A conference dealing with the most pressing needs of professional school counselors will be held Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Airport Holiday Inn on Brooks Avenue. The daylong program of workshops, networking, and skill-building sessions will emphasize the critical leadership role that counselors play in schools.
Sponsored by the Warner Center for Professional Development and Education Reform in collaboration with partner organizations, this year's 12th annual gathering will address domestic violence in the families of students, sexual harassment in schools, more realities of the drug culture, and educational success for minorities heading to college, among other topics. Conference registration is $60, $50 for graduate students.
Susan H. Horwitz, assistant professor of psychiatry and family medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will present the morning address on counselors as agents for change in their schools. A former teacher and high school counselor, Horwitz researches issues of family violence, divorce and custody, grief and loss in families, and has worked as a consultant on building collaborations in schools and communities.
Between morning and afternoon workshops, participants will combine lunch with topics for networking. Throughout the day, area school counselors and counselor education faculty will lead sessions, facilitate discussions, and share best practices.
The counseling conference is presented by the Warner Center, an initiative of the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the University of Rochester. Other planning partners are the New York State School Counselor Association; Midwest Coordinated School Health Center; Upsilon Rho and Nu Chapters of Chi Sigma Iota; Department of Counselor Education at SUNY Brockport; Rochester City School District Counseling Department; and Counseling and Human Development Faculty of the Warner School.
The Warner Center for Professional Development and Education Reform supports the development, implementation, and research of innovative approaches to education reform. This work focuses on professional development and systemic reform and is undertaken in collaboration with other community partners. The Warner Center is currently working in the areas of literacy, early childhood, evaluation, mathematics, history, inclusion, counseling, and technology. The center works with K-12 schools, community agencies, institutions of higher education, and corporate foundations.
Registration deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 15. More information is available on the Web at www.rochester.edu/Warner or by calling the Warner Center at (585)275-8270.