2023-2024 PAP Webinar Series
*All webinars will be presented live from 6:30 – 7:30 pm EST Recordings will be available for 30 days after each webinar. Click the links to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
10/5/23 Special Education: The Basics
Presenter: Colleen Lester, Educational Consultant and Former Elementary Principal
Register here.
Does your child or teen... Struggle to meet deadlines and be on time? Constantly leave a
trail of food every time he has a snack? Drop clothing on the floor as soon as she takes it
off? Leave papers strewn everywhere with no systems for keeping track of them? When
these organizational skills are not developed to an age-appropriate level, being
successful in school becomes a real challenge. Research indicates that these executive
skills are the most important skills to have in order to succeed in school. During this
webinar, you will learn specific strategies to help your child get organized and stay
organized in a way that works for him. You will leave with tools you can use at home with
your child to help you teach and practice these organizational skills.
11/9/23 Avoidance, Obsessions, Perfectionism and Other Expressions of Anxiety
Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Bashant
Register here.
According to the latest statistics, one in five children in this country have a diagnosable
anxiety disorder. Anxiety, often referred to as “the great masquerader” can be hard to
recognize because it presents in so many different ways, from anger or behavioral
challenges, to avoidance, to perfectionism. During this webinar, you will learn what to
look for and how to recognize the different types of anxiety, as well as the six lies that
anxiety tells. You will leave with tips and strategies to help your child cope with and
overcome anxiety.
11/28/23 Navigating Difficult Conversations with Your Pre/Young Teen
Presenter: Renee Beaulieu, School Improvement Specialist and Parent
Register here.
Have you ever wondered how to start a difficult conversation or how to illicit more than a one-word answer from your pre and/or young teen? Join us for a discussion on current and age-old topics that are important for our young teens. We will discuss how to create opportunities to start those discussions and ways to help make it easier for your pre/young teens to share their thoughts. Participants will have an opportunity to share their concerns and/or successes.
12/7/23 Mindfulness-Informed Parenting: Learn the Basics for Introducing Mindfulness Practices to Your Child
Moderator: Dr. Paul Pineiro, Assistant Superintendent of Westfield Public Schools, New Jersey
Register here.
During this webinar, participants will learn the basics for introducing mindfulness
practices to their child/ren. Whether it’s differentiating breathing, regulating busy
thoughts, or establishing a mindfulness routine for taking a break from devices and
screen time, mindfulness practices can help build emotional resilience in a time where
overwhelm and anxiety are common challenges for young people. In addition to
providing background on the science behind mindfulness, this session’s experienced
panel will also share the strategies they have used in their teacher and parent roles so
participants can leave with a foundation for being a mindfulness-informed caregiver.
1/11/24 Depression and Suicide: Warning Signs and What You Can Do to Help
Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Bashant
Register here.
The teenage years are defined by changes, sometimes dramatic changes, in behavior.
These are often difficult years for families, even when mental health challenges are not
present. So, how do you know what are considered normal changes, and when the
changes in mood, isolating behavior and loss of interest in certain activities is clinical
depression? This is not an easy question to answer, but we will tackle it during this
webinar. We will look at the symptoms of depression and warning signs for suicide, and
you will learn ways that you can support your child and get them professional help if
needed. It can be overwhelming and difficult to find a therapist who is also accepting
new patients, so we will look at tips for finding a therapist who will be a good fit for your
child.
1/23/24 Managing Social Media in Our Lives
Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Bashant
One of the biggest challenges of parenting today is moderating our kids’ use of
technology. It can be a daily struggle over how much time is spent on phones, computers
and video games. The explosion of social media and the overload of information is
creating a sense of loneliness and negatively affecting our children’s mental health. As
parents and caregivers, we know too much technology is detrimental, but how much is
too much, and what can we do to protect our children from the harmful effects?
2/8/24 Avoiding Power Struggles, Angry Outbursts, and Other Challenging Behaviors
Presenters: Dr. Jennifer Bashant and Kristen Pidgeon
Register here.
Collaboration can be a powerful tool to overcome defiance and reduce the fighting and
behavioral challenges in your household. In this webinar, participants will learn how to:
● Identify and address the root cause of challenging behavior, while allowing your
positive relationship with your child to serve as the foundation for change.
● Teach your child how to recognize the physical warning signs and knowing how to
regulate the body and manage strong emotions such as anger, guilt, sadness and
even elation.
● Use mindfulness, art, soothing music and physical activity to help your child develop
a toolbox of strategies that help them feel calm
2/27/24 Making Friends and Keeping Them: 10 Social Skills to Teach Your Child
Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Bashant
Register here.
Loneliness is an epidemic in this country, and one which puts people at risk for
depression, anxiety and even a shortened lifespan. Making friends comes fairly naturally
for some children, while others need more support in developing social skills. The ability
to have empathy, or identify with the feelings of another, is an important skill for making
and keeping friends, but it can be difficult to know exactly how to develop this trait in
another person. During this webinar, participants will learn how to model and teach
empathy and nine other crucial social skills that will make it easier to connect with
others in a meaningful way.
3/21/24 It’s an Inside Job: Knowing and Communicating Feelings and Needs
Presenter: Beth DeAngelis, Professor of Social and Emotional Intelligence, Siena College
Register here.
Having a good understanding of emotions and what they feel like in the body is an
important part of self-regulation. Does your child (and do you) have a well-developed
vocabulary of emotion words, and are they (and you) able to use “I statements” to
express those emotions? During this webinar, participants will learn how to develop for
themselves and teach their children these important social and emotional skills. It is this
emotional granularity that increases self-awareness, improves communication and
deepens social connections.