Promising Practices for Addressing Youth Behavioral Health

 Massachusetts School Psychologist Association

Promising Practices for Child and Adolescent

Behavioral Health Assessment and Prevention Services

Randy W. Kamphaus, PhD, NCSP

Friday, May 9, 2025 @ Publick House in Sturbridge, MA

This workshop will provide an overview of the most promising, evidence-based practices for delivering child and adolescent behavioral health assessment and prevention services in schools. Topics will include assessment and diagnosis of internalizing and externalizing disorders and developmental disabilities. Issues of test standards, fairness, neurodiversity, subgroup norms, comorbidity, primary and secondary prevention, transdiagnostic intervention, and staffing of behavioral health services will be discussed. 

Objectives

As a result of this conference, participants will learn about:

1. Describing the internalizing and externalizing constructs, their scientific foundation, and their application for prevention and early intervention practice. 
2. Identifying the three domains of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing and their use in identifying assessment measures that meet standards for adoption. 
3. Differentiating criterion referenced, norm-referenced, and subgroup-norm referenced assessment.
4. Developing a framework for school-based behavioral health assessments and supports that aligns with best practice.
   

Presenter Bio 

Presenter: Professor Kamphaus is a Research Professor at the Ballmer Institute. He previously served as the senior advisor for external affairs and acting executive director for the Ballmer Institute, Dean of the colleges of education at the University of Oregon and at Georgia State University, and as a distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia, his alma mater.

Professor Kamphaus’ research program has been devoted to improving the measurement of psychological (e.g., mental health, adaptive behavior) and educational constructs (e.g., mathematics, intelligence), and advancing assessment practice. His research topics include improvement of construct definition and item content validity, assessment of structural validity (e.g., factor structure), identification and mitigation of measurement bias (e.g., assessment of item, factor, and scalar invariance across gender and racial/ethnic population subgroups), development of screening and short forms, cross-linguistic/cultural adaptations of measures (e.g., Spain, Korea, China), and use of measures for public health surveillance. His work in the area of assessment and diagnostic practice includes development of new methods and guidance for differential diagnosis and assessment of co-morbidities for cases of externalizing and internalizing disorders and developmental disabilities, and identification of typical patterns of behavioral and emotional adjustment of youth (e.g., person-centered analyses) and use of measures for primary and secondary prevention and public health surveillance to better address the behavioral and emotional needs of youth.  

He has authored or co-authored books, scientific journal articles, and book chapters on these topics, created psychological and educational tests, and holds one patent. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; now in its third edition, with Emeritus Professor Cecil Reynolds of Texas A & M University) is his best-known and most widely used test development effort. 

His current work employs universal screening measures in schools to identify children with early indications of behavioral and emotional risk, provide surveillance information for deploying social-emotional learning and secondary preventive interventions, and monitoring children’s behavioral health status. Professor Kamphaus’ research has been funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education and its Institute of Education Sciences. 

An elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), Professor Kamphaus is a licensed psychologist who has served in numerous professional leadership roles, including editor of School Psychology, member of the APA Council of Representatives and Board of Professional Affairs, and President of the Division of School Psychology..  

Accommodations & Other Information

The Location is handicap accessible and arrangements can be made to provide necessary accommodations.

A light breakfast and lunch is served. Please email any needed accommodations or dietary restrictions to mspawest@gmail.com at least one week PRIOR to the workshop.

Please contact Andy Koerner, WM Chapter Chairperson with any questions about registration or accommodations:  mspawest@gmail.com

Payment Information

Payment by credit card: Credit cards can be processed through the registration process on this event page.

Payment by personal check:  Complete the registration form, print invoice, and mail check (with invoice) made out to MSPA at least one week PRIOR to the event:

Payment by district-funded purchase order:  Complete registration, print or save invoice, share invoice with your district, and have district e/mail purchase order at least one week PRIOR to the event. 

MSPA

C/O Samantha Capozzoli, Treasurer

10 Breezy Green Road

Leicester, Massachusetts 01524

Please contact Samantha Capozzoli, Treasurer with any questions about Purchase Orders: 

 mspatreasury@gmail.com

Please note, MSPA charges a $75 cancellation fee for cancellations received less than seven days prior to the conference.

Continuing Education Policy

The Massachusetts School Psychologists Association is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to offer contact hours. The DESE requires the completion of a pre-test, which is to be completed prior to the workshop start time. A post-test is also required and will be given at the end of the workshop. Participants must attend the ENTIRE CONFERENCE/WORKSHOP and satisfy state regulations in order to receive contact hours. Each participant is responsible for knowing and meeting the DESE licensure requirements.

CE HOURS: The Massachusetts School Psychologists Association is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists to sponsor continuing education (CE) for psychologists. In keeping with NASP requirements, these are awarded in contact hours only. CE hours will be awarded at the close of the workshop.  MSPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Arriving more than 15 minutes late or failing to stay for the entire program will result in the inability to obtain a PD certificate. Certificates will only be distributed at the conclusion of the program to individuals who have arranged for payment.