Rosa DiPiazza has been named Delaware Behavioral Specialist of the Yr (Picture courtesy of Milford College District)

Rosa DiPiazza, BHP, a behavioral specialist with Milford College District was just lately named Delaware Behavioral Well being Specialist of the Yr. DiPiazza has been with Milford since finishing an internship as a part of her grasp’s diploma.

“I’ve all the time been within the intersection of science and habits, however it took me a while to seek out the best steadiness for me,” DiPiazza mentioned. “I labored in a neuroscience analysis lab for some time in school, however rapidly realized I wanted extra human interplay. That led me to work with Home Violence Companies, which solidified my need to work with kids and my perception within the significance of early intervention. A part of that work included partnering with colleges to run prevention schooling teams. I cherished working in colleges and with the ability to present constant companies to kids. I initially began my graduate work in medical psychology, however once I discovered about college psychology, I noticed it was an important match for me and switched packages. I really like college psychology as a result of it combines data-driven interventions and science with direct human service. It’s the perfect of each worlds.”

DiPiazza graduated from Franklin & Marshall Faculty in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2013 with a bachelor’s diploma in neuroscience. She labored as a Kids’s Advocate with Home Violence Companies of Lancaster County earlier than beginning graduate college at Millersville College in Millersville, Pennsylvania, the place she earned a bachelor’s diploma psychology and an academic specialist certification in class psychology. Whereas DiPiazza was ending her grasp’s diploma, her mom moved to Delaware. She felt it made sense to seek for internships and was chosen for one in Milford the place she has remained.

“One of the crucial difficult issues about this job is how lengthy it could possibly take to see progress in scholar psychological well being,” DiPiazza mentioned. “I believe there’s typically a notion that all the things will get higher instantly if you happen to simply get somebody began with counseling or different psychological well being helps. That’s often not the case. Progress in psychological well being generally is a gradual course of that typically doubles again on itself. It’s vital to remain hopeful and optimistic. You may have to have the ability to search for the incremental modifications and maintain expectations which are each excessive and affordable. Generally it appears like there isn’t any progress being made in any respect, after which rapidly all the things will come collectively. That may be a unique type of difficult. That’s often when college students graduate from my caseload, which implies I see them much less when all the things goes nicely.”

Probably the greatest components of her job is constructing relationships with college students, colleagues and households. DiPiazza defined that she loves feeling like she is a part of the college group.

“I really like watching college students develop and study and apply their new expertise in new conditions,” DiPiazza mentioned. “Being concerned in problem-solving groups and offering consultative help to colleagues is deeply rewarding. Not solely can I see college students bettering, I’m typically additionally in a position to watch colleagues take those self same expertise and methods and apply them in different conditions with different college students. Something I can do to share my information and experience with others and construct collective capability is rewarding. Hoarded information helps one individual; shared information helps us all.”

As a part of the popularity, DiPiazza receives a $2,000 private award in recognition of being chosen because the district Behavioral Specialist of the Yr. She additionally receives a further $3,000 as a state winner and the Delaware Division of Training supplies her with a $5,000 grant for use for the academic good thing about her college students.

“I hope to make use of this platform to advocate for common implementation of trauma-informed practices and well-functioning multi-tiered methods of help (MTSS) in our colleges,” DiPiazza mentioned. “Issues like having calming areas in our lecture rooms and colleges, constructing constant construction and routines into our days, and praising effort and progress really feel like small modifications, however they’ll go a great distance in direction of making our college students really feel protected and cared for at college. When these items are a part of each scholar’s college expertise, we’re then in a position to establish college students who want further helps and supply them with what they want with out overwhelming our methods.”

Laura Manges, Director of Pupil Companies, believes this was a tremendous honor for DiPiazza, however is in no way shocked she acquired it.

“From the second Rosa started working with our college students in Milford, she supplied a stage of compassion, maturity and experience that was extraordinarily uncommon to seek out in such a younger practitioner,” Manges mentioned. “The Milford College group is really lucky to have Rosa DiPiazza on our group. She most definitely is a pacesetter in behavioral well being. I search for extra nice issues to return from her management sooner or later.”

Dr. Kevin Dickerson, Superintendent, echoed the feelings of Manges.

“We’re extremely pleased with Ms. DiPiazza for her deserved recognition as Delaware’s Behavioral Well being Skilled of the Yr,” acknowledged Dr. Dickerson. “We’re extraordinarily grateful to have Ms. DiPiazza working within the Milford College District and, moreover, for the distinctive work that she does with our college students, workers and households. It is a super honor and is reflective of the large affect she has serving our college students and the whole Mispillion Elementary College’s school-community.”