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Lisa Stringer, Director of The Skill Center & Nina Ghiselli, PsyD
Web Briefing ~ Community Colleges in California: The New GI Bill and Preparing for Returning Vets ~ October 16, 2008 ~ 11:30am-1:00pm ~ 1.5 Hrs Supporting Wounded Warriors in Higher Education: The Role of Mental Health Professionals ~ San Francisco ~ 6 Hrs Friday, November 14, 2008 ~ 9:00am-4:00pm Lisa Stringer, is the director of the Skills Center, an adult school within Episcopal Community Services. The School works with homeless and low-income adults facing multiple disabilities, including high incidents of PTSD, TBI and other learning challenges. Lisa has lead her team of teachers and counselors in responding to these needs for the past ten years - expanding services to include specialized educational approaches that enhance student success after traumatic events. As a disproportionately large number of San Francisco’s homeless population are veterans, Ms. Stringer has extensive experience partnering with vets to enter college and civilian work. Lisa’s past employment includes counseling and teaching in prisons, homeless shelters and domestic violence programs. This work has lead her to be a much sought after trainer and consultant on the topics of trauma, learning disabilities and meeting the needs of students with mental health challenges. She has taught classes on these topics for clients such as the Human Services Agency of San Francisco, UC Berkeley Extension and the California Department of Education. Ms. Stringer's achievements have resulted in her recognition as Young Non-Profit Professional of the Year by Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco in 2006, and she was recently presented with a peer nominated leadership award for her education work in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Nina Ghiselli Web Briefing: Lead by Lisa Stringer, this Briefing will describe efforts already underway among Community Colleges in California to prepare for significant number of Iraq/Afghanistan veterans returning to school. The transition will not be easy, and special supports will be required. How can mental health professionals in the community assist in this process? Based on her extensive experience working in educational skills development with homeless, veterans and immigrant populations, Ms Stringer will outline specific roles which clinicians can play in supporting the process of returning to higher education. Supporting Wounded Warriors in Higher Education: Thousands of returning veterans are expected to utilize educational benefits under the new GI Bill, and many of them will matriculate at community colleges, four year schools and graduate school. This workshop focuses on the role of mental health professionals in helping students adapt to disabilities in their transition to higher education. A panel of three experts will explore these issues from the perspective of physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities and their influence on performance in an educational setting. -- A Rehabilitation Specialist working directly with patients in VA facilities; -- A Disabilities Specialist working directly with staff and faculty in higher education to increase awareness and provide special support; and -- An Educator working directly with homeless veterans in educational skills development. |
