Strategies for Managing Chronic Absenteeism and School Avoidance

Description of training

• • This workshop is designed to engage participants in thinking about the dynamic challenges clinicians, school staff, and surrogate caregivers face when addressing chronic absenteeism. The goal of this session is to provide context regarding the root causes of absenteeism and the necessity to approach this issue with a holistic lens to effectively minimize its impact. Participants will engage in discourse about how system level responses must meet identity work and mental health services to create individualized care plans to support those experiencing chronic absenteeism. Individuals will come out of the training with a larger toolkit to tailor interventions that more effectively mitigate the needs of their clients and students.

Objectives that answer, “After completing this training, participants will be able to:”

• • Define school avoidance and chronic absenteeism
  • Describe the barriers to attendance and reasons for avoidance
  • Identify ways schools, caregivers, and support teams can implement effective interventions