2019 News Stories

Join us for a Panel Discussion on Promoting Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Well-Being in Schools

Students running down a hallway at school

The University of South Florida College of Education Presents: 

Promoting Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Well-Being in Schools: A Critical Conversation

Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: College of Education (EDU), TECO Hall 

Join experts in school mental health services, educator preparation, and educational policy for a panel discussion on the latest research surrounding physical and mental well-being and how schools can use this research to inform strategies for prevention, intervention, and care for students and educators.

This event is free and open to the public. For reasonable accommodations, please contact Yashira Cabrera at cabreray@usf.edu.

Meet the Panelists

Jose Castillo
Jose Castillo, PhD, NCSP

Jose Castillo is an associate professor of school psychology and the program director for the USF College of Education’s School Psychology Program. His research interests include evaluating multi-tiered system of supports implementation through a systems change lens, and professional and practice issues in school psychology. Prior to joining the University of South Florida, Dr. Castillo served as a program evaluator for the Florida Problem Solving/Response to Intervention Project and as a school
psychologist in the Pasco County School District.


Sarah Kiefer
Sarah Kiefer, PhD

Sarah Kiefer is an associate professor of educational psychology. Her research specializes in adolescent motivation and development and focuses on supporting the adolescent learner by examining the interplay between social and academic factors at school. As program coordinator for the College of Education’s doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Educational Psychology, Dr. Kiefer enjoys working with students in her Adolescent Motivation and Development Research Lab on topics related to adolescent motivation, peer relations, and the role of teachers in supporting adolescent learners.


Shannon Suldo
Shannon Suldo, PhD

Shannon Suldo, PhD, is a professor of school psychology and a Licensed Psychologist. Her research interests include positive psychology applied to youth, including children and adolescents’ subjective well-being, the social-emotional functioning of high school students participating in accelerated curricula such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, and the provision of evidence-based school mental health services in a multi-tiered framework.


Nathaniel von der Embse
Nathaniel P. von der Embse, PhD, NCSP

Nathaniel P. von der Embse, PhD, is an assistant professor of school psychology at the University of South Florida. Dr. von der Embse serves as an associate editor for the Journal of School Psychology, and his research interests include universal screening for behavioral and mental health, teacher stress and student test anxiety, and training educators in population-based mental health services. He received the Lightner Witmer Award for early career scholarship from Division 16 of the
American Psychological Association.

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