Spring Professional Development Day 2026

REGISTER HERE

NJSCA Spring Professional Development Day

Friday, April 17, 2026

Kean University

STEM Building & Liberty Hall Education Center

7:30 AM-8:15 AM - Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:15 AM-8:40 AM - Welcoming Remarks

8:45 AM-10:15 AM - Keynote Speaker

Transforming School Counseling: The Art and Science of the ASCA National Model

Dr. Carmen Larson, National School Counselor of the Year

10:15 AM-10:30 AM - Break & Vendor Visits

10:30 AM-12:00 PM - Presentation Sessions             

12:15 AM-1:15 PM - Lunch & Vendor Visits

1:15 PM-2:30 PM - Working Sessions 

After you register for the PD Day, you will be required to choose which sessions you would like to attend. Please reference the workshop descriptions below.

Morning Presentation Sessions:

PS1: New School Counselors Bootcamp: Systems that Save You-Faride Hernandez, Grace Martinez, Tiana Victor

This interactive session supports new and early-career school counselors with practical systems that reduce overwhelm and prevent burnout. Participants will engage in case discussions, peer sharing, and a “System Swap Wall” to explore case management, communication templates, triage, documentation, and workload tools. Attendees leave with ready-to-use templates, QR-linked resources, and one concrete system to implement immediately.

PS2: Grief is NOT your Enemy-Keia R. Boyd

Grief Is Not Your Enemy is a supportive workshop designed to help counselors assist students, parents, and school staff understand grief as a natural response to loss rather than something to suppress or fear. The session builds awareness of the emotional impact of grief, encourages healthy expression of feelings, and emphasizes the importance of using one’s voice and accessing support systems. Through guided reflection and discussion, participants receive practical coping strategies and tools that foster emotional resilience, healing, and personal growth in a safe and affirming environment.

PS3: Navigating the Digital Landscape: Children's Online Exposure, AI, and Mental Well-Being-Melissa Straub 

This workshop provides a vital opportunity for educators and parents to gain practical strategies for engaging in meaningful conversations with young people about digital safety. Discussions will explore approaches to addressing these concerns both in the classroom and at home. Attendees will receive essential insights into the digital landscape and discover solutions—both technological and psychological—to help navigate the difficulties faced by school officials and families. Additionally, participants will learn effective methods for protecting students while fostering open communication about the internet's hidden dangers.

PS4: From Vision to Practice: Implementing SEL through NJTSS-Qunisha Statum

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is most effective when intentionally embedded within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports. This session explores how school counselors can design, implement, and monitor SEL within the New Jersey Tiered System of Supports (NJTSS) across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. Participants will learn to move beyond isolated lessons to build sustainable, data-driven SEL systems that align with academic, behavioral, and mental health supports and improve student outcomes.

PS5: PAUSE for Self-Leadership: Cultivating Collective Wellbeing Through Everyday Interactions-Joanna Curry-Sartori, LMFT

Collective social and emotional wellbeing begins with the quality of our everyday interactions—starting with the adults who lead, teach, and shape school communities. PAUSE for Self-Leadership is a practical yet profound five-step model designed to embed self-care, authentic connection, and compassionate leadership at the heart of the school experience.

PS6: Advancing Equitable College and Career Counseling for Students with Disabilities-Stuart Roe

In this session, participants will explore the intersection of disability with race, language, and income, and learn evidence-based strategies for improving post-secondary transition outcomes. Drawing from ongoing research and field input from counselors, learning consultants, and case managers, this session offers tangible approaches to enhance collaboration across general and special education contexts. Attendees will leave with new tools and resources for equitable postsecondary planning.

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Afternoon Working Sessions:

WS1: Serving Those Who Serve: Building Strong Military Postsecondary Pathways Through Counselor-Administrator Collaboration-Ashley Miranda & Ariel Gilbert

Postsecondary success is not one-size-fits-all, yet military pathways are often underrepresented or misunderstood in high school planning. This presentation highlights how intentional collaboration between school counselors and administrators can elevate military options as respected, ethical, and student-centered postsecondary pathways. Designed for high school professionals, this session demonstrates how shared leadership and aligned messaging create systems that better support students who are considering military service. Participants will explore how counselors and administrators can work together to redefine postsecondary success to include enlistment, service academies, ROTC programs, and military-connected career training. The session emphasizes the importance of informed, unbiased advising that honors student choice while ensuring families and students have accurate, comprehensive information about military opportunities, benefits, and long-term outcomes. Through practical examples and case studies, presenters will outline the distinct yet complementary roles of counselors and administrators in building sustainable military pathways. 

WS2: Mission: Career Possible-Florentina Crawford, Laurie Corizzo, Samantha Incremona

Career exploration isn’t just for middle and high school. It starts with curiosity, imagination, and self-awareness in the ELEMENTARY years! In this engaging/ hands on session, participants will learn practical, developmentally appropriate ways to introduce career awareness to K–5 students. We’ll explore hands-on activities, schoolwide events, and classroom lessons that connect students’ strengths, interests, and values to future possibilities. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use resources and creative ideas for integrating career exploration into their curriculum.

WS3: Standing in the Storm: Holding the Line for Students When the World Gets Loud-Dr. Carmen Larson

The educational landscape has become increasingly complex, with schools often serving as battlegrounds for cultural and ideological conflicts. These debates can profoundly affect students’ sense of safety, identity, and belonging, placing school counselors in a position to lead with empathy, advocacy, and purpose. This breakout explores how school counselors can leverage the ASCA standards to navigate these challenges, promote their essential role, and create inclusive environments where all students can thrive, despite the noise. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to uphold equity, foster resilience, and champion a culture of belonging.

WS4: Supporting Inclusive School Climate: NJ SCI as a Data-Driven Tool for School Counseling-Jason Sabino & Dr. Alicia Raia-Hawrylak

This session highlights school counselors as leaders that can utilize the NJ SCI Survey as part of the ASCA framework. Learn to utilize school climate data collection for strategic action, featuring real-world insights on how school counselors can leverage this platform to advocate for supporting an inclusive environment for all students.

WS5: Equal Pathways, Equal Priority: Elevating Trades, Apprenticeships, and Non-College Options in High School Counseling-Joe Palumbo

This session invites counselors to reflect on current practices and explore concrete ways to strengthen how non-college pathways are presented to students and families. Participants will examine counseling conversations, programming, materials, and school-wide strategies that can enhance awareness and legitimacy of skilled trade and apprenticeship options—without diminishing college-bound pathways. Attendees will leave with practical, ready-to-implement tools to expand student choice, support informed decision-making, and ensure all postsecondary options are promoted with clarity, consistency, and respect.

WS6: Language Is an Intervention™: Connection Before Correction-Daneen Collins & Regina M. Lynn Lowery

Language Is an Intervention™: Connection Before Correction is an ASCA-aligned session that positions counselor-led communication as a Tier 1 SEL support. Participants explore how adult language escalates or regulates behavior and learn practical, trauma-informed strategies to collaboratively support teachers, strengthen family partnerships, and improve school climate through intentional communication.

WS7: From Stress to Connection: Embodied SEL Practices for Teen Mental Wellness-Sophia Laettner Joubert

School counselors will learn neuroscience-backed, embodied practices to help students regulate their nervous systems and build authentic connections. This turnkey session provides practical tools including EFT tapping, somatic grounding, and connection exercises that counselors can immediately implement in individual sessions, small groups, and classroom settings. Participants receive step-by-step guides and scripts to adapt for their specific contexts.

WS8: Data Collection 101: A Practical & Ethical Guide for School Counselors-Ariana Arthurs

Through the lens of the ASCA National Model, data plays an instrumental role in school counselors' ability to identify student needs, plan targeted interventions, and evaluate outcomes to ensure school counseling programs are effective and equitable. Intentional data collection and analysis strengthen school counseling programs by uncovering gaps, challenging inequities, and implementing services that better support their community. This presentation aims to provide practical and ethical ways to utilize data while also highlighting how data is already embedded in daily counseling practice, empowering counselors to make informed decisions that overall improve student outcomes and strengthen advocacy efforts.