Behavior Modification Expert

Behavior modification is a complex term that has different meanings for different professionals. For some, it refers to techniques that are coercive or intended to create pain. We teach safe, noninvasive, and non-harmful behavior management skills for crisis prevention and intervention. Our training is entrenched in helping you positively interact with and support the individuals in your care. As such, if you’re looking for safe strategies that won't cause harm and that will effectively prevent and stop difficult behavior, we can help you center your care on positive techniques that ensure safety for yourself, your staff, and the individuals you support.

Generational Trauma and Generational Poverty are all too common in American schools. What's rare, is an opportunity for educators to sit an absorb first-hand from a former at-risk student who dropped out of high school, endured a mother abusing drugs, absent father and learning disability. In this engaging session participants will unlearn perceived fallacies about students dealing with trauma from impoverished communities. A school reflects society. Within a school's walls are especially vulnerable students, such as those with histories of neglect, trauma, or violence. Schools are well positioned to help these traumatized students. Although some might argue that teachers should focus solely on academics, the reality is that teachers can't teach effectively if their students are not able to focus on learning. Students cannot learn effectively when they are burdened by the effects of trauma and poverty.  Craig's trademark slogan, GED to PHD is a concrete paradigm that educators should never give up on any student.

Objective: 

I. The focus of our professional developments is to reach reluctant and/or struggling staff member(s) and provide a basis for their interactions with all constituents who are proponents for a culture rich learning environment. 

II. The focus of our presentations is to learn creative ways to remove emotional barriers for student achievement. Increase emotional Intelligence and awareness. Gain tools to help students process and cope with emotional trauma and develop creative ways to build relationships and trust with students. Participants attending our workshops will be able to return to their schools/districts, review their school improvement plans with their leadership teams and begin to refine existing practices in teaching and reaching high risk youth. 

III. Educators must educate themselves about “cultural poverty.” Educators should help students & colleagues “unlearn” misperceptions about poverty. Educators should continue reaching out to low-income parents even when they appear unresponsive “(and without assuming, if they are unresponsive, that we know why).” “Stand up and respond” when your colleagues stereotype poor students and/or parents. “Fight” to keep low-income students from being assigned unjustly to special education or low academic tracks. Make your curriculum “relevant” to poor students. Most important, “consider how our own cultural biases affect our interactions” with and expectations of our students. 

One thing more important than what you teach is who you teach. Knowing and understanding your students emotionally yields tremendous relational dividends. This session will explore the causes generational trauma on students learning and behaviors. The presenter is a former at-risk student who dropped out of high school, endured a mother abusing drugs, absent father and learning disability. Participants will also explore strategies to mitigate the traumatic impact of adverse childhood events for students of color. 50% of any interaction with a student is you. Creating a Trauma-Sensitive School is about creating a culture that prioritizes safety, trust, choice, and collaboration. Within a trauma-sensitive school, everyone (e.g., teachers, administrators, support staff, paraprofessionals, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, etc.) learns about the prevalence and impact of trauma in the lives of children and families. This awareness motivates and guides the examination and transformation of the school environment, policy/practice, educational strategies, staff training, and family involvement, etc. to ensure that children impacted by trauma can learn and be successful. Craig’s trademark slogan, “GED to PHD,” is a concrete paradigm that educators should never give up on any student.

Objective: 

The objective of this session is to present current understanding of how people’s minds, brains, bodies and social organizations respond to traumatic experiences. We will also explore how different populations, ethnic groups and cultures may deal differently with traumatic experiences, and address how the legacy of trauma, systematic discrimination, isolation, blame, and social inequality can have profound effects on the capacity to cope and recover from trauma. The study of trauma has probably been the single most fertile area in helping to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship among the emotional, cognitive, social and biological forces that shape human development. 

In an equitable classroom environment, students of all backgrounds (e.g., race, nationality, gender) have the same opportunities to learn and develop their knowledge. To create an equitable learning environment, educators must be culturally competent and possess the ability to communicate and work effectively across cultural lines. This session offers an integrated and customized approach to evaluating educational equity. The issue of educational equity and cultural responsiveness is unique to each K-12 organization, and our team will recommend a tailored approach best suited for your school district. 

Objective: 

I. Trauma-informed education isn't about fixing kids: Our kids are not broken, but our systems are. Operating in a trauma-informed way does not fix children; it is aimed at fixing broken and unjust systems and structures that alienate and discard students who are marginalized. 

II. As educators explore the complexities of being trauma-informed, we need to remember that trauma-informed work is a journey and not a destination. It doesn’t mean that teachers need to do the work of professional therapists. Our part in helping students with trauma is focusing on relationships, just as we do with all of our students. The strong, stable, and nurturing relationships that we build with our students and families can serve as a conduit for healing and increasing resilience. 

III. Becoming trauma-informed in our daily practice is truly a process of learning and adjustment, but it is a worthwhile process. As educators we should Recognize the signs of trauma, provide consistency and structure, utilize social-emotional learning, use restorative practices over zero-tolerance policies, and Implement a trauma-informed pedagogy

This session explores the impact of trauma in the juvenile justice system, focusing on identifying trauma patterns in young offenders and the challenges in supporting them. We will examine key indicators of trauma and discuss obstacles faced when addressing these issues within the current system, as well as innovative strategies and interventions designed to better support traumatized youth in the justice system.

How will you connect and engage the audience? Please be very specific. What instructional strategies and/or activities will you use? 

The way I engage my session participants is by setting expectations at the start. I refer to participants by name throughout which helps to establish rapport and makes people pay attention. I create a welcoming and friendly atmosphere that encourages participation and involvement from the start. My sessions are participant-centered. I understand that I’m helping participants discover information for themselves. This is not about me providing content and facts. My sessions are a ‘guide-on-the-side’ rather than the ‘sage-on-the-stage’. I have a myriad of inspiring stories. I ask engaging open-ended questions. I have powerful short videos to drive home my point. I often use repetition. Repetition is an important literary device because it allows a speaker to place emphasis on things they choose as significant. It tells the audience that the words being used are central enough to be repeated, and lets them know when to pay special attention to the language. I use shock and awe. The unexpected always draws attention. Humor is an important part of all my presentations. I constantly make eye contact. When people talk, I listen. My testimony of GED to PhD is a large part of my presentations. Most important to me is to be human. Always looks for ways to reveal you are a real, authentic person. This may mean revealing some of your quirks. Or it may mean providing ways for people to see that you have a life outside the fish tank. When I discover a new author, one of the first things I do is see if they are active on Twitter or provide regular blog posts. And more than that, I check to see if their tweets and posts are human and authentic – not robotic or delegated.