Misty's Psychology Page
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Hello and Welcome to my Psychology page! As topics become of interest to me, I will post them out here.
I have tried to include information for those in the field of Psychology, as well as educators, parents, and friends. If you have any questions or suggestions on any of these topics, or this website, please do not hesitate to email me!
topics
| psychology links | pertinent links | teaching resources | need help? | contact me

RESEARCH TOPIC PAGES (and interests)
ADHD - click here for the information and links I have gathered on ADHD
Anxiety/Panic - I will work on this page soon, but I've found that a lot of things we are anxious about usually are things we have unrealistic fear towards. Sometimes if you prepare yourself for the worst, and you know you can survive it, then some of those things aren't so scary. I can't tell you how to prepare yourself for everything, but I have collected some advice on some things you might want to read about. Here is a link to my "Safety Page".
"What is laughable in the light, is sometimes harder to smile at in the dark." -Stephen King
Assessment and testing - a link to some information, other links, etc. to help learn more about standardized testing and assessment in schools.
        If you are a parent of a child on which I am conducting an assessment, this is the page that might answer some of your questions.
Autism - Not much info here, but I'm getting it started.
Bullying - I haven't gathered much information on this yet, but I know it is an important topic. Here's a suggestion of a good read on bullying: Please stop laughing at me by Jodee Blanco is a retelling of the bullying she experienced growing up.
Depression - a serious subject, not to be ignored. If you need immediate help, or someone to talk to, try calling the 'Townhall II' 24 hour helpline at
330-678-HELP (4357) Voice/TTY
330-296-CALL (2255) Voice/TTY
You can also try the webpage http://suicidehotlines.com/ for a more complete listing of suicide hotlines in your state.
Dreams or more specifically: Carl Jung's Dream Theory - a nice alternative to Freud, even though he was Freud's student. (Sometimes a cigar, really is just a cigar...) Although dreams are a mystery at times, and some feel that dreams are spiritual, there are more than enough ways to interpret them.
IQ & Giftedness I have a lot of interest in IQ scores, and whether or not they are valid, and the relationship of giftedness in children with learning disabilities...
    If you are interested in the same thing, or are gifted yourself, you might want to check out the MENSA website (the organization for the top 2% IQ scores)
Language Deficits/Research - this is related to reading and writing deficits, but there are other fields of language that I am interested in as well. (Chomsky)
Laughter - I feel that there is a great deal of need for laughter in the world, but has anyone really researched the great differences between those people who laugh a lot, and those who don't laugh at all? I'll let you know what I find out. I think the world is a much better place with comedy in it. We all need to learn to laugh at ourselves sometimes...
Maslow's Hierarchy of needs - This link will actually take you outside of my site, but it explains it all very well...
     so CLICK HERE --> http://web.utk.edu/~gwynne/maslow.HTM or Go to Wikipedia's description of it
PMS and Perimenopause (I'm a woman, hear me roar... or wail. whichever.)
   When I have more information, I will link this, but until then.... here is my "Women's Page" on my personal site
Reading Struggles and Deficits - click here to see resources that I have heard of, used, or gathered for helping children who struggle with reading (under construction). This is related to writing...
Self-Efficacy - click here to see articles and theories that I have viewed about Self-Efficacy (under construction). OR, go there to find out what Self-Efficacy is!
Substance Abuse - I have some general 'factual' information for now. This is information that I have had for a while, so please let me know if you find something that is out of date. It is located in my 'personal' pages.
Truancy - I don't have as much information on truancy as I do other subjects, but if you have a child who is having difficulty attending school or is skipping school a great deal, there might be some useful links on this page for you.  There is also a powerpoint presentation and a
Writing - suggestions for those who enjoy it, and those who struggle with it. This goes hand in hand with reading... but is not exactly the same.
PSYCHOLOGY LINKS
more general links
http://spsy.educ.kent.edu/ - Kent State University School Psychology Program
http://spsy.educ.kent.edu/sasp/index.htm - KSU SASP chapter
http://dept.kent.edu/psychology/ - Kent State University Psychology Program
http://spij.educ.kent.edu/ - SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL Published by Sage Publications in association with ISPA
http://www.ispaweb.org/en/index.html - International School Psychology Association - "In the early 197Os a group of school psychologists from different parts of the world, under the leadership of the late Calvin D. Catterall, came together to form an International School Psychology Committee in order to promote worldwide cooperation amongst school and educational psychologists..."
http://www.apa.org/ - American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/about/division/div16.html - Division 16 of the APA - School Psychology branch
http://www.ospaonline.org/ - Ohio School Psychologists Association
http://psychology.ohio.gov/ - Ohio State Board of Psychology
http://www.nasponline.org/ - National Association of School Psychologists
http://www.psychologynet.org/dsm.html - Online DSM-IV reference
http://www.4therapy.com/professional/ - 4therapy - the online home for mental health professionals: "Our mission is to provide the most trustworthy and reliable way to confidentially identify and select a psychotherapist ideally suited to your needs."
http://www.drphil.com/ - hey! He's got some great ideas and advice for the general public, so don't knock it...
http://www.apastyle.org/ - APA Style Guide - official site to order the manual
PERTINENT LINKS
(important links for School Psychologists, Teachers, and others)
Download ASL and Braille fonts at this page
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND - the website for information on the NCLB law passed Jan. 8, 2002 by Pres. G.W.Bush. There is a LOT of information out here.
Ohio Department of Education - Go here for the Ohio SPED Operating Standards, Model Procedures, and much much more
All Kinds of Minds - the site - information about how different each child thinks and processes information, by Dr. Mel Levine
Council for Exceptional Children - The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. 
Ohio Model Policies and Procedures:
   - Download the outline version
   - Download the forms in word format
   - www.neoserrc.k12.oh.us/ ModelProcQAREV.ppt - A powerpoint presentation created to help understand the Model Policies and Procedures
Operating Standards for Ohio's Schools Serving Children with Disabilities
   - Download it here - The link to download it yourself
ZIGAWHAT! - A site for children who have disabilities to help them feel connected to other kids with similar disabilities. Includes suggestions, games, and pages that help them learn about their disability. Created by the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities - the Dissemination Center is part of a broad Federal effort to improve results for children with disabilities.
http://www.nichcy.org/resources/default.asp - An A - Z list of resources and information on numerous childhood disabilities
http://www.nichcy.org/stateshe/oh.htm - a list of state-wide organizations/resources for Parents of Children with all types of disabilities
http://www.ldonline.com/ - The leading Web site on learning disabilities for parents, teachers, and other professionals
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/index.html - A site that has some great fact sheets
Sopris West - publisher site that has some useful books that you can purchase.
http://www.greatschools.net - good search engine to find the schools in a county, and some of their stats.

Anderson Publishing's documents for Ohio Law - great place to find government documents for the Ohio Revised Code.

Here is a nice brochure from www.ldonline.com that is about volunteering, and lists a few strategies for helping LD and ADHD children.

TEACHING RESOURCES
Sopris West Sopris West utilizes a math transitions program for students going from elementary to middle/middle to high school - there are online assessment pages and resources that can be purchased through this site.
All Kinds of Minds - Has some nice tutorials and educational help for teachers. There are some downloadable resources as well.
http://www.eduplace.com/index.html - interesting place for resources from Houghton Mifflen
http://www.smcps.k12.md.us/mbms/teachers.html - Teacher and parent resource page with a lot of useful information (from a school in Maryland)
NEED HELP? LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION?
Townhall II provides counseling services in Portage County. Click on this link to get their contact information. (sponsored by United Way of portage county)
http://www.nih.gov - National Institutes of Health website

Rape Crisis links:
www.rainn.org/ - The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
www.ncweb.com/org/rapecrisis/ - Homesafe Rape Crisis Center.
http://www.met.police.uk/sapphire/index.htm - Improving Rape investigation and victim care (out of London). Good information.

Drugs:
I have included some links and information for those who need help, advice, or just want to be educated. 
Drug and Intoxicant Info - unbiased site with the most information
Safety Risks - read this if you are stubborn enough to use drugs after reading all of this.
Methamphetamines (part of my site)
Cannabis/Marijuana (part of my site)

Drug Hotline
National Drug Information Treatment and Referral Hotline at (800) 662-HELP(4357)

STAND - A site dedicated to providing an online community where you can have fun, interact, and take a stand with others against tobacco. 

Abuse Hotlines:
Child Abuse hotline:1-800-422-4453 
Battered Women's hotline:1-800-992-2600 
Domestic Violence hotline:1-800-799-SAFE 
24-hour Crime Victims Hotline: 1-212-577-7777
Rape Crisis 24-hour Center: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

CONTACT ME:
My email: mlsommer@kent.edu or sommemi@hotmail.com
You can also contact me at the Kent Campus of Kent State University at 330-672-9050.
Feel free to email me with any questions or suggestions that you might have! I will gladly add the information to this page if you give me permission.
LINKING: If you would like to link to my site, feel free to do so - If you do, please let me know so that I can link back to you as well. Thank you!
Feel free to use any brochures or presentations that I have posted here, but keep in mind that you need to give proper credit to me and the resources that I used should you use them for presentation or reference purposes. I hope they will be helpful.

*** Disclaimer ***

I do not have, or claim to have, a Ph.D., an Ed.S., or M.S. in psychology. I have an M.S. degree in Education with a focus on School Psychology. Before making important decisions based off of this information, it is suggested that you consult a qualified professional (physician/psychologist) to confirm that this information is accurate and up-to-date. Thank you!