Joshua Wayne, MA, has worked with students in just about every setting imaginable since 1996: drug and alcohol treatment, with at-risk foster youth, community mental health, private practice, and as a Director of Special Education at District of Columbia Public Schools.
A former struggling teen himself, Joshua deeply understands what they are going through. He inspires teens to courageously face the challenges in front of them, build their self-confidence, and look toward the future with a sense of possibility. He also teaches parents, teachers, and other caring adults how best to support them through the often rocky teenage years.
With students, he addresses topics such as mental health, risky behavior, and making healthy choices.
With educators, administrators, and paraprofessionals, he addresses topics such as maintaining strong relationships, helping them avoid risky behavior, and managing tech in a healthy, positive way.
Joshua holds a Master’s Degree in Counselor Education from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and is a Nationally Certified Counselor. He has been featured as a Life Coach on the Style Network and is the co-creator with Josh Shipp of the One Caring Adult online community.
SPEAKING TOPICS:
Using the inner struggles of superheroes as a conversation starter, Joshua discusses student mental health in a direct, powerful, and often humorous way your students will deeply relate to, which will challenge them and keep them talking about days to come.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understanding they are not alone and there are solutions to every problem.
- Knowing when, how, and who to ask for help.
- Practical tools to handle stress and strengthen mental wellbeing.
- Managing tech & social media in a healthy, positive way.
- When appropriate, a frank discussion about suicide and self-harm.
In 2014, suicide became the 2nd leading cause of death among adolescents. Not surprisingly, at the same time, there has been a dramatic increase in lethal drug use, often driven by the same despair.
Every week in America, 22 kids die of a drug overdose, the vast majority due to fentanyl poisoning. Meanwhile, insanely potent marijuana is more widely available than ever, and the marketing of highly addictive vaping products is targeted directly at them
Using a mixture of real-world data, impactful stories, and helpful decision-making strategies, Joshua will empower your students to make smart, informed decisions as they navigate these challenges.
Learning Outcomes:
- Straight talk about the risk factors they are facing.
- Understanding patterns of addiction, who they affect, and how.
- Practical strategies to make healthy, empowered decisions.
- Knowing how to protect their mental and physical health.
- Knowing when, how, and who to ask for help – for both themselves and others.
Helping Students Thrive: An Honest Conversation about Student Mental Health, Risky Behavior & Technology<span>For Educators & Staff</span>
As parents, teachers, and other caring adults in the lives of students, we all want the same thing: to see them happy, self-confident, and capable of thriving in the adult world. Using stories, practical advice, and wisdom gained from 20+ years in the field, Joshua will teach your parents & school community how to build powerful relationships with their kids that will be resilient even during the most challenging times.
Learning Outcomes:
- Recognizing When There’s a Problem
- Communication Tools to Get Them to both “Listen Up” and “Open up”
- Knowing How to Fight the Right Battles
- Helping Them Make Healthy Choices While Learning from Mistakes & Adversity
- Helpful Real-Time Q&A
On average, teens in the United States spend 7.5 hours per day in front of a screen. This amounts to 40% of their lives, and doesn’t even include time spent on school work! Research increasingly shows how this leads to increased anxiety and depression rates, mental health challenges, behavior problems, reduced social skills, and even obesity.
The problem isn’t technology, however; the problem is moderation and as the adults in their lives we have to help them set proper limits because most won’t do it for themselves. In this talk, Joshua provides practical tools for helping our kids benefit from all the good tech has to offer without getting derailed by the bad.
Learning Outcomes
- MENTAL HEALTH: Understanding the link between excessive device use and increased adolescent anxiety and depression rates.
- MODERATION: Learning practical tools to minimize excessive screen use.
- BEHAVIOR: Teaching them to use screens safely and appropriately.
- FAMILY HEALTH: Making sure we are setting the right example.
- BALANCE: How to keep them involved in healthy, non-digital activities.
