Melissa Reeves is a speaker working with Kirkland Productions through Safe & Sound Schools.

About

Dr. Melissa Reeves, Ph.D., NCSP, LPC is a nationally certified school psychologist, licensed special education teacher, licensed professional counselor, and former district coordinator of social/emotional behavioral services. She is past president of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP; 2016-2017), most recently was an Associate Professor at Winthrop University, and previously worked for the Cherry Creek School District in Colorado. She has over 20 years' experience working in public schools and a private school, in addition to providing mental health services in day and residential treatment settings. She is a threat assessment & mental health specialist and senior advisor for Safe and Sound Schools​.

Dr. Reeves is a senior consultant with Sigma Threat Management Associates, an ONTIC company, and lead author of the South Carolina Department of Education School-Based Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Best Practice Guideline. She is co-author of the NASP PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention curriculum and former Chair (and current member) of the NASP School Safety and Crisis Response Committee. As NASP President, she appointed the NASP Social Justice Task Force. She also served on her university's Critical Incident Management Team and the College of Arts and Science COVID-19 Recovery committee. 

Dr. Reeves travels both nationally and internationally training professionals in the areas of school crisis prevention through recovery, threat and suicide assessment, the impact of trauma on academic achievement, and works with schools on establishing a positive and safe school climate. She has conducted more than 300 workshops and presentations and has also provided consultation and staff development to professionals in the United States Department of Defense Educational Activity Schools located on various military installations. 

Dr. Reeves has authored six books and multiple publications and has also served as an expert witness in court cases involving targeted school attacks and threat and suicide risk assessments. 

Melissa's Available Books
Click here for a full list of Melissa’s program options.

popular programs

Addressing Mental Health Needs in the Schools
This workshop discusses the impact of mental health on academic achievement and social-emotional functioning. Participants will learn the developmental indicators of mental health challenges and identify the barriers that schools face in addressing mental health needs. Strategies to implement proactive and universal approaches to addressing mental health needs and interventions to promote skill building will be discussed. In addition, how schools can provide intensive supports and utilize community services to supplement school-based services and programs will be reviewed.
School-Based Crisis Prevention and Intervention
This advanced-level workshop will assist you in enhancing the crisis procedures already in place in your school district. Specifically, learn cutting-edge tips on conducting crisis exercises and drills in the school setting. In addition, strategies for using social media, dealing with the press, and planning memorials will be offered. The legal ramifications of crisis response and the spiritual dimensions in the aftermath of a crisis also will be highlighted.
Next Steps in Crisis Management Planning for Schools: Ensuring Seamless Recovery and Reunification Procedures 
3 - 6 hours

This workshop will examine best practices and current reunification models to prepare schools for successful reunification planning and preparation. It will begin with an overview of reunification within the context of comprehensive safety planning and then specific planning considerations, details, and lessons learned based upon real life school crisis events will be covered. Participants will be provided with specific planning forms and tools to help facilitate the development and execution of an effective reunification protocol.
Psychological Safety: How Can We Help? – The M-PHAT Approach
3 hours Lecture or Round Tables for Group Interaction

The M-PHAT approach involves a Multi-Phase, Multi-Hazards, Multi-Agency, and a Multi-Tiered approach to establishing a comprehensive plan for a safe schools environment that aligns with current response to intervention and positive behavior supports initiatives. This session focuses on development of school and district safety and crisis teams and plans; understanding the different components to a comprehensive school safety plan vs. a crisis plan; conducting psychological and physical safety assessments, and establishing a data collection system to enable data-driven decisions.

This program is effective for very small or large groups of 100+. The ideal audience is administrators, school mental health professionals, safety and security, SRO's, and anyone else serving on a school safety/crisis team and involved in comprehensive safety prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery activities.
Threat and Suicide Risk Assessment: Developing a Proactive and Consistent Approach to Evaluating Risk
This workshop will focus on the process and procedures needed to establish a consistent school/district-wide approach to threat and suicide risk assessment utilizing a multidisciplinary team. Critical factors discussed will include: current statistics and legal cases, early identification of warning signs, primary prevention strategies to “break the code of silence”; an overview of risk assessment models and tools; assessment procedures; and strategies for interventions, postventions, and working with difficult parents. Case study examples and forms will be shared to illustrate the process.

​This program can be presented from 3.5 hours to a full day. Full day is optimal and is required to integrated case studies.
PREPaRE Workshop #1 -  Comprehensive School Safety planning: Prevention through recovery (3RD Edition)
One Day (6.5 hour) Workshop

In this newly updated workshop, participants will learn how to establish and sustain comprehensive school safety and crisis prevention and preparedness efforts. With updated research and strategies, this workshop makes a clearer connection between ongoing school safety and crisis preparedness. It also emphasizes the unique needs and functions of school teams and the steps involved in developing these teams, including a model that integrates school personnel and community provider roles. The PREPaRE model builds on existing personnel, resources and programs, and can be adapted to individual school needs and size. Finally, the workshop explores how to prepare for school crises by developing, exercising, and evaluating safety and crisis plans. This workshop is an excellent course for mental health and educational professionals working at all grade levels in your district that help establish a safe school
climate and respond to crises.

NOTE: The maximum number of participants is 100. There are additional fees of $45 per participant for materials that will be ordered directly from NASP. All materials are electronic, so there are no shipping fees.
PREPaRE Workshop #2 - MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS INTERVENTIONS: Responding to an Acute Traumatic Stressor in Schools (3RD Edition)
Two Day (13 hour) Workshop

​This two-day workshop provides school-based mental health professionals and other school crisis intervention team members with the knowledge necessary to meet the mental health needs of students and staff following a school-associated crisis event. With updated research and crisis intervention strategies, this workshop teaches participants how to prevent and prepare for psychological trauma, reaffirm both the physical health of members of the school community and students’ perceptions that they are safe and secure, evaluate the degree of psychological trauma, respond to the psychological needs of members of the school community, and examine the effectiveness of school crisis intervention and recovery efforts. This workshop is an excellent course for all mental health professionals in your district who provide mental health crisis intervention services.

This educator is also available to present the PREPaRE ToT (Training of Trainers) Workshops that correspond to the PREPaRE workshops described above.

NOTE: The maximum number of participants is 45. There are additional fees of $55 per participant for materials that will be ordered directly from NASP. All materials are electronic, so there are no shipping fees.
Advanced Threat Assessment: Current Best Practice Updates and a Case Study Review 
(2 - 4 hour workshop)

This workshop will examine the most current research and recommendations to ensure your school’s threat assessment process is incorporating the most recent best practice guidelines. Participants will learn current best practices, the importance of investigating social media posts, and how our own biases can cloud judgment. In addition, post incident reports will be reviewed that provide an analysis of lessons learned from prior threat assessment cases and school shootings. Dr. Reeves will also share lessons learned from her experience in serving as an expert witness in a threat assessment case for a large school district. Important findings will be discussed with an emphasis on the role of the school mental health professionals and SRO’s, the critical importance of establishing a multi-disciplinary threat assessment team, and the systemic barriers that complicated information sharing, documentation, and follow-up planning and supports. Participants will also analyze the reports to identify risk factors, warning signs, and missed opportunities for intervention. Specific recommendations for improving the fidelity of implementation of best practice threat assessment protocols will be provided.  This workshop accompanies the book authored by Dr. Reeves titled Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management: K-12 Schools.  https://ncyi.org/shop/landingpages/15-minute-focus-series/
Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies for Children and Adolescents: Evidenced-Based Interventions for the School Setting
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​(3 - 6 hour workshop)

​This workshop will provide participants with specific cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies to utilize with children and adolescents in a school setting.  Specific topics to be covered can include anxiety, school refusal, depression, ADHD, aggression, traumatic stress, bullying. Specific workshop objectives include an overview of the components underlying cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), how to utilize and teach cognitive-behavioral strategies in a school setting, and the integration and generalization of skills to the educational setting and academic instruction.  Specific examples of techniques and activities will be shared.  
ADDITIONAL PRESENTATION TOPICS
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​Dr. Reeves is available for panel events and discussions and presents on many other topics including Threat Assessment Management, PTSD in school-aged children, Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Grief, Loss, and Mourning, Bi-Polar and Depressive Disorders in School-Aged Children, and more. If you are interested in a specific topic, please inquire.

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Dr. Melissa Reeves is a charismatic and motivational speaker who challenges both educators and policymakers to find ways to make our schools a safer place to be. Her knowledge and expertise within the areas of crisis prevention and intervention and suicide and threat assessments clearly define her as an expert in these fields. By using her own personal stories and experience, the information she presents to an audience is relevant, meaningful, and, most importantly, inspiring. She is a change-agent for both our schools and our communities.

Lisa J. Bernard, Ed. S., School Psychologist, II Fort Mill School District, SC

MORE REVIEWS

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Bestselling Author of Permanent Midnight and I, Fatty

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