UPcoming Webinars

Building Your Shelf

August 28, 2024 @ 11:00-12:00PM UTC

Speaker: Dr. Annalice Hayes

Dr. Annalice Hayes has over a decade of experience as a middle school counselor and is a mom of two. With a particular interest in child protection and personal safety, Annalice is an active member of her school’s child protection committee and she weaves her work as a professional and as a parent to guide both her students and children in teaching them that “if it doesn’t feel quite right, you don't have to be polite”.

Annalice is a children’s book author on the topic of personal safety and has linked the themes of her story with the ISCA standards to allow counselors to use her book with students and families both in 1-1 and in class settings around the world. Annalice’s book, With This Note has recently won the Mom’s Choice Award of Excellence.

Cultivating Wellbeing and Resilience for School Counselors: Where Self Care and Collective Care Meet

September 4, 2024 @ 12:00-1:00PM UTC

As a School Counselor in an international setting, you're the emotional backbone of your community. But who takes care of you? Our upcoming webinar, a preview of our fall ISCA course, challenges the notion that self-care alone is enough.

In this webinar, we'll introduce you to the game-changing concept of collective care. We'll show you how your wellbeing is intricately tied to the health of your institution and community. Through interactive discussions and personal reflection, you'll:

• Evaluate your current personal and professional care practices and their effectiveness
• Learn how systemic support can amplify your individual efforts
• Discover strategies to foster a school-wide culture of care

By shifting from a solitary self-care mindset to a collective care approach, you'll not only prevent burnout, but also create a ripple effect of wellbeing throughout your school. Don't miss this opportunity to transform your approach to wellbeing. By attending, you'll get a sneak peek into our fall course, which will dive deeper into these crucial topics. Invest in yourself and your community—your students and colleagues will thank you.

Speakers:

Lindsay Kehl

Lindsay Kehl is an experienced licensed School Counselor who has dedicated over 12 years to supporting international educational communities across Romania, India, Zambia, Panama, and Japan. Recently repatriated to the United States, Lindsay has established an educational consultancy offering private college counseling, creating professional development experiences for School Counselors, providing short-term coverage, and collaborating with non-profits like Meto to revolutionize the college search process.

Additionally, she enjoys interviewing for InitialView, and coaching school tennis teams. Her favorite pastimes include playing pinochle with her friend Kirsten, where conversations often meander into their shared passion for health and wellness topics. In her downtime, Lindsay can be found reading Louise Erdrich books, savoring tranquil moments on the pontoon at her cabin in Northern Minnesota, or attempting to make healthy baked goods.

Kirsten Pontius

Kirsten Pontius is an International Wellbeing Consultant and holistic health coach with a multifaceted educational background spanning communications, a master's in administration, and specialized training in behavioral science from Yale's School of Public Health. Her expertise encompasses integrated nutrition, complemented by her role as a seasoned yoga instructor and practitioner of mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Kirsten's dedication lies in fostering wellness within international communities, collaborating with schools, embassies, and organizations to provide comprehensive support for workplace wellbeing and assisting expat communities. Through her business platform, www.kirstenpontius.com, she extends her reach globally, drawing from her vast experience living in diverse locales such as Japan, The Republic of Georgia, Cambodia, Romania, and her current residence in Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa. Beyond her professional endeavors, Kirsten finds joy in the timeless game of pinochle, especially when played with her friend Lindsay, as well as cherishing moments of forest bathing, lakeside serenity in Minnesota, and exploration through travel.

Introducing the ISCA Student Standards Learning Progression: Fostering Comprehensive Student Development

September 18, 2024 @ 9:00-10:00AM UTC

Speakers:

Brooke Fezler

Brooke Fezler, M.A. in Counseling, is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the International School Counselor Association (ISCA), drawing upon her extensive experience in international school counseling. Since 2005, she has worked in schools across five countries, making a significant impact on student success through effective coordination of school-wide initiatives and promotion of comprehensive counseling programs. Brooke is also an adjunct professor at Lehigh University, sharing her expertise with aspiring counselors. As a co-developer of the International Model for School Counseling Programs in 2011 and 2022, she has contributed to advancing the field. Her dedication to education and multifaceted involvement as a Co-Founder, Director, adjunct professor, and author make her an invaluable asset to ISCA and the international school counseling community.

Kristine Mizzone

Kristine Mizzone is the Learning and Development Coordinator for the International School Counselor Association (ISCA). She is also an educational consultant supporting schools in the areas of social emotional learning (SEL) and organizational leadership. She has served as both a teacher and school leader for nearly two decades in US public schools and private international schools. Most recently, Kristine served as the Director of Learning at Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona, Spain. Prior to that, she was the Curriculum and Professional Learning Coordinator at the International School of Beijing, China. She currently resides in Bangkok, Thailand.

 Back to Basics: How Understanding 'Likeness Can Help us do SEL, Mental Health, and Inclusive Practices Better

October 24, 2024 @ 3:00-4:00pm UTC

Speaker: Ruth E. VanReken

Ruth E. VanReken grew up globally and has worked for 40 years with issues related to growing up among many cultural worlds for those doing it, their parents, educators and others working with them. She co-founded Families in Global Transition (FIGT.org) in 1998 and co-authored Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, 3rd ed. She received an honorary Litt.D in 2019 for her life's work in this field.

  Moving from the Talk to the Walk: Designing for Equity

November 7, 2024 @ 1:00-2:00pm UTC

Register Now

Speaker: Jacinta Williams

Jacinta is a social justice and racial equity practitioner with over 20 years of experience in public, independent, and international education contexts. As a former teacher, instructional coach, a DEI leader consultant, she brings a wealth of context and experience with engaging individuals, teams, and schools in strategically addressing challenging and complex issues that inhibit schools from operationalizing equity and integrating equity into programming, systems, policies, and processes. She now has the honor to work with internatinoal schools and global companies who are serious about ensuring optimal conditions for all, especially students and adults on the margins, to thrive.

Online Safety: ICMEC Child Protection Workshop

December 4, 2024 @ 9:00-10:30am UTC

In August 2022, Debbie Downes joined The International Centre of Missing and Exploited Children as the Director of Global School Initiatives. In this role, she develops and provides child protection training, support, and resources to schools around the world. She has been supporting ICMEC’s work as a regional trainer since July 2020.

Debbie has worked in international education for 18 years, first as an elementary teacher, then as school principal, and then as Accreditation and Child Protection Lead for Quality Schools International. She developed and revised handbooks, policies, and resources to support child protection efforts at a group of 36 international schools. She also supported schools with on-site and virtual professional development.

Debbie’s background in child protection includes an MSW from the University of California at Berkeley and several years of experience working in the court unit of Children and Family Services in Contra Costa County, California. Debbie’s overseas career began with 3 years as a health education volunteer with the Peace Corps in Kolda, Senegal. She has since lived with her husband, 2 children, and 2 rescue dogs in Thailand, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Slovenia, Belarus, and her current location of Tbilisi, Georgia.

 Empowered Futures: Strengthening Your Students Mental Health through Clubs

January 22, 2024 @ 12:00-1:00pm UTC

Derick Elkin

Derick joined Erika’s Lighthouse in 2023. He is from Chicago, IL, and lived there until moving to Columbia, MO to attend the University of Missouri, better known as Mizzou. After earning degrees in History and Latin, Derick moved to China to teach English. He would eventually return to the United States, spending several years as an Educator in Texas before moving back to his hometown of Chicago, where he now resides. Passionate about youth mental health, Derick now works as the Empowerment Club Coordinator for Erika’s Lighthouse.

Past ISCA Webinars recordings for viewing

For ISCA Members, all webinars from August 2021 onwards can be watched on this page: 2021-23 ISCA Webinar Recordings.

Introducing ISCA's New Counselor Certification Programs

with Cheryl Brown and Brooke Fezler

July 23, 2024

Resources from the webinar

• Certificate Webinar.pdf
• Enrollment Form: ISCA Certificate Program
• List of Certificate Courses to Download
• ISCA Academy Certification and Specialization
• Academy Course Registration Page

Responsive Services with A Trauma Informed Lens

with Janice Holland

March 10, 2022

• You can access all the documents shared, including her presentation slides (as a pdf document) by clicking on this link to the Google drive folder.
• The webinar is free to view. Simply enter your information after clicking on the PLAY button 

Crisis in Ukraine: How can School Counselors Help

March 02, 2022

• Presentation Slides
• For updated resources visit this link. 
• Student Art Project Sponsored by PSI Kyiv
• The webinar is free to view. Simply enter your information after clicking on the PLAY button 

What are Counseling Consultation Circles? An Inside Peek

January 19, 2022

• Document:  Importance of Consultation for Counselors 
• Click here to learn more about the Linden Consultation Circles. Download the brochure and register to participate in the Spring 2022 session.
• The webinar is free to view. Simply enter your information after clicking on the PLAY button 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Webinars