Counselors, Administrators, Parents (CAP) Conference

Held every spring, and in partnership with the Nassau Counselors’ Association (NCA), the CAP conference brings together guidance and admissions counselors, parents, administrators and experts to discuss important issues in our community.

This year’s CAP Conference will focus on Addiction on Campus: Current Trends and Innovative Responses.

After medical experts help us review the latest data, we’ll explore approaches that move beyond punitive responses. We will hear from districts that are utilizing technology, education, and broader-based community supports to meet this ever-present need.

This event is free to attend. Please register in advance.

Conference Schedule

Time	Activity
10:30–11:00am	Registration and Coffee & Tea
11:00–11:15am	Welcome Remarks and NCA General Membership Meeting
11:15am–12:00pm	Keynote Speaker featuring Dawn E Williamson, MD, FACEP, FACP, EMT-P
12:00–12:15pm	Coffee Break
12:15–1:15 pm	Panel with Michelle Lavoie, LCSW-R
1:15pm–2:00 pm	Lunch and Networking Information Fair
2:00pm–2:30pm	NARCAN Training

Keynote Speaker

Dawn E. Williamson, MD, FACEP, FACP, EMT-P

Dawn Williamson is an emergency medicine physician at the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) where she serves as Core Faculty involved in the teaching of residents, interns and students as well as treating patients in the busy Level 1 trauma Center . NUMC serves as the safety net hospital for the county treating the most vulnerable who often have nowhere else to turn for help. She is the Director of Emergency Medical Services and is the new Designated Champion of the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation.

Dr. Williamson earned her BS in Psychology from Binghamton University in 1984, serving as the Training Officer for the student-run EMS agency Harpurs Ferry. Before attending medical school, she worked for NYC EMS and the Lutheran Medical Center as a paramedic and volunteered with the Long Beach Fire Department, first as a firefighter/EMT-P and later as the Department Surgeon and Medical Director for both the fire and police departments. Dr Williamson earned her MD from Downstate Medical Center-Brooklyn in 1991 and completed a combined residency in both Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and is board-certified in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Emergency Medical Services.

She served as Assistant Director of Emergency Medicine and Director of Emergency Medicine Education at the Long Beach Medical Center for 22 years until it closed due to Hurricane Sandy. She served as Medical Director of the Mt Sinai Freestanding Emergency Department in Long Beach for several years before joining the full-time faculty at the medical center. Dr Williamson has been promoting overdose prevention since 2012 through community outreach and educational lectures to community groups, public libraries, and schools. She partnered with the Town of Hempstead for several years, providing Narcan training and distribution of free overdose prevention kits to the public. She will be speaking today about the opioid abuse epidemic, how we got here, and how we can help prevent death from overdose.

Panel Discussion: From Awareness to Action: A Community Conversation

We will hear from school districts that have partnered with community coalitions, empowered students to take on leadership roles, and forged connections with mental health providers. Joining the conversation will be Michelle Lavoie, LCSW-R, the Clinical Coordinator of the BRIDGES Program, discussing the work she does in school districts and on college campuses.

Michelle Lavoie, LCSW-R

Michelle Lavoie is the Youth Support Coordinator of the BRIDGES Program at YES Community Counseling Center. The BRIDGES Program is a free outpatient system of care for teens and young adults (15-25) on Long Island who are struggling with substance misuse and related mental health issues, or who are in recovery. Ms. Lavoie and her team work directly with local high schools and college campuses providing substance misuse evidence based interventions, short term substance use counseling and education to students. Ms. Lavoie has 20 years experience serving the community and supporting the mental health needs of children and adults.

CAP Co-Chairs

Jade Frevola
Associate Director of Admissions
Adelphi University

Jill Eddings, MSED, LCAT, ATR-BC
Post Secondary Counselor/Testing Coordinator
Fusion Academy Long Island

Seeta Ramprasad
Associate Professor
Nassau Community College

For additional information or questions regarding the CAP Conference, please email capconference@adelphi.edu. 

Graciously sponsored by the Nassau Counselors’ Association.