Empowerment

Empowerment is a social skills curriculum based on the work of Dr. Steven Stosny’s “Compassionate  Power” and Twin Cities RISE! “Personal Empowerment Training.” Developed for use with students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities in St. Paul Public Schools by Anne Byer-Rajput, Ph.D. (Lead Empowerment Coach) and Kim Stout, MSW (Murray Junior High PSD), it is a cognitive-behavioral approach to emotional regulation and behavior outcomes. Through the adaptation of Dr. Stosny’s work, students learn the principles of core value (a universal birthright meaning that every person is lovable, important, and valuable regardless of a their behavior or any other personal characteristics.)  In addition, Empowerment teaches students about core hurts, which are the emotionally painful experiences that interfere with their ability to access their core value.  These are the “buttons” or “triggers” that easily set off a student into a negative spiral of behavior.

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Empowerment Staff

Anne Byer-Rajput, Ph.D. Educational Psychology, is the Lead Empowerment Coach for St. Paul Public Schools, primarily serving the 11 secondary self-contained programs for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.

Housed at Journeys Secondary School- The Home of Future Leaders, Anne trains St. Paul Public Schools’ staff in Empowerment, facilitates staff development, and coaches special education staff in the implementation of empowerment social skills groups and behavior management techniques in secondary schools across the district.

Before taking the position as Empowerment Coach, she worked as the Lead at Murray Junior High Program for Social Development for 8 years and as a counseling psychologist for 10 years.

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anne.byer-rajput@spps.org
(651) 744-1006

Journeys Secondary School- The Home of Future Leaders
90 Western Avenue South
St. Paul, MN  55102