Couch to Classroom

Scott is a clinical psychologist at the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Institute of Living. He works with children, adolescents, and adults. His clinical interests include obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, panic disorder, and school refusal. Due to his expertise in the treatment of hoarding disorder, he has been a featured expert on A&E’s Hoarders. Dr. Hannan is involved in research related to school refusal; currently he is developing a measure to assess students at risk for school refusal and developing a parenting treatment for school refusal. In addition to his work at the Institute of Living, Dr. Hannan conducts trainings on topics related to cognitive behavioral therapy, anxiety, and school refusal.

Title: Rough SEAs Ahead: Addressing Sleep, Electronics, Activity and Accommodation in the Treatment of Anxiety and School Avoidance

Joe is a Special Education Teacher and Educational Coordinator for The Webb Schools. He works primarily with high school and middle school students through their Attendance and Credit Recovery Programs. In addition he organizes and directs their extended school year services for students, sits on Hartford Hospital’s Employees’ Council Executive Board, and was a member of the Zero Suicide Champions committee. As a result of his extensive experience working with school avoidant adolescents, Mr. Pedemonti was invited to present at the School Mental Health Conference in Boston offered by Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance, was the Keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Juvenile Review Board / LIST Conference, and speaks to school districts and agencies across the state of Connecticut on the topic of school avoidance and attendance and credit recovery.

Panelist: Couch to Classroom: Leveraging Student Interests into Successful School Outcomes

Elisabeth is a licensed clinical psychologist on staff at The Webb Schools at the Institute of Living. Her work includes consultation, psychotherapy, and psychological assessment with children and adolescents in elementary, middle, and high schools. She works in the GWS Attendance and Credit Recovery program where she has provided consultation and group interventions. She has given talks for various school districts, agencies and conferences on the topic of school avoidance. Dr. Scherpenisse is also a member of the supervisory faculty in the Psychology Department. In this role she supervises practicum students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows in their psychotherapy and assessment work and teaches psychological assessment and psychodynamic theory.

Title: Keeping them in the Classroom: Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation