12:30 - 1:30 PM - Breakout Sessions 1
You’ll choose one of the following three sessions.
Schools are increasingly recognized as critical settings for the delivery of mental and behavioral health services, particularly as rates of negative affect among youth rise (National Center for Health Statistics, 2023). As comprehensive school mental health systems expand in response (Hoover & Bostic, 2021), school psychologists are collaborating with a range of school-based mental health professionals to improve access to prevention and intervention services. Among these professionals are creative arts therapists, including art therapists, dance/movement therapists, drama therapists, music therapists, and expressive arts therapists (NCCATA, 2026). Collectively, these disciplines utilize symbolic expression, multimodal engagement, and developmentally responsive interventions to promote mental health and wellbeing (Moula et al., 2020). These approaches can also provide outlets for non-verbal and holistic expression that may not be afforded in more traditional school-based interventions (Berberian, 2026; Frydman et al. 2022). This session provides an introduction to the practice and prevalence of creative arts therapies in U.S. schools for school psychologists. Content will focus on conceptual practice foundations, current representation in schools, and experiential activities to demonstrate practice. No formal experience or training in the arts is required. School psychologists will become familiar with creative arts therapies as a therapeutic intervention (NASP Practice Model Domain 4) with implications for interdisciplinary collaboration in educational decision-making (NASP Practice Model Domain 2).
Welcome to the Party: How Mentoring New Staff Works (Even in a Big System)Jake Finan, EdS
and the Wake County Public School System School Psychology Mentor Team
The Wake County Public School System School Psychology Mentor Program has been operating for over 30 years and has received national recognition. Come hear the mindsets and practices that we've found work well, hear from mentors and mentees about how mentoring practices enrich their professional lives, and compare notes about the strengths and challenges of mentoring in your district!
This interactive book discussion is open to both previous Schooltalk book discussion participants and those who are new to the book. Returning participants will extend earlier conversations by applying key concepts to realistic school-based situations, while new participants will receive an introduction to the book’s central ideas and opportunities to connect them to their own practice. Through reflection and discussion, participants will examine how everyday language may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes, bias, or deficit-based thinking about students and families. Participants will practice more affirming, equitable, and relationship-centered approaches to communication and create an individual action plan for applying specific practices in their professional roles. Prior participation in a book discussion is not required.
2:00 - 3:00 PM - Breakout Sessions 2
You’ll choose one of the following three sessions.
From Strengths to Thriving: Positive Psychology in Schools—Past, Present, and FutureKristen Mahony-Atallah, PhD
North Carolina State University
How can schools move beyond simply addressing challenges to intentionally cultivating well-being and helping students and educators thrive? Grounded in positive psychology, this interactive session will explore the evolution of approaches to well-being in schools through a past, present, and future lens. Participants will briefly examine the development of positive psychology and how concepts such as strengths, positive relationships, resilience, meaning, and flourishing have shaped the way we think about well-being in school settings. We will then connect these ideas to current applications with students and educators, with an emphasis on practical, evidence-informed strategies that can be used in everyday school contexts. Through hands-on activities and reflection, participants will experience several positive psychology approaches and consider how they might be adapted for students, educators, and broader school communities. The session will conclude by looking toward the future, considering how positive psychology can help schools create environments that support sustainable well-being and flourishing. Participants will leave with practical strategies they can bring back to their schools and new ways of thinking about the role of positive psychology in school psychology.
Co-presenters: Carson Soliday, Hayden Morgan, Yuji Liu
MTSS & the NASP Practice Model: How Comprehensive School Psychological
Services Come to Life in MTSSJason Pedersen, PhD, NCSP
NASP President 2026-2027
This session explores how a well-designed Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) serves as the framework for delivering the comprehensive school psychological services outlined in the NASP Practice Model. Participants will examine how MTSS operationalizes key practice domains—including data-based decision making, consultation and collaboration, academic and behavioral interventions, mental and behavioral health services, systems-level practices, equity, and family-school-community partnerships—while promoting role clarity, prevention-focused service delivery, and workforce sustainability. Through the use of NASP's existing Practice Model resources and an applied mapping activity, participants will identify opportunities to better align their local MTSS implementation with comprehensive school psychological services. Designed for practitioners, administrators, and district leaders, this turnkey session provides practical strategies and tools that connect the NASP Practice Model to the day-to-day work of supporting students, schools, and systems.
