task of creating a referral list for each of our own regions together.
Monday: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
"Finding Tools for your Mental Health Toolbox."
Looking around us to use what we already have for stronger mental health within our school cultures: time, money, and energy are finite resources. In this session we’ll identify several resources every school likely has that can be utilized to build stronger mental health for our students and teachers today.
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Heidi Goehmann is a licensed clinical social worker and mental health care provider, theologian, writer, speaker, wife, mom, and advocate. She received her bachelor's degree in theology and psychology from Concordia University Chicago, and her master's degree in social work from the University of Toledo with an emphasis on children, families, and social justice.
Heidi has worked in a variety of clinical settings including trauma treatment, play-based therapies, and systems research. She is a certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapist, and has training in the Gottman method of couple’s therapy. She has also served in various mental health and ministry capacities.
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Katie Eck
Licensed Professional Counselor, Sumner Mental Health Center
Monday: 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
“Believing in a Better Future: Understanding the toll that trauma has on our physical and mental health.”
Understanding the toll that trauma has on our physical and mental health and why social-emotional learning and healthy relationships have the power to heal and change our future.
We all experience trauma at some level throughout our life. The loss of loved ones, economic hardships, abusive relationships, or even secondary trauma from victims that we care for, are all examples of the different types of trauma that we can experience during our lifetime. These experiences can influence fundamental brain development and have a direct and potentially overwhelming effect on our ability to function and respond appropriately to those around us. This session will help attendees identify and differentiate between trauma and stress in their own lives, and through social-emotional learning, use tools to develop healthy coping plans that will help build healthy, healing relationships in their personal and professional lives.
Monday: 1:00 p.m. to 1:55 p.m.
"What is Causing Our Crazy and How to Deal With It."
It can be easy at times to identify big trauma in our lives. It overwhelms the system and dismantles our ability to cope. It can be loud, in your face, and distracts us from our everyday living. During other times we face daily stressors which seem to whisper in our ear all day long. We often don’t reflect on what makes us snap at our coworker, students or spouse. During this breakout session we will identify past trauma and the “big” and “little” stress of our lives, both at home and work, and re-imagine how we can care for ourselves and each other. This session will build on the keynote address, helping participants identify “triggers” and how to implement sustainable changes.
Monday: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
"Weighing the Scale: Life/Work Balance."
We are often overworked, under-appreciated and fail to consider our own mental health as a priority or necessity to being healthy, functioning human beings. When life’s “triggers” start to take a toll on our bodies we begin to see physical and mental deficiencies in the ways that we manage our relationships at work and home. During this breakout session we will pinpoint where most of our time is spent, how much time we want to devote to certain areas of our lives and determine how important these areas are in comparison to other areas of focus in our lives. We will determine what kind of person we want to be in these areas of our lives and what changes need to be made to reach these goals.
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Katie Eck is a Licensed Professional Counselor working at Sumner Mental Health Center. At SMHC, Katie specializes in working with children, particularly those that have been exposed to trauma. She frequently visits schools to present strategies to help teachers work with traumatized students and discuss the effects of trauma on brain development. She is currently working with a team and the Kansas Department of Education to develop the first preschool pilot program addressing mental health in the classroom. Prior to obtaining her master’s degree in Clinical Counseling from Wichita State University, Katie utilized her Elementary Education undergraduate degree to teach preschool, kindergarten, and second grade. Outside of work, Katie and her husband have been blessed with seven children – five girls and two boys.
Register NOW for the 2021 Administrators Conference!
Register Today! Registration Is Free!
Conference Questions?
Dr. Jamie Finkeldei, KAIRS Vice President/Treasurer
Associate Superintendent, Catholic Diocese of Wichita
316-269-3950
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or Amy Pavlacka, KAIRS Communications Director
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