Programs and Schedule
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Edward Amend, Psy.D. After 24 years with the Des Moines Schools gifted/talented program, Arlene DeVries is now a private consultant in gifted education. She has served as president of SENG and is currently a member of the board of directors of the National Association for Gifted Children. She has facilitated more than 70 SENG Model guided discussion groups for parents and conducted SENG Model training workshops throughout the country. |
Pre-Conference Workshop A Establishing SENG Model Gifted Parent Groups These parent discussion groups effectively support parents in dealing with such issues as motivation, discipline, stress management, depression, communication of feelings, and peer and sibling relationships. This session demonstrates the structure, approach, and techniques facilitators use to lead these groups. Participants will have opportunities to participate in role-play groups, and learn how to establish parent support groups in their local community. |
| Steven I. Pfeiffer, Ph.D. Steven Pfeiffer, a member of the SENG Board of Directors, is a professor at Florida State University, where he serves as Director of Clinical Training. Prior to his tenure at Florida State, Dr. Pfeiffer was Executive Director of Duke University’s gifted program, TIP. Dr. Pfeiffer is lead author of a new scale to identify multiple types of giftedness, the Gifted Rating Scales. He is editor of Handbook for Serving the Gifted: A Psycho-educational Approach (NY: Kluwer/Plenum Publishers). Dr. Pfeiffer is a licensed psychologist who maintains a private practice. He was recipient of the Mensa Award for his work in emotional intelligence. He is a parent of three grown children and a grandchild. |
Pre-Conference Workshop B Looking Ahead: Hopes, Fears and Expectations for my Gifted Child Grown Up This interactive workshop explores parental views on their gifted child grown up. The workshop leader specifically explores with participants their hopes, fears and expectations for their gifted child as an adult. Parenting strategies to help actualize goals and avoid disappointments are examined. |
| Jerald Grobman, M.D. Dr. Grobman is a member of the SENG professional advisory board and is a board certified psychiatrist in private practice in New York City. He specializes in the psychodynamic and cognitive/behavioral psychotherapy of adolescents and adults. Currently he is a member of the attending staff of the Lenox Hill Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry where he is a senior supervisor in the psychology intern and externship training program. For a number of years he was the psychiatric consultant to the open heart surgical team at Lenox Hill Hospital. From 1975-1980 he was an associate clinical professor in the department of psychiatry of the Tufts University School of Medicine. While there, he was the director of the group psychotherapy training program and was a group therapy training instructor in the American Group Psychotherapy Association’s national training institute. He also developed a full service community based mental health center and was the psychiatric consultant to the guidance staff of a middle school. Dr. Grobman has published in the fields of community psychiatry,group psychotherapy and consultation/liaison psychiatry. His paper Underachievement in Exceptionally Gifted Adolescents and Young Adults: A Psychiatrist’s View was recently published in the Journal of Secondary Gifted Education Vol.17 #4 summer 2006. |
Pre-Conference Workshop C |
| Paul Beljan, Psy.D., ABPdN Paul Beljan earned his doctorate degree in clinical psychology at the Wright State University, School of Professional Psychology in 1994. He completed two Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Pediatric Psychology and Pediatric Neuropsychology. Dr. Beljan is a Diplomate and past president with the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology (ABPdN) and in private practice in Phoenix, AZ. |
Pre-Conference Workshop D The Problem of Bullying and Gifted Children: The Process of Bullying and Behavioral Approaches to Managing Behavior Bullying is a repeated and chronic pattern of hurtful behavior involving intent to maintain an imbalance of power. Bullying is something no child should have to endure. Parents and teachers are provided with ideas for how to deal with a bullying child and their parent, how to identify bullying and quell the behavior. Ideas are provided for children about how they can protect themselves from bullying and how to deal with a bully. Traditional forms of behavior management often set children up for failure. The presenter will teach a behavioral management approach that is based in the neuropsychology of affective processing and executive functioning. The intervention assists the child with maintaining cognitive control over sub-cortically produced affective stimulus. Behavioral intervention concepts specifically focused on include: Priming, Previewing, Pre-empting, Disengagement, and Re-engagement. Practical explanations for imposing structure, consistency, and routine also will be discussed. |
| Linda Collins, M.Ed Linda has been teaching gifted students for 7 years in the Blue Valley School District (Overland Park, KS) after teaching High School English for 12 years. She earned her M.Ed. from MidAmerica Nazarene University and completed her gifted certification and conducted graduate research in the field of Autism/Asperger's Syndrome at the University of Kansas. |
Pre-Conference Workshop E |
| Victoria S. Ragsdell, Ph.D. Victoria Ragsdell is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Louisville, Kentucky. She has 18 years of experience in cognitive behavioral therapy, brief solution-focused therapy and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Additionally, Dr. Ragsdell provides consulting and coaching to gifted individuals and their families. |
Pre-Conference Workshop F Practical Realities of Gifted Adulthood This session will address differences in dating, mating, work and satisfying lifestyles of the gifted adult. Managing multi-potentiality, emotional intensity, perfectionism and loneliness can be frustrating. Coaching yourself to a more positive, productive frame of mind while managing family life (and life in general) will be addressed through stories and humor. There will be plentiful opportunities to share your own stories as well! |
Keynote Speakers
SENG is thrilled to welcome these experts as anchors of our 2008 conference program!
| James Webb, Ph.D.
James T. Webb, Ph.D., ABPP-CL, has been recognized as one of the 25 most influential psychologists nationally on gifted education, and he consults with schools, programs and individuals about social and emotional needs of gifted and talented children. In 1981, Dr. Webb established SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted Children, Inc.), a national nonprofit organization that provides information, training, conferences and workshops, and he remains as Chair of SENG’s Professional Advisory Committee. A frequent keynote and workshop speaker at state and national conventions, Dr. Webb, a licensed and board-certified psychologist, has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, The Phil Donahue Show, CNN, and National Public Radio. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, he served for three years on its governing body, the Council of Representatives. Dr. Webb is a Fellow of the Society of Pediatric Psychology and the Society for Personality Assessment. In 1992, he received the Heiser Presidential Award for Advocacy by the American Psychological Association, and also the National Award for Excellence, Senior Investigator Division, from the Mensa Education and Research Foundation. He has served on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Gifted Children, and was President of the American Association for Gifted Children. Currently, Dr. Webb is President of Great Potential Press, Inc. Dr. Webb was President of the Ohio Psychological Association in 1974-1975, and a member of its Board of Trustees for seven years. He has been in private practice as well as in various consulting positions with clinics and hospitals. In 1978, Dr. Webb was one of the founders of the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, and from 1978-1995 he was a Professor and Associate Dean. Previously, Dr. Webb directed the Department of Psychology at the Children's Medical Center in Dayton and was Associate Clinical Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Wright State University School of Medicine. From 1970-1975, Dr. Webb was on the graduate faculty in psychology at Ohio University. Dr. Webb is the lead author of five books and several DVDs about gifted children, four of which have won “Best Book” awards.
Guiding the Gifted Child, which sold over 125,000 copies, has been translated into several languages, and it won the National Media Award of the American Psychological Association as the best book for "significantly contributing to the understanding of the unique, sensitive, emotional needs of exceptional children.” Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults has won three awards, as has A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children. Grandparents’ Guide to Gifted Children also has won two “Best Book” awards. Dr. Webb has written over 70 professional publications, fifteen books, three videos, and many research papers for psychology conventions or conferences regarding gifted and talented children. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Webb graduated from Rhodes College, and received his doctorate degree from the University of Alabama. Dr. Webb and his wife are parents of six daughters. |
Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted: A 25 Year Perspective
In 1981, the highly publicized suicide of Dallas Egbert, a17-year-old computer whiz kid, prompted the creation of SENG, now celebrating its 25th anniversary. SENG began as a small program at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and now is a dynamic non-profit organization with national outreach efforts that have changed the lives of many gifted children and their families. Key programs have included parent support groups, national conferences, workshops for educators, continuing education courses for psychologists, and a focus on issues of misdiagnosis and dual diagnoses of gifted children. The course of SENG’s development has not always been easy, and Dr. Webb will highlight the grins and groans in SENG from its infancy to its present dynamic organization. This perspective provides an optimistic basis for the future programs being planned by SENG. |
| Arlene DeVries, M.S.E.
After retiring as the Gifted/Talented Community Resource Consultant with the Des Moines, Iowa, Public Schools, Arlene DeVries is now a private consultant in gifted education. She enjoys speaking to parents and educators regarding the social-emotional needs of gifted children. She has served as president of SENG and is currently a member of the board of directors of the National Association for Gifted Children. Arlene has facilitated more than 70 SENG Model guided discussion groups for parents. |
Lessons Learned from SENG Parents This speaker will share insights about the joys and tribulations of parenting gifted children gleaned from twenty-five years facilitating SENG Model parent discussion groups. Just like their children, these parents have much in common, yet are so different from each other. What are the traits, the personalities, and the techniques that allow parents to successfully raise gifted children? Laugh and cry with me from these heart warming stories. |
| Del Siegle Ph.D.
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Getting to the Heart of the Matter: What I’ve Learned from Gifted Children One size does not fit all in the gifted and talented world. During his keynote, Dr. Siegle will discuss the importance of recognizing student strengths and the implications that doing so has on talent development. Del will share humorous lessons he learned while working with gifted and talented students in Montana. |
George Betts, Ed.D. George Betts has been a professor and director of the Center for the Education and Study of the Gifted, Talented, and Creative, as well as director of the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) since 1978. Dr. Betts is an internationally acclaimed speaker and consultant helping schools, districts, states, and national organizations implement and refine programs for the gifted and talented.
He has worked extensively in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan. He is currently serving his sixth three-year term on the executive board of the National Association for Gifted Children. Betts is a featured speaker at the annual International Conference on the Autonomous Learner Model.
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The Journey of Lifelong Learning One of the major goals in education today is the facilitation of students to become life-long learners. What skills, concepts, and attitudes are necessary for reaching this goal? This motivational keynote provides the basic understanding necessary for facilitating our children and youth to travel the path of life-long learning. |
Featured Speakers
Motivational speaker, entertainer, composer and author of The Zabbit and “Great Moment in Sports from the Point of View of the Ball” (ABC’s Monday Night Football), John Walkow adds a wonderful dimension to the final day of SENG Conference 2008. Using literature and music to teach character education, self-esteem, diversity and literacy values, Mr. Walkow shares how differences resulting from giftedness can bring great joy much like the Zabbit’s stripes in his acclaimed book. This is an opportunity to discover the magic that is within each of us… “ All of your dreams can someday come true. Just believe in the magic that’s inside of you.” |
Josh Waitzkin may still be best known as the international chess champion who inspired the book Searching for Bobby Fischer. At the age of 21, Waitzkin began his study of Tai Chi, ultimately winning two Tai Chi Push Hands World Championships. His road to the top of these diverse fields is the focus of his book, The Art of Learning. Since learning of SENG, Josh Waitzkin has become a strong supporter of the SENG mission, and we are so very pleased to announce that he will share a special Q & A dialogue with parents, educators, health professionals and gifted children during SENG’s 25th Anniversary Gala. All adult conference participants will receive The Art of Learning, courtesy of the JW Foundation. |
Jim Walkow, Author
Josh Waitzkin, International Chess Champion and AuthorChildren's Program
The Children's Program is for gifted children aged 7 – 14, with a parent or guardian attending the regular conference. Children must attend the program in its entirety.
The SENG Children's Program at this summer's conference will carry on the tradition of recent years, and will expand to offer new opportunities. The program will include a day of local excursion and a day and a half of exploring novel ideas and activities. In response to parents' requests, this year for the first time the children will attend sessions at the hotel just like their parents (but the children's sessions will surely be more fun and interactive!).
Friday afternoon and evening will delight children of all ages as they enjoy the sights and activities at the impressive Salt Lake City Olympic Village. On Saturday, the children remain at the hotel to indulge in sessions designed to engage all ages. On Sunday morning the children will be entertained by a local performing artist, and then join the adults for brunch and view the highlights of the weekend displayed in an iMovie presentation the children will help create.
Parents will pre-select sessions for their children by special email registration in early April.
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 Artwork by Jennifer Zhang inspired by the 2005 Children's Program in Albuquerque. |
Teen Program
The SENG Teen Program is for gifted teens aged 15–18, with a parent or guardian attending the regular conference. Teens must attend the program in its entirety.
This summer the SENG Teen program promises a unique experience specially crafted to meet needs and interests. The Teen Program will have an emphasis on social interaction and fun, on making contacts and establishing relationships with other gifted teens from across the country.
Continuing Education Credit Opportunities
SENG continuing education credit workshops are sponsored by the
American Psychological Association (http://www.apa.org/)
| Open to: Cost: Registration: Requirements: Details: |
All $30 per credit hour Online reservations highly recommended; walk-ins welcome as space permits Attendance SENG's CE courses are designed for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors and therapists and others with graduate-level training in mental health disciplines. They are not part of the regular SENG Conference, but take place concurrently. CE participants may also register for regular conference attendance at a discount of $25 off the regular conference rate. Online descriptions are now available. SENG is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. SENG maintains responsibility for this program and its content. |
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Scholarships
SENG is proud to offer The James T. Webb Scholarship for families for the 2008 25th Anniversary Conference. Please visit SENG Scholarships for guidelines and information.