Student Assistance Center (SAC)

Training Opportunities

The resources on this page can be used to enhance your work as a Student Assistance Program. If you need help with these resources or are looking for resources not available on this page please contact Dale Gasparovic, SAC Administrator at dale.gasparovic@prevention.org or 217-299-8803.

Join the SAC Groupsite!

Click to view or download documents.

Levels of Development Guide Assessment Tool

Case Flow for SAP Referrals

Student Assistance Action Plan Checklist

Student Assistance Program Levels of Development Guide

Student Assistance Self Referral

Motivational Exploration

Student Assistance Core Team Responsibilities and Roles

Student Assistance Progress Monitoring Chart

Student Assistance Team Assessment Tool

Need Fulfillment Key Stakeholder Interviews

Student Assistance Monitoring Form A

Student Assistance Monitoring Form B

Student Assistance Progress Monitoring Form C

Student Assistance Team Functional Analysis

SAP Awareness Planning

Student Concern Prioritization

Student Assistance Symposium March 21, 2014: Presentations and Resources

Click to view or download documents.

Childhood Trauma, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse: What We Do Makes a Difference

Childhood Trauma presentation by Natasha Harmon, MS

Depression and Suicide Prevention

Suicides by County (1999-2008)

Suicide Rate per 100,000 (2004-2008)

SAP and the 5 Essentials

Suicide Prevention Toolkit

Youth and Young Adult Suicide Attempts by County

Year-End Report Form

Click to view or download documents.

Illinois Student Assistance Program data from 1999-2013

This information was prepared by the Student Assistance Center at Prevention First and collected by the Illinois Association of Student Assistance Professionals and the Student Assistance Center at Prevention First.

Primary Reasons for Referral

This document describes the top five reasons a student is referred to a Student Assistance program. The order of the top five might surprise you.

Intervention Plans for Indicated Student Assistance

In this document you will find data from the Illinois Association of Student Assistance Professionals/Student Assistance Center Year-end Reports in regards to interventions and the prevalence of use of specific interventions within Student Assistance action plans from the 2003/04 to 2010/11 school year.

Academic and Behavioral Outcomes with Student Assistance Programs

This document illustrates that positive student outcomes are evident for students who participate in the Student Assistance Program. Students who participate in a SAP are expected to attend school, behave and progress academically.

System Improvement

This document highlights parts of educational process and management systems data. This data is reported as system change data by Student Assistance teams and coordinators, and represents several of the perceived system level outcomes resulting from Student Assistance Program activities.

Retrospective Analysis of the PA Student Assistance Program Outcome Data

This document highlights parts of educational process and management systems data. This data is reported as system change data by Student Assistance Teams and coordinators, and represents several of the perceived system level outcomes resulting from Student Assistance Program Activities.

Archived Webinars

Supporting Students: LGBTQ Youth

In this webinar, participants will learn about LGBTQ youth and their unique vulnerabilities and needs.

Supporting Students: Screening Tools

In this webinar, participants will learn about screening tools that can be used to identify students who may be struggling with mental health or other behavioral health issues that could impede their ability to be successful in school or life.

Resource Mapping for Student Assistance Interventions

In this webinar, Participants will learn the importance of identifying internal and external resources for interventions and how to use a Resource Map to keep an updated list of possible interventions for the students with which they work.

Anxiety and School Refusal

Learn about anxiety and how it can lead to school refusal as well as gain knowledge of how to support students in dealing with the challenge of their anxiety symptoms.

Recognizing PTSD and Grief in the K-8 Setting

If children are old enough to love, they are old enough to grieve. Many times in our society children are the forgotten grievers. Recognizing the signs that a student is grieving and how to best support them will be a focus of this webinar. In the past ten years, there has been increasing recognition that children who have been exposed to traumatic events can, like trauma exposed adults, develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). School personnel, therefore, need to be able to recognize post-traumatic stress reactions in children.

Watch Webinar Download PDF

Designing Interventions for Your Student Assistance Program

One of our most requested mini-trainings has been modified for a webinar!! Participants will be able to:

Create and use an intervention continuum for cases in the action planning process.
List at least five intervention strategies that can be applied to multiple SAP cases.

Parent Prom: One Team's Efforts to Make Prom a Safer Season

Lockport Township High School describes their efforts to impact the negative consequences of Prom season through a Prom extravaganza.

SAP and the Illinois 5 Essentials

Learn how Student Assistance Supports the development of the Illinois 5 Essentials in schools.

These documents go with this webinar (click to download or view document):

Mental Health in the K-8 Setting

Over the past decade, we have seen a disturbing increase in the identification of a variety of mental health issues in our elementary and, in particular, our middle school settings. This webinar will look at the range of mental health issues you might encounter working in a K-8 school, including depression, anxiety and school refusal, self-injury, eating disorders, substance use, and others. We will focus on the identification of these issues in the school setting.

Watch Webinar Download PDF

Using Educational Support Groups for Student with an Incarcerated Parent

Join the Student Assistance Center in learning from Judy Cunningham from Lincoln Middle School in Rockford about the work she has been doing with an educational support group for students with incarcerated parents. Judy will discuss the logistics and the implementation that she uses to support these young people through their unique challenges.

Practicing Early Intervention Through the Art of Listening

Chaz Franke from Chestnut Health Systems discusses the importance of listening in the work of intervention with young people.

Supporting Students: Marijuana

Learn more about Marijuana use and how to support Students who may be experiencing diffulties as a result of their use of the drug.

Supporting Military-Connected Students

Learn from the Illinois National Guard about the struggles and strengths of Military Connected Youth and available resources for assisting students who are military connected.

Supporting Students Who Self-Harm

In this webinar learn about self-injurious behavior. Learn signs and symptoms as well as how to appropriately respond and support a student who is displaying self-harming behavior.

Supporting Students: Positive Youth Development

Supporting Students: Gangs

Supporting Students: SAP and Technology

Supporting Students: Adolescent Medication Management Webinar

Supporting Students: SAP Success Panel Webinar

Supporting Students: Sexual Pressures Webinar

Depression and Suicide Webinar

Attendees will learn about signs and symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation. Ideas will be shared on ways to intervene and support students dealing with depressive symptoms, as well as, ways to provide connections to appropriate school and community resources.

Supporting Students: Multicultural Sensitivity

Supporting Students: Ethical Considerations Confidentiality and FERPA

Supporting Students: Eating Disorders

Supporting Students: Identifying Substance Use Disorders

Supporting Students: Trauma Informed Practices

General Resources

SAP Implementation Guide

Seeing Trauma Through the Lens of Effective Student Assistance Strategies

Adolescents and Substance Use: A Constant Crisis for the Student Assistance Professional

Gang Assist - A Guide for Schools

Learn about gang-involved youth and the impact of gang activity on the school. This guide will help you to identify and intervene in gang-related issues within your communities and buildings.

SAC Administrative Guide

This guide will help School Administrators understand the importance of Student Assistance for their schools and the students they serve and provides insight on the important role they play in supporting the success of Student Assistance in their buildings.

SAP and the Seven School Turnaround Principles

Learn how student assistance impacts the seven school turnaround principles through a three-tiered intervention system.

Safe, Supportive, and Successful Schools - Step by Step

A useful guide for including your SAP(Student Support Team in the guide) in a Safe, Supportive and Successful School.

Our Truancy Project with Monroe/Randolph ROE

Our presentation at the ICEARY Conference about our collaborative work with Monroe/Randolph ROE. How SAP fits in the work of preventing truancy.

Download PowerPoint Download PDF

Serious Mental Health Challenges Among Older Adolescents and Young Adults

2014 report from SAMHSA on the mental health and substance use challenges for older teens and young adults.

Guide on the Principles of Treating Teen Substance Abuse

This guide includes:

Thirteen principles to consider in treating adolescent substance use disorders
Frequently asked questions about adolescent drug use
Settings in which adolescent drug abuse treatment most often occurs
Evidence-based approaches to treating adolescent substance use disorders
The role of the family and medical professionals in identifying teen substance use and supporting treatment and recovery

Model District School Policy on Suicide Prevention

Model commentary, language, and resources from The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The American School Counselor Association, The National Association of School Psychologists, and The Trevor Project.

Student Assistance: A Key Characteristic of Your Social-Emotional Learning Strategy

See how SAP impacts Social-Emotional Learning in Illinois.

Getting Started with Student Assistance Programs

Read about the seven steps toward SAP implementation in your school.

Student Assistance: An Effective Student Support Team Model

Student Support Teams have been utilized in schools for many years. SAP is an effective low cost way to implement student support within schools to effect change in student outcomes.

5Essentials and Student Assistance

Information and data that helps connect the work of Student Assistance with the Illinois 5Essential Supports.

Student Assistance Guidebook

This Student Assistance Program Guidebook identifies processes, strategies, tools, websites and other resources for Student Assistance Program service providers.

Helping and Stages of Change

This resource is a guide to Prochaska and DiClemente’s Stages of Change Model and can be useful in influencing the types of interventions that will be useful in working with students.

Solution-based SAP

A guide for integrating solution-focused services within your SAP.

Student Assistance Forms

Sample forms that can be adapted and used by SAP teams for data collection and action planning with indicated students.

Monitoring Tool Instructions

Instruction for the Excel Monitoring Tool below.

Monitoring Tool

An Excel spreadsheet that can be used to monitor progress of students with which the SAP is working.

Safe and Sound IL Edition

A guide to Social-Emotional Learning programs.

Social-Emotional Tools

A guide to Social-Emotional Learning assessments.

School-based Mental Health

A guide for implementing school-based mental health services.

School Materials for a Mental Health Friendly Classroom

A packaged continuing education program for secondary school teachers and staff that focuses on mental health issues in the classroom.

School Board Policy

The following information is offered as an aid in taking steps to address the policy and procedure needs of schools in considering the health and welfare of students and staff.

Staff Development

A guide to help SAP teams conduct Staff Development activities.

School Resource Map

A tool to assist SAP teams in identifying existing school and community resources that can be brought to bear for the needs of students within their schools.

Problem Map

A tool to assist SAP teams to conceptualize the needs of a student with whom they work.

Action Map

A tool to assist SAP teams to develop goals and action plans to address the needs of a student with whom they are working.

Substance Abuse and Sexual Minority Health

A tool created by the Illinois Department of Public Health to raise awareness about the additional support LGBT youth may need.

Student Assistance Programs: School Success in the Midst of Mental Illness

Learn about common mental health challenges and the impact of these on education and strategies for helping students.

Newly Trained Team Resources

What is SAP?

A brief description of SAP.

Help Is Down The Hall

A guide to the SAP process and the framework of SAP.

Sample Mission Statements for SAP

A sample of mission statements for use in developing a mission statement for a school’s SAP team.

SAP Brochure Template

A template to guide the development of a brochure for the use of the SAP team in marketing the SAP to parents, staff, and students.

SAP Levels of Development Workbook

A guide for newly trained teams to assess their level of development and identify areas of need for continuing work in developing their SAP into an effective and efficient program to assist students.

SAP Mission and Practices Samples

This is a sample of mission statements, practices and guidelines document for SAPs. It is the responsibility of all SAPs to consult with their building administrators about the content of any guidelines document that covers practices and procedures with students.

SAP Staff In-service Agenda

An agenda to guide a Staff In-service to explain to staff the purpose and processes of a schools SAP. This resource should be used with the powerpoint presentation below.

SAP Staff In-service Powerpoint Template

A powerpoint presentation template to be used to explain the purpose and processes of your SAP.

Standards for Student Assistance Programs

A list of the 23 best practices standards for SAP.

Student Assistance Practices

Ethical Guidelines and Standards of Practice from the National Student Assistance Association.

Resources for SAP Sustainability

Navigating the Course: a Student Assistance Program Sustainability Guidebook

Problem-Solving Team Best Practices Protocol

An exhaustive resource of best practices for problem-solving teams in guiding their work in screening and assessment, developing and implementing interventions, and monitoring and adapting interventions.

Best Practices Standards for Student Assistance

A brief guide to assessing implementation of the 23 best practice standards for SAP.

Student Assistance Program Best Practices Formative Assessment Tool

An intensive guide and tool to assess and plan for the implementation of the 23 best practices standards for SAP.

Administrative Support

Educational Support Group Facilitator Responsibilities

Effective Problem Solving and Action Planning

Responsibilities of the Case Manager/Facilitator

Formative Evaluation

Focus on Helping a Student See Success

Impact Evaluation

Planning and Conducting the Student Interview

Program Procedures to Consider in Early Implementation

Rationale for Doing Educational Support Groups

SAP Team Effectiveness

SAP Team Leadership

SAP Team Maintenance and Program Improvement

Staff Development

Summative Program Evaluation

Types of Educational Support Groups

SAP Team Meeting Agendas

Improving Progress Monitoring