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TRANSCRIPT
September 2014
Volume 43, Issue 3
Illinois Association of School Social Workers
On October 16 – 18, 2014 the Illinois Association of School Social Workers held our
44th Annual Conference. I want to thank the conference committee for the hundreds of
volunteer hours that contributed to the success of the conference. This year’s confer-
ence committee is:
Conference Co-chairs – Cathy Bertrand and Keli Swierczek
Conference Assistant – Lynn Sloyan
Conference Development – Kari Smith and Sona Chalian
Registration – Tiffany Gholson and Rhonda Harris
Membership – Tamara Butler and Kathryn Nirde
Local Arrangements – Sona Chalian
Exhibits and Sponsors – Rise’ Davis
Moderators – Sonya Perez and Janet Craig
Awards – Michelle Washington
Auction – Lindsey Okray
Hospitality – Victoria Rivera and Elizabeth Cervantes
Member Store – Gail Groff and Lindsey Trout
Brochure – Sheri Olson
CEU/CPDH – Sonja Collins Fordson
Special Event – Carlos Evans
Treasurer – Teresa Alvarado
Executive Assistant – Cindy Kearney
Continue—>
IASSW IS DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN
BY ENHANCING THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS.
One individual who was not on
the conference committee but
who contributed to the smooth
execution of registration and
workshop selection was our
Technology Chair, Scott
Carchedi. Scott spent countless
hours over the summer rede-
signing the IASSW website.
These changes made the web-
site more interactive and of-
fered an abundance of infor-
mation that had only previously
been shared through paper dis-
tribution. Additionally, the
website allows members to
renew their membership online
and receive an email reminder
when the membership needs to
be renewed. Registering for
conference workshops online
and submitting payment by
credit card have allowed
IASSW to be in practice with
other professional organiza-
tions. I am grateful and thank-
ful for all the time and energy
that Scott has contributed to
IASSW and its members.
2
Workshop Reflection
Region 17 held a full day workshop in September. The morning ses-
sion was presented by Karen Stipp, a social work professor at Illinois
State University. Karen discussed in detail the changes from the DSM
IV TR to the DSM 5. She discussed a lot of changes, including:
Changes to the axis system: Axis I, II, and III have been combined
into one axis to promote the dichotomy between mental and physi-
cal disorders.
Many changes were made to specific disorders as well. Some of
the highlights include the change in terminology from Mental Re-
tardation to Intellectual disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder now
encompasses Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder,
the bereavement exclusion was removed for Major Depression
Disorder, and the criterion was altered for Attention Deficit Hyper-
activity Disorder.
Many other changes were discussed.
The workshop was highly educational and an asset to those in attend-
ance, I would highly recommend attending a workshop on DSM 5 if
you haven’t already.
The afternoon session focused on referrals for emotional disability and
was presented by Rise Davis, Cindy Hunt, and Stacy Poland. The pre-
senters differentiated between Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant
Disorder and Emotional Disability, as well as the assessments available
for determining eligibility under the ED category. Some of the assess-
ments discussed included the Differential Test of Conduct and Emo-
tional Problems, the Personality Inventory for DSM 5, the Strengths
and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Behavior Assessment System for
Children-Second Edition, the Children’s Depression Inventory, the
Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, and the Revised Children’s Manifest
Anxiety Scale.
Great information was provided during both sessions. A big thanks
goes out to all the presenters and to everyone who came!
Contributed by: Nicole Ekiss is from region 17 Decatur- Springfield
There were many conference
sessions that addressed the
theme of this year’s conference:
“KEEPING CHILDREN IN
SCHOOL.” All of our interven-
tions, words of encouragement,
collaboration with teachers and
other staff and leadership in
mental health issues are directed
at helping students manage their
social-emotional selves so they
can participate in learning and
find satisfaction at being in
school. Helping students to stay
in school and navigate their
school day is essential work that
is the real bedrock of learning.
We hope to see all of you at the
45th Annual IASSW Conference
in Bloomington, Illinois on Oc-
tober 22-23, 2015 at the Marriott
in Bloomington, Illinois.
Contributed by: Tom Tebbe
IASSW President
Continued from
page 1
3
I recently attended a training that looked at building comfort and relationships with clients, including clients of differing back-
grounds. During the course of the presentation the speaker talked about the Feedback Informed Treatment model (FIT). The
model focuses on the nature of the connection and relationship between the therapist and client. The central principle is to regu-
larly and explicitly gather feedback from clients about the ongoing therapy and their relationship with the therapist. In spirit it
seeks to foster an ongoing effort by the therapist to reflect on and alter their practice by considering the feedback and observations
of their clients. Clients are oriented to the methods so as to understand the valuable role they can play in improving their treat-
ment as well as assisting the therapist in better serving their needs.
I was curious to learn more about these techniques so I spent some time doing some additional reading. During this research I
soon found the two popular measures associated with the FIT model. They are the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and the Session
Rating Scale (SRS). In keeping with the philosophy of quick and regular feedback, both are very brief and are intended to be used
often, as often as before and after each session. The ORS is completed by the client at the start of the session and focuses on their
sense of well-being in four general areas. These areas are overall, personal well-being, family and close relationships, and social
relationships such as work. The SRS is completed at the end of the session and asks for feedback about the session and the thera-
pist. It asks the client to rate their experience of four components of the session; the goals and topics of the session, the approach
and methods used, the connection between therapist and client, and the client’s overall impression of the session. I even found a
YouTube clip of a role play of a therapist using the SRS here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag7AybUh1Ik
I wondered if these techniques would be of benefit to my students. Central to our treatment model is to reinforce the critical role
our students’ play in both their academic process and their efforts to improve their social emotional functioning. These FIT prac-
tices might serve as another reminder for them to be an active leader in their own treatment and highlights their impact in shaping
interventions and outcomes. On the surface it ensures that the work in sessions stays focused on the areas in which the student is
invested and feels are of central importance. It could foster engagement and demonstrate concern and interest in them as individu-
als. Developmentally it meshes with the adolescent process of individualization and developing autonomy. It also allows the
student to be in the role of the expert and teacher, reversing the power dynamic they experience for most of their day at school.
Finally it could also offer the opportunity to repair damage or small rifts in the relationship that might otherwise might not be ad-
dressed and cause strain in the relationship. I have found that instances of accepting responsibility for mistakes and problem solv-
ing to repair a relationship with a student can be very valuable modeling for students.
I found two research articles reviewing the ORS and SRS to be very interesting. The purpose of these studies was to compare
these brief rating scales with longer and more established measures such as The Outcome Questionairre-45 (OQ-45) and the
Working Alliance Inventory (WAI). Both of these have shown to be both valid and reliable measures of client functioning and
alliance quality. The question posed in the research was would much briefer assessments such as the ORS and SRS prove to be
consistent with the results of more detailed and established measures. The results indicated that both the ORS and SRS yielded
strong reliability and concurrent validity. They also suggested that based on the strong inter-item correlation, the SRS items might
actually be assessing a common underlying component of alliance quality.
After reading these articles, I began to shape how I might apply this to my work with students. I have designed a simple system
that I will pilot for the next quarter of our school year. Outside my office I have placed a small table with an opaque jar. Next to
the jar are two dishes. One has red, yellow, blue and green gaming /poker style chips. The other has small strips of construction
paper of the same colors. I have asked my students to provide feedback about our sessions by simply dropping the appropriately
colored chip/paper into the jar after our time together. The colors form a continuum similar to the scales used for the SRS items.
The question posed for the students to respond to is “How well do you feel we worked together this session?” Both the question
and an explanation of the colors are posted above the table. The continuum is displayed with red at one end signifying very poor-
ly and green at the other signifying very well. The full continuum is red, then yellow (session was mostly negative but a few posi-
tives), blue (session was mostly positive, with some negatives) and green. At the end of each day I will check the jar and tally the
results.
Improving Professional Practice by using
Client Centered Rating Scales
4
I was unsure how comfortable the students would be with this process, which was the
reason for the alterations in the feedback process from the established SRS model. I
wanted to allow for more comfort to give opinions so I replaced the verbal processing
with the chip system. But I also wanted to capture more detailed and personal infor-
mation if the student was willing. For those who wanted anonymity, the poker chips
could provide a chance to provide some feedback. But for those more comfortable, the
colored paper could provide for a more detailed response. Ideally they could write re-
sponses that included the student’s name so this feedback could be applied in future
sessions. It could also provide additional written explanation for the rating or their
positive or negative reactions.
To help those willing to respond in more detail a sample of the SRS form was also
posted. This would allow them to consider the different aspects of the session and re-
spond as they felt appropriate. Added to the bottom of the form was a simple question:
“What would it take to move just one space up the rating scale?”. This question
seemed particularly powerful in helping to set the stage for change. It provides an op-
portunity to identify actions steps that are both realistic and manageable to create short
term change. It is a perfect segway into the ongoing work to further improve the thera-
peutic relationship and support we provide for students.
For more information on the FIT model, and the ORS and SRS rating scales see these
articles.
Brown, J., Claude, D., Duncan, B., Miller, S., Johnson, L., Reynolds, L., & Sparks, J.,
The Session Rating Scale: Preliminary Psychometric Properties of a “Working” Alli-
ance Measure
Journal of Brief Therapy, 3(1), 3-12
Campbell, A., & Hemsley, S., Outcomes Rating Scale and Session Rating Scale in psy-
chological practice: Clinical utility of ultra-brief measures Clinical Psychologist, 13(1),
1-9.
Contributed by: Robert Georges
Region 10 Representative
Cont. from page 3
LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR
5
IASSW named State Senator Julie Morrison its Legislator of the Year for 2014.
Senator Morrison attended the Annual Conference luncheon with her husband,
Joe, to accept the award.
Senator Morrison is from Deerfield and represents the 29th District, which covers
part of the northern suburbs of Chicago. She was first elected to the Illinois Sen-
ate in 2012 and took office in January, 2013. She serves on several key Senate
committees including Education, Human Services and Appropriations.
A native of Beardstown in central Illinois, she attended Knox College and served
as the West Deerfield Township Supervisor from 1997 to 2013. She was ap-
pointed to the Advisory Council for DCFS and served until 1996.
Senator Morrison was honored because of her commitment to the welfare of at-
risk children. She was appointed in 2013 to chair a special subcommittee of the
Human Services Committee on DCFS issues. After chairing a number of sub-
committee hearings, she developed an agenda of legislation designed to protect
children and promote the accountability and transparency of DCFS.
One bill she introduced that was signed into law last summer, SB 2909, ensures
that DCFS follows certain accountability procedures when it develops and imple-
ments safety plans for children when the agency is investigating a report of abuse
or neglect. She also was the lead Senate sponsor of HB 4407, which expands
procedural safeguards for parents and children in the Early Intervention pro-
gram.. HB 4407 has also been signed into law.
We congratulate Sen. Morrison on her award and look forward to working with
her in the future.
Contributed by: Phil Milsk
6
First, Cathy Bertrand is from Region 5 (DuPage) and is our current lead conference chair. She re-
ceived her BSW from Aurora University and won the George Williams Award there. She received
her MSW from Loyola. She works in Plainfield Public Schools and is married, has three children
and a Chihuahua. She has been on the board since 2007 and accepted the role as Vice President
when there was an unexpected vacancy. We thank her for her hard work and dedication to the
board and conference committee.
Lindsey has been on the IASSW board since 2010. She lives and works in region 2
(Champaign). She has worked as a social worker in Villa Grove and is now at Urbana Early
Childhood School. She received her MSW at the University of IL- CU in 2009 and earned her
M.Ed in 2014. She is married and has a daughter. Lindsey has previously been the webmas-
ter and played an important role in getting IASSW on social media. She can often be seen
helping sell t-shirts and IASSW wares at the IASSW store at conference. Thanks for your
dedication and innovation.
Robert Georges is from region 10 (North Cook) He took over as regional rep for Tom Tebbe,
our current president. He works at New Trier High School at the Learning Center, which serves
high needs students with emotional disabilities. Previously he has worked with juvenile offend-
ers in a psychiatric hospital setting and has other experience in juvenile justice system. He is
interested in cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing and milieu treatment
models. Robert has held many successful regional workshops too. Please thank him for his
work in the region and on the board.
Tracey Parker is a regional rep for region 13 (Rockford). She has been a school social worker
for 14 years and has worked at two elementary schools in Rockford for three years. She has also
worked in public and mental health settings. Tracey is an LCSW and recently received her Type
75 certificate from NIU. She graduated with her MSW in 2001 from the University of IL- UC.
She is married and has two children. She enjoys spending time with her family traveling, boat-
ing and attending her girl's sporting events. Please thank her for her work on the nominations
committee and in her region. Your regional reps would like to hear from you. Send them an
email with comments, concerns and compliments!
Risé Davis, VP of IASSW
Spotlight: Regional Representatives
Sarah Kim (pictured left) is the newest regional rep of region 2 (Champaign). She works at
Wiley Elementary School in Urbana. She received her MSW from U of I- UC and has previous
experience in early childhood education, developmental services for adults and psychiatric/
behavioral health. She is married and has an amazing husband and three active sons. She also
loves chocolate. Sarah serves on the nominations committee as well as being a regional repre-
sentative.
7
School Social Worker of the Year
IASSWs 2014 School Social Worker of the Year is Heidi Grove. Mrs. Grove works in
Champaign Unit 4 School District at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy. She was
nominated by a large cross-section of staff members in her district, in addition to stu-
dents who have worked with Mrs. Grove. Heidi was nominated due to her dedication
to her school community. She goes above and beyond for the students, staff, and fami-
lies of her school community, and she is able to identify the positives in any situa-
tion. We congratulate our 2014 School Social Worker of the Year, Heidi Grove!
Contributed by:
Michelle L. Washington, MSW, MA
Citizen(s) of the Year
IASSWs 2014 Citizen(s) of the Year is the Lockport Firefighters Union. In addition to
their duties as first responders, the members of this department utilize thier own time
servicing the children and families of their community. The raise money for the Illi-
nois Fire Safety Alliance "Burn Camp", collect money and food for the Lockport food
panty, cook for families at the Ronald McDonald House, and coach children's sports
teams within the community. We congratulate our 2014 Citizen(s) of the Year, Lock-
port Firefighters Union.
Legislator of the Year
IASSWs 2014 Legislator of the Year is Senator Julie
Morrison of Deerfield. She has a long history of working
in congress to advocate for children's welfare. She serves
on many Senate Committees including Human Services,
Education, and the Statewide Advisory Council to DCFS,
where she works to improve the lives of children and stu-
dents throughout the state. We congratulate our 2014
Legislator of the Year, Senator Julie Morrison.
Don’t forget to vote Nov. 4th!
ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION
OF SCHOOL SOCIAL
WORKERS
Be the change
you would like
to see in the
world.
-Mahatma
Ghandi
Illinois Association of School Social
Workers
Primary Business Address
PO Box 634
Algonquin, IL 60102-0634
Fax: (847) 658-8223
E-mail: [email protected]
Thanks
from Mike Langendorf!
I want to thank Lindsay Okray for her tireless work in collecting items for the PAC
auction. Thanks to her hard work and perseverance we were able to raise over
$1800.
THANK YOU LINDSAY!
Also many thanks to Tamara Butler, Donna Johnson, Elizabeth Cervantes, Sandie
Kopels, Carlos Evans, Carol Sebian and Victoria Rivera for their help at the auc-
tion. Of course thanks to membership for spending their money!
As far as candidates, the IASSW Board has a policy of not endorsing candidates.
We do encourage all our members to vote. The IASSW PAC did send some mone-
tary support to Governor Quinn, Sheila Simon, Kelly Cassidy, Sam Yingling, Mike
Smiddy and Moira Dunn.
We do recommend that you do some research on your local elections and listen
carefully to Governor Quinn's comments supporting public education versus Bruce
Rauner's desire to privatize.
Feel free to contact me or Phil Milsk with any questions about the election.
VOTE on or before November 4th!
Michael Langendorf
IASSW Legislative Chair - PAC Treasurer
Special Event :
Fun Run!!!