Description
LIVE STREAM: December 2 – 4, 2024 from 8:30am – 4:00pm (Edmonton, AB) Please adjust your start time according to your specific time zone.
ON-DEMAND: Recorded footage & course content (certificate, videos, quiz) will be available December 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025. Extensions cannot be granted under any circumstances.
Registration will close December 1, 2024.
Monday, December 2, 2024 | Day One
Working with Violent and Aggressive Children & Youth
Workshops 1 & 3: PRESENTED BY Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
Aggression problems are deeply rooted in instinct and emotion and are therefore resistant to conventional discipline practices. Dr. Neufeld uncovers these roots and outlines steps to addressing them. His rich professional experience with aggressive children and violent youth informs this refreshing approach to an age-old problem. The principles apply to children of all ages and all settings: home, school and treatment. One of the foremost interpreters of the developmental approach tackles one of the oldest and most perplexing of human problems, exposing its deep developmental roots and revealing why conventional approaches to the problem are so ineffective. There are many indications that this problem is escalating among our children and youth. What tends to grab our attention is the more violating acts of aggression but what is truly alarming is the ground swell of attacking energy within and between our kids that erupts in their interaction, music, language, play, games and fantasies. This attacking energy is also fueling an alarming increase in suicide and suicidal ideation among children. Dr. Neufeld provides a way of understanding that not only explains what is happening around us but also provides insight into the individuals – both children and adults – who present with these problems. His approach is refreshingly sensible, historically accountable, and congruent with today’s science of the brain. His conceptual model has clear implications for practice and treatment and is applicable in any arena: home, school or in treatment.
By the conclusion of this six-hour workshop, participants will be equipped with a robust toolkit of evidence-based strategies rooted in developmental psychology to effectively address aggression and foster resilience in children and youth, thereby promoting healthier social interactions and emotional well-being.
Strengthen Executive Function with 20 Brain Coaching & Cognitive-Motor Activities to Improve Self-Regulation, Attention, Memory and Response Inhibition in Children and Adolescents
Workshops 2 & 4: PRESENTED BY Lynne Kenney, Psy.D.
In this dynamic and interactive 6-hour workshop, participants will delve into the fascinating realm of executive function skills and their pivotal role in academic achievement and lifelong success. Led by renowned pediatric psychologist and international educator, Dr. Lynne Kenney, this workshop will explore cutting-edge research from neuroscience, kinesiology, cognitive science, and neuroeducation.
Embark on a transformative journey that integrates research-based tools and activities into your educational practice, empowering you to enhance cognition, foster learning, and cultivate confident, self-regulated thinkers. Dress comfortably and be prepared to move and learn with enthusiasm, as we embark on this exciting exploration of executive function skills and cognitive-motor activities.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 | Day Two
Art Therapy Interventions to Address Anxiety and Trauma for Kids and Teens
Workshop 5 & 7: PRESENTED BY Pamela Malkoff Hayes, MFT, LMHC, LPC, ATR-BC
Join us in our upcoming workshop where you will expand your therapeutic toolkit with innovative art interventions designed to counter catastrophizing thoughts and negative self-talk. Discover how evidence-based treatments can empower your students to cultivate resilience, tolerate frustration, and navigate discomfort without resorting to immediate self-medication. Through this seminar, you will learn a repertoire of art interventions that facilitate emotional transformation, trauma processing, problem-solving, perspective shifting, and progress towards acceptance and gratitude.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enrich your therapeutic practice and empower your students through the transformative potential of art therapy. Join us and embark on a journey towards fostering emotional resilience and growth in your students.
Supporting the Anxious & Worried Mind in the Classroom and at School
Workshop 6 & 8: PRESENTED BY Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
Think you’ve mastered everything you need to know about anxiety management? Think again – you might be surprised!
When it comes to supporting anxious students, most adults unknowingly perpetuate ineffective methods. For instance, do you provide accommodations to students to help relieve their anxiety? Do you advocate deep breathing or relaxation techniques as anxiety-busting strategies? If so, you may be unwittingly making student anxiety stronger.
Anxiety is at epidemic levels among children and teens. However, it is highly treatable when you know how to support students in helpful ways. This workshop is vital for every educator and school mental health professional committed to mastering their understanding of emotional health and to making a real difference in the lives of anxious students.
Revolutionize Your Approach to Enhance Student Well-Being
This is not just another workshop on anxiety – it’s a game-changer in mental health and education. Through practical applications and interactive learning, you will be equipped to support not just individual students but the entire classroom in managing anxiety and other big emotions while fostering emotional resilience.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 | Day Three
Keeping Children Safe in a Wounding World: A Fresh and Surprising Approach
Workshop 9: PRESENTED BY Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
In this three-hour workshop, delve into the crucial understanding of emotional well-being in the lives of children and adolescents. Discover how the landscape of our children’s world is increasingly fraught with emotional challenges and explore effective strategies to ensure their safety and support their development. Drawing upon groundbreaking insights from developmental science, Dr. Neufeld will unveil transformative solutions to address these pressing concerns.
Nurturing Resilience: Empowering Children to Thrive through Challenges
Workshop 10: PRESENTED BY Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
Confidence and resilience are the secret ingredients to unlocking the true potential of our children.
In this empowering workshop, you will delve into the essential tools you need to build unshakable confidence and resilience in kids, guiding them to navigate mistakes, stress, and setbacks in a healthy and constructive way. You will see how resilience can be nurtured through everyday interactions and structured support. You will identify key stressors that affect children and practical strategies that build strong coping mechanisms and foster a resilient mindset in children.
By the end of this session, you will be well-prepared to support children in developing the resilience necessary to face life’s challenges with confidence and poise.
Stress and Resilience: How teachers and school culture can make a difference
Workshop 11: PRESENTED BY Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
In this workshop, we will delve into the significant sources of stress in schools and explore how attachment issues contribute to this phenomenon. We will discuss how the traditional approach to education can exacerbate stress levels among students and hinder their emotional well-being. Additionally, we will examine the importance of cultivating a school culture that promotes positive relationships and empathy to create an environment where students can thrive.
Dr. Neufeld will share insights into the topics of school, stress, and resilience within the context of educational systems. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how these factors intersect and impact student development.
This workshop offers a comprehensive exploration of school-related stress, resilience, and strategies for fostering emotional well-being within educational systems. Participants will leave equipped with valuable insights and practical tools to support students in navigating challenges and thriving academically and emotionally.
Proven Brief Interventions to Help Students with Emotional and Behavioural Problems
Workshop 12: PRESENTED BY Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
Every child and teen experiences emotional ups and downs and engages in challenging behaviours from time to time. Though frustrating, these reactions are an important part of development for all kids. However, these outbursts become a problem when they happen frequently, when they are excessive, and when they begin to impair a child or youth’s functioning.
Emotional and behavioural challenges have increased drastically among children and adolescents over the years with alarmingly high prevalence rates. Unfortunately, most go without effective support, which makes them susceptible for developing severe emotional and/or behavioural disorders that impair their social and emotional well-being, relationships, and development.
Early intervention and treatment are critical to support children and teen’s social, emotional, and behavioural well-being and reduce future risk. Although teachers, parents, and mental health professionals know they need to help, they aren’t always confident in how to do so – especially in the heat of the moment. They may have tried different strategies, but with limited success. Thankfully, these children and teens can be supported easily with the right tools and know-how.
This dynamic workshop is vital for anyone working with children and teens. Participants will develop an understanding of what is going on for children and teens, what happens when the demands on them outweigh their capacity to cope, the underlying needs they have, and the function of an emotional or behavioural meltdown. Participants will also learn the typical strategies adults use when they are trying to help but instead makes the situation worse. Importantly, they will learn what is truly effective (hint: it’s not behaviour charts) to promote positive behaviours and emotion regulation proactively, before an emotional or behavioural blowout occurs, and reactively, in the heat of the moment. With these strategies, participants will help children and teens build their capacity to manage their emotions and behaviours successfully across contexts.
