Experts in the fields of adolescent and teen mental health are reporting findings and recommendations to parents and educators at a two-day conference in Sacramento on January 18-19, 2007.
"Serving Youth with Emotional Disturbances and Transition-Aged Youth — Best Practices" is being held at the California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) University Union. The conference is presented by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) WorkAbility and several major partners including: Sacramento County Mental Health, Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Los Rios Community College District, and CSUS.
"SCOE is proud to be involved with collaborative work impacting high-risk youth and students with disabilities, and we are cutting the pathway for general education to follow suit with career and technical education," said Marty Cavanaugh, Deputy Superintendent of Schools, Sacramento County, who provided welcoming remarks on the opening day of the conference. "We see this conference as an opportunity for people to exchange ideas and learn some best practices for working with this unique student population."
The goal behind the conference is to help special needs students have a better chance to succeed in transitioning from "school to world."
"We want to give people an opportunity to learn more about emotionally disturbed students, who we see as a growing population," said Michael Laharty, Vocational Specialist with the Sacramento County Office of Education. "We are finding more people entering the special education field who desire more training."
Topics
- De-Mystifying Depressive and Anxiety Disorders
- Families Helping Families
- Family Support/Advocacy
- Career and Technical Education
- Community Life Expectancy
- Dropout Prevention
- Field Instructors Training
- Multicultural Issues and Health
Michael Bullis, PhD., Dean of the College of Education, University of Oregon, an expert in special education and rehabilitation, provided the opening day keynote address. State Senator Darrell Steinberg (Dist. 6), author and co-proponent of Proposition 63, the initiative designed to establish mental health programs throughout the state, provided the keynote address on the second day of the conference.
WorkAbility is a training program for special needs students and is designed to promote career awareness and exploration while students complete their secondary education program. The program provides comprehensive pre-employment training, employment placement and follow-up for high school students in special education who are making the transition from school to work, independent living and post-secondary education or training.
For information about the Sacramento County Office of Education WorkAbility Program contact Michael Laharty at (916) 566-2005.