Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D.

Director, Counseling and Testing Services, Western Kentucky University

Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D, past-president of the American College Counseling Association, currently serves as director of Counseling and Testing at Western Kentucky University. He served as director of Counseling at New England College from 2001-2007. In 2007 he was awarded the American College Health Association Innovation Grant for his work on New England College’s website. Brian has presented nationally on counseling ethics, mandated counseling, testing and assessment at the American College Counseling Association, Association of College and University Counseling Center Directors, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and the National Association of Forensic Counselors. He has taught graduate classes in counseling theory, ethics, testing and assessment and program evaluation.

 

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Products Featuring Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D.


Alcohol Education Programs: Purchase, Customize or Create?

Alcohol Education Programs: Purchase, Customize or Create?

The challenge - especially for school administrators who have the responsibility of reducing at-risk drinking behavior and curbing underage drinking - is how to effectively educate students about drinking choices and give them the facts to make better decisions. Learn how to successfully educate students about alcohol consumption and evaluate programs that are out there. We show you 10 “must have” features that your education program should include.


Case Management: Preventing Violence and Legal Risk

Case Management: Preventing Violence and Legal Risk

Balancing the needs of at-risk college and university students with the broader needs and goals of campus communities seems to get more challenging every day. Case management, a proven practice from the mental health field, can help you get help for students who need it. Learn how case management can help you promote student success, campus safety and institutional goals as presented by nationally-known speakers, Dr. Brian Van Brunt and Carolyn Reinach Wolf, J.D


Classroom Management 101: Working with Difficult Students

Classroom Management 101: Working with Difficult Students

Difficult students present a variety of challenges. Some are disruptive. Some repeatedly fail to complete assignments. While others have unreasonably high expectations for themselves. With all of the different challenges posed by these students, which approach does one take to attempt to work successfully with them? Learn proven methods for overcoming challenging student behavior and successfully engaging students in learning in this seminar.


Classroom Management 102: Working with Difficult Students

Classroom Management 102: Working with Difficult Students

Do the faculty members at your school know how to respond effectively when confronted by uncooperative or even aggressive students? Find out how to successfully manage the full-range of student behavior problems. We use role play scenarios of problematic classroom behaviors to share strategies for responding effectively.


Gambling Addiction: Policy, Prevention and Referral

Gambling Addiction: Policy, Prevention and Referral

Colleges and universities can be unintentional breeding grounds for gambling addictions, especially as opportunities to gamble have multiplied nationwide with the expansion of lotteries, casinos and Internet gaming. Like alcohol addiction, gambling addiction can be recognized by trained individuals; can be treated; and can wreak great destruction if left untreated. We offer a comprehensive look at how to spot gambling addiction, and outline steps to address the problem in terms of referral, treatment and prevention programming.


Hiring Faculty: How to Make Your Most Critical Decision

Hiring Faculty: How to Make Your Most Critical Decision

From financial background checks to psychological testing to social media searches, receive expert guidance on creating a hiring process that conforms to legal standards and instills confidence. We give you relevant legal considerations and how they impact screening procedures, the interview process and decision-making. You’ll learn about relevant case studies, institutional policies and legal standards.


How Flexible Should I Be With Non-Traditional Students?

How Flexible Should I Be With Non-Traditional Students?

If you have had non-traditional students, you have probably faced some difficult situations. Non-traditional students are different. Learn how to strike the right balance between inflexible and being a pushover.


How Should I Handle Pushy Parents?

How Should I Handle Pushy Parents?

Parents worry. Some are concerned about their children’s relationships, academic stand, or living arrangements. And some parents bring their concerns to bear when speaking with faculty members…sometimes at the top of their lungs. So what should you do? We suggest that you see this type of situation as a “teachable moment" for the parent.


How to Help Students Build Resiliency & Overcome Their Obstacles

How to Help Students Build Resiliency & Overcome Their Obstacles

Every year, residential life staff and student affairs counselors see an increasing number of students enter college with some type of psychological problem or mental illness. They are presented with reams of data and survey results highlighting the increased risk and problems this generation of students has to face when going to school.


Identifying and Managing Classroom Aggression and Violence

Identifying and Managing Classroom Aggression and Violence

The need to manage aggression among college students has never been more intense. Increasingly troubled students are showing up on campus and bringing more challenging behaviors into the classroom with them. Learn how to identify and respond to aggressive behavior to help prevent the next campus tragedy from occurring.


Instead of Mandated Therapy: Mandated Educational Programming

Instead of Mandated Therapy: Mandated Educational Programming

Mandated therapy following a student assessment is a troubling concept for many counselors. They believe strongly that therapy and counseling should always be voluntary, not coerced. Is there a way to reconcile the need for action with the ethical concerns of counseling staff? We believe there is and we propose a mandated education program as an alternative–and we outline the details.


Interactive Training Scenarios for Resident Advisors

Interactive Training Scenarios for Resident Advisors

If there’s one thing you hope for all your new RAs, it’s that they won’t endure a “deer in the headlights” moment … a situation that leaves them frozen from fear, without a strategy for dealing with the moment. They’re the first line of defense in the event of a crisis on their floor, and you want them to know how to respond. We'll walk through scenario-based training in ten critical areas every RA must be prepared to handle.


Involuntary Medical Withdrawals: Legal Considerations and Alternatives

Involuntary Medical Withdrawals: Legal Considerations and Alternatives

This 44-page White Paper Involuntary Medical Withdrawals: Legal Considerations and Alternatives approaches the subject of involuntary medical withdrawals from a perspective of care for the student involved while offering a range of alternatives to the extreme last resort: an involuntary, forced withdrawal.


Involuntary Medical Withdrawals: Policy & Legal Considerations

Involuntary Medical Withdrawals: Policy & Legal Considerations

Involuntary medical withdrawals are a tempting option for colleges and universities in the wake of recent school shootings and the rise of suicidal behavior on campus. Due to lack of resources and expertise, it’s an issue that many don’t handle very well. We review four case studies to help you develop an effective approach to involuntary medical withdrawal.


It's Not Always Easy to Supervise RAs: 10 Challenges for RDs

It's Not Always Easy to Supervise RAs: 10 Challenges for RDs

Being a Resident Advisor is no easy job. They are the first responders to every emotional and behavioral crisis in the residence halls. It’s not easy supervising RAs, either. We explain the most effective ways to conduct RA training and oversee RA staff.


Mandated Assessment of At-Risk Students: 10 Best Practices

Mandated Assessment of At-Risk Students: 10 Best Practices

An at-risk student is referred to your counseling services.Then what happens? If the answer to that question is in any way elusive, then there may be an opportunity on your campus–as there is on most–to strengthen communication and coordination between referring agencies and counseling services. We provide you steps to take to ensure that your campus maintains a coordinated, collaborative approach to at-risk students.


Mid-Year Issues 4-pack

Mid-Year Issues 4-pack

We’ve put together a special collection of 20 Minute Mentor programs to help you reflect on some issues that may be especially relevant as you approach the midway point of the academic year.


Redirecting Pushy Parents: How to Build Healthy Relationships

Redirecting Pushy Parents: How to Build Healthy Relationships

Student affairs personnel are trained to answer questions and help solve problems, whether dealing with students or their parents. But what if the problem is the parent? As advocates for their college-aged students, some parents resort to pushy, demanding or downright aggressive behavior. We will help you successfully manage even the most demanding parents, from orientation through graduation.


Resident Advisor Training: Best Practices and Essential Tools

Resident Advisor Training: Best Practices and Essential Tools

Training resident assistants is essential, given the front-line work they do on behalf of your institution. You can help them do their jobs more effectively by giving them the tools and resources they'll need, and preparing them for situations they may encounter. If your RA training program needs to be updated - or doesn't exist at all -we give you ideas and tools you can implement in time for the upcoming semester.


Restorative Justice: Applying the Theory to Practical Cases

Restorative Justice: Applying the Theory to Practical Cases

By offering offenders the opportunity to make amends for student conduct code violations, restorative justice can help them to develop empathy, repair trust, and rebuild community. Understanding the concepts behind this theory and applying it to actual conduct violations are two different matters, however .In this seminar, you will review 10 cases to determine which are most appropriate for the restorative justice model.


Tabletop Exercises for Threat Assessment Teams

Tabletop Exercises for Threat Assessment Teams

One of the best tools in crisis-response planning is scenario-based training – using hypothetical situations to inform real-world responses.

We’ve partnered with a leading authority on student behavioral health to create a new situation-based training program … one that includes insight and commentary from 20 industry experts. The result is an exceptionally rich training experience we hope you’ll want to share with your campus crisis team.


What Can I Do About Feeling Tired, Stressed and Burned Out?

What Can I Do About Feeling Tired, Stressed and Burned Out?

There is the growing stack of papers to grade, the lectures to prepare for, and the endless drafts of scholarships for publication. No wonder many faculty members at college and university campuses today struggle with burnout and excessive stress. We look at valuable approaches for recognizing and addressing faculty burnout and stress.


What Do I Do If I Suspect a Student Has Asperger’s Disorder?

What Do I Do If I Suspect a Student Has Asperger’s Disorder?

At many colleges and universities, the number of students with Asperger’s Disorder continues to increase. While these students have the intellectual abilities to be successful, they struggle with “reading” social cues and comprehending unwritten rules and procedures. They may be teased or laughed at by other students. We offer recommendations for helping these students to succeed.


When a Student Attempts Suicide: The Next Seven Steps White Paper

When a Student Attempts Suicide: The Next Seven Steps White Paper

To prepare for the unfortunate possibility of a student suicide attempt, consult When a Student Attempts Suicide: The Next Seven Steps: A Magna Publications White Paper. This report guides you through creating an attempted suicide response plan that addresses and balances student wellbeing and legal risk exposures. You will learn what to do—and what not to do—in the minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months that follow an attempted suicide.


When a Student Attempts Suicide: The Seven Next Steps

When a Student Attempts Suicide: The Seven Next Steps

Risks abound in the aftermath of a suicide attempt: for the student, the student’s family and friends, the broader campus community and the institution itself. There may also be serious legal consequences, particularly for residential colleges and universities. We show you the key elements of responding to a student in crisis.


Working with Difficult Students: Four Case Studies

Working with Difficult Students: Four Case Studies

Working with Difficult Students: Four Case Studies—offers the best of both worlds.  It shows how to apply four widely-respected theories to four different types of classroom challenges.  In each case, the theory is explained and then demonstrated. This way, you can see for yourself how different conversations play out when research-based principles are applied. This white paper is recommended for new faculty members, experienced faculty members seeking fresh ideas for classroom management, faculty concerned about at-risk students, and academic deans and faculty development personnel instructors.