Educational Consulting Lauren Ashbaugh, Ph.D, NCSP, is a licensed clinical and school psychologist who consults with schools on the implementation of integrated mental health care and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), social-emotional learning (SEL), trauma-informed care, and restorative practices. She believes strongly in promotion of research-based practices and data-driven decision making.
Lauren enjoys collaborating with educators, and she is passionate about sustainable, evidence-based practices that promote resilience in students and staff. Lauren's clinical, school, and research experiences provided her in-depth knowledge of trauma, resilience, behavior, and evidence-based interventions. She is dedicated to expanding the capacity of schools to meet the social-emotional and mental health needs of students, which necessarily involves caring for staff and administrators. Lauren has provided professional development most extensively in the following areas:
ACEs, toxic stress, and the developing/brains and bodies of children
ACEs, compassion fatigue, and wellness practices for educators, staff, and administrators
Restorative Practices & Equitable Practices
Tier II interventions (eg., Check-in, Check-Out, CBT Groups for Anxiety & Depression, Executive Functioning Coaching)
Tier III interventions (eg., Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for trauma in Schools/CBITS, MATCH, FBAs, CBT)
Effective integration of mental health services in schools
Application of evidence-based mental health intervention to schools (eg., CBITS, CBT, DBT)
Suicide prevention, intervention, and response in educational settings
School-based risk assessment & response
Please contact Lauren if you would like to discuss training that is tailored to your building, workplace, or district.
Recent Relevant Experience Lauren served as the Advanced Tiers consultant for University of Washington, Tacoma in 2016-2017. She provided professional development on the Whole Child Initiative intervention framework and trauma, and brought an Interconnected Systems Framework perspective (mental health + SEL + PBIS + Restorative Practices + Trauma-Sensitive) to the development of the Advanced Tiers system. She led district-level Advanced Tiers meetings, consulted with stakeholders on how to best advance the TWCI initiative, and represented UWT to community leaders and collaborators. In 2017-2018, Lauren led TPS school staff in a three-part Train-the-Trainer series on ACEs, toxic, stress, and resilience.
Current Projects Currently, Lauren is involved with several joint and independent projects. Lauren is facilitating the implementation of evidence-based mental health groups and individual work with Tacoma Public Schools. This large, two-year grant project involves teaching participating support staff Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques and group models, aligning practices with our community mental health care providers, and initiating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Trauma in Schools/Bounce Back groups with the help of our member CMH providers.
Lauren formerly collaborated with the Continua Consulting Group, a Seattle-based team of consultants and experts who support school districts and their communities. Her past projects with Continua involved keynote speeches and helping Everett Public Schools improve utilization of evidence-based interventions for attendance in K-2 families who are experiencing homelessness.
Finally, Lauren worked with Auburn Riverside High School to develop a sustainable, effective model of staff self-care and support. Research has demonstrated clearly that educators care deeply about their students and their work, and they are often impacted by secondary trauma and/or compassion fatigue. ARHS pioneered a new approach to fostering resilience in their staff for the betterment of their school community and their students.