24-25 Opportunities for Families

Archived Recordings of WISD Mental Health Workshops

  • May 2025 Mental Health Workshop for Parents 

    "Child Anxiety and OCD" Click here to watch the recording. 

    Join Dr. Emily Bilek, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, for an engaging and informative session on how to best support children facing anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Dr. Bilek will provide an overview of these concerns and will provide "do's and don'ts" for caregivers struggling to help young people manage these challenges. 

  • April 2025 Mental Health Workshop for Parents 

    "Helping Kids Manage Stress" Click here to watch the recording. 

    Join Courtney Aldrich, Child & Family program Instructor at MSU Extension, as she shares common causes, signs, and symptoms of stress, as well as strategies for supporting children, youth, and parents experiencing stress. 

  • March 2025 Mental Health Workshop for Parents 

    "When Your Child Refuses to Go to School" Click here to watch the recording. 

    School refusal is not just a problem for children, but a family issue. Join Becky Thomas, PhD, from Thriving Minds, as she discusses school refusal and what works to support children in overcoming the stress and anxiety of attending school. We'll explore personal actions adults can take to help children build confidence, respond effectively to discomfort, and take gradual steps towards consistent school attendance. 

  • February 2025 Mental Health Workshop for Parents  

    “What We Wish Parents Knew about Mental Health” Click here to watch the recording. 

    Hear from the Corner Health Center’s Youth Leadership Council about what they wish parents knew about mental health. How much stress do they have? Do they want to hear stories about when you were a kid? What is essential to having a connection with your teenager?

  • October 2024 Mental Health Workshop for Parents 

    "We're Doing The Best We Can: Self-Compassion for Parents" Click here to watch the recording. 

    Join Joy Aleccia, MPH, Health Educator at the Washtenaw Health Department as we explore how we as parents can have more compassion for ourselves throughout our parenting journey and the impact that self-compassion can have on our children! 

24-25 WISD Programs

  • TalkAbility a WISD Free Program 

     

    The WISD is happy to share that we are offering a new parent education class targeted to parents of autistic children. The TalkAbility™ program is designed for parents of autistic children ages 4-8 who are speaking in sentences and having conversations.  We need your help getting this new program to families in your community.  Please share widely!  

     

    TalkAbility™ strategies help parents:

    • Understand their child's perspective and help them understand the perspectives of others.
    • Support their child to have longer, more meaningful conversations with both adults and peers.
    • Encourage their child to understand non-verbal messages within the social context in which they are communicated.
    • Foster their child's friendship skills.

    The program may be offered either in-person or online and includes:

    • A pre-program consultation for you and your child.
    • 8 practical and interactive classes for small groups of parents.
    • Individual video feedback sessions of you interacting with your child, followed by reflection and discussion on what is helping and what else you could do.

    Please share this information with those families you feel may benefit from participating. Encourage these families to attend a virtual orientation to find out more about the program and if it is a good fit for them and their child. During this session, parents will get a chance to learn more about the program, ask any questions, and meet other parents interested in the program. We believe the information your families will learn in this program will complement the services their child receives at school. See details below and the attached handouts for more information!

     

    If parents are unable to attend a virtual orientation session, but are interested in learning more about the program, please have them email Micki Kollman at mkollman@washtenawisd.org 

TRAILS Presentation

  • 2024 Suicide Awareness and Prevention: A presentation for caregivers and communities
     

    TRAILS invites you to attend an upcoming presentation: Suicide Awareness and Prevention for Caregivers and Communities. 

    The free presentation will take place via Zoom

    Space is limited to the first 1,000 registrants.

    The presentation is geared toward families, caregivers and community members and will include:

    • An overview of suicide and suicidal behavior in children and adolescents, including risk and protective factors 
    • Guidance on identifying suicide risk and warning signs and practical steps to address them, including safety planning in the home
    • Recommended language to use when talking about suicide

    The presentation will be facilitated by Natalie Burns, LMSW, MA. Natalie leads the tier 3 crisis intervention work at TRAILS, and has expertise in the assessment and treatment of suicidal youth, psychosocial interventions with children and families, and suicide prevention in K-12 schools. Additionally, she has a background in infant mental health and perinatal mood disorders. Natalie also serves as a senior consultant for the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality where she trains mental health providers across US and internationally in suicide-specific assessment and intervention. 

    If you have any questions about this training, please contact the TRAILS Trainings Team at trainings@trailstowellness.org. 

    We look forward to your participation!