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speaking &
community engagement

At University Park Counseling & Testing Center, PLLC, we value the opportunity to connect with others in our community to help serve, support, and educate others about a variety of topics related to mental health. Our counselors are experienced in training and educating counselors, students, parents, teachers, and other members of our community. Our experience ranges from large presentations at professional conferences to small, intimate gatherings within our local community, including schools, churches, and mom groups. Below, is a list of commonly presented topics. We are also happy to speak on other topics as requested. Please contact us to discuss any details and/or questions about scheduling a speaker presentation.

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Presentation Topics:

  • Child Development: What is Normal and When to Seek Help

  • Child Discipline: Fostering Connection to Enhance Compliance

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder: An In-Depth Understanding

  • Supporting Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Tools to Enhance Connection and Understanding

  • Helping Children & Adolescents Build Executive Functioning Skills

  • The Essence of Adolescence: Understanding and Connecting with Teens

  • Socially Connecting & Emotionally Regulated: Playful Strategies to Help Children Maintain Self-Control

  • Plugged In and Tuned Out: The Impact of Social Media in Today's Society

  • Self-Care for Anxiety Symptoms: How to Prepare and Be Proactive

  • Zoom Fatigue

  • Parenting During a Pandemic

  • Why Do They Act That Way? Understanding the Adolescent Brain

  • Shepherding a Child: Teenage Turbulence

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Training opportunities for professionals

Dr. Jenifer Balch and Twila Farrar have led a wide variety of trainings for counseling professionals and students and are working to create pre-recorded trainings to increase the ease and flexibility of access to education for mental health professionals. Please check back for more information, as this is currently a work in progress. In the meantime, please contact us if you are interested in attending a training or inviting us to speak at your event.

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Presentation Topics:

  • Autism-Specific Trainings​

    • Autism Spectrum Disorder: What is it and What is Your Role as a Counselor?

    • Counseling Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    • Counseling Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    • Supporting Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    • Counseling Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    • Supporting College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    • Child-Centered Play Therapy: Benefits and Adaptations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Child/Adolescent Trainings

    • Helping Children & Adolescents Build Executive Functioning Skills

    • Skill-Building: What is it, How to Implement it, and How to Recognize Progress

    • The Essence of Adolescence: Understanding and Connecting with Teens

    • Socially Connecting & Emotionally Regulated: Playful Strategies to Help Children Maintain Self-Control

    • Why Do They Act That Way? Understanding the Adolescent Brain

    • The Art of Working with Parents: Skillfully Engaging Parents in the Counseling Process

  • Engaging in Ethical Practices for Professional Counselors

  • Mindfulness and Meditation Skills for Treating Anxiety

  • Working with Divorced and Separated Parents: Ethical Implications and Best Practices

  • Professional Counselor Supervision and Consultation

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professional CONSULTATION & SUPERVISION

Consultation and supervision are an important part of continued counselor development. Dr. Jenifer Balch and Twila Farrar are both credentialed as Licensed Professional Counselor - Supervisors, Registered Play Therapist - Supervisors, and Certified Autism Specialists. They are available to provide professional consultation to help talk through challenges you might be experiencing in your work as a counselor in order to gain support and/or education in a variety of areas related to counseling. Possible topics may include but are not limited to the following: case consultation, Autism Spectrum Disorder, play therapy, parent consultations, treatment planning, psychoeducational assessments, and supervision. Consultation can be scheduled on a one-time, as-needed, or regular basis. 

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Dr. Balch and Twila provide supervision for play therapists working toward becoming a Registered Play Therapist. Additionally, Dr. Balch provides supervision for play therapists who are working toward becoming credentialed as a Certified Child-Centered Play Therapist and Certified Child-Parent Relationship Therapist.

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Interested in supervision or consultation? Contact us to schedule an appointment!

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