South Dakota School Counselor Association upcoming events

Dancing in the Elevator-A Book Study (12 Oct 2026)

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Designed specifically for educators, school counselors, and youth professionals, this book study explores Dr. Amit Sood’s Dancing in the Elevator: Raising Kind, Resilient, and Happy Children and provides a practical, science-backed framework for understanding, supporting, and strengthening the families we serve. Grounded in emotional resilience and mindfulness research, this training helps educators partner effectively with parents to prevent youth mental health crises before they start. Participants will learn how to help parents balance logic and empathy, navigate home-school communication around student stress, and foster everyday micro-interactions—from morning drop-offs to kitchen table conversations—that build long-term emotional strength in children.

This book study runs from October 12th - Dec7th.

Participants will need to purchase the book Dancing in the Elevator by Dr. Amit Sood.

Counselor Connections Conference 2026 (22 Oct 2026)

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

SDSCA is so excited to have Southeast Technical College host the Annual Counselor Connections Conference! Join school-based mental health and education professionals from across the state for a meaningful presentations that will support your school counseling program!

See full agenda here.

Thursday, October 22nd - Health Center Room 257
11:30am-12:00pm: Registration

12:00pm-4:00pm: National School Counselor of the Year Finalist: Hanna Mick will take an in-depth look at AI Test Kitchen. Then join us for a networking opportunity afterwards.

Friday, October 23rd - HUB Building
8:30am-9:00am: Registration

9:00am- 9:10am: Welcome (HUB Auditorium)

9:15am-10:15am: Opening Keynote with Hanna Mick

10:30am-11:30pm: Breakout Sessions
(Topics include: Suicide Prevention, Self-Care, Mentoring, Threat Assessments, Mandatory Reporting, and more.)

11:30am -12:30pm: FREE Lunch and Vendor Fair

12:30pm - 3:30pm: Breakout Sessions

SDSCA Counselor Connections Vendor Fair (23 Oct 2026)

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Event Details

Location Southeast Technical College HUB Lobby

2001 N Career Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57107

Event Date Friday, October 23, 2026

Registration Due Date Friday, October 9, 2026

Table Size 9-foot table

Cost $50 per table

⏰Optional Vendor Interaction Time 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (during registration)

⭐Scheduled Vendor Interaction Times 10:15 AM – 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

⏰Set-up Time may begin as early as 8:00 AM