Description
LIVE STREAM: May 22, 2026 from 8:30am – 4:00pm (Saskatoon, SK) Please adjust your start time according to your specific time zone.
ON-DEMAND: Recorded footage & course content (certificate, videos, quiz) will be available until June 29, 2026. Please allow 3 – 10 business days for footage to be processed. Extensions cannot be granted under any circumstances.
May 22, 2026 | Day Three
Working with Children and Youth Who are High-Risk, Marginalized and Engage in Self-Harming
For anyone who know that “safety contracts” don’t work and want to know what does. Self-harm among youth isn’t rising because young people are more fragile. It’s rising because the conditions they’re navigating create psychological states where harming one’s own body makes functional sense. This intensive 6-hour workshop is designed for anyone who work with the youth carrying the heaviest burdens: those at the intersection of marginalization, trauma, and self-injury.
You’ll move beyond risk management checklists to understand the why beneath the behaviour. Drawing on the established theories and evidence-based interventions for self-harm, this training provides the clinical precision needed when the stakes are highest.
This workshop addresses the reality that therapy fails when it replicates the same power dynamics that harm youth in the first place. You’ll learn how to structure engagement that honours adolescent autonomy, conduct chain analyses that reveal intervention points invisible in standard assessments, and teach physiological regulation skills that work when cognitive strategies fail. We’ll tackle the specific dialectical dilemmas of adolescent treatment: how to involve parents without breaking confidentiality, how to validate pain without reinforcing dysfunction, and how to adapt evidence-based protocols for youth who experience standard therapeutic language as minimizing and unhelpful.
You’ll also confront the parts of this work that textbooks skip: how to stay regulated when a 14-year-old shows you fresh burns, how to respond when a family’s exhaustion manifests as rage, and how to maintain therapeutic boundaries while practicing the “moral courage” required to witness historical trauma.
This workshop is key to develop enough technical skill and relational capacity that young people choose to stay alive long enough to discover they want to.
Module 1: Understanding Self-Harm Through Intersectional and Biosocial Frameworks
- Personal mapping
- The crisis in context
- Biosocial theory
- Ecology of marginalization
- Developmental versus pathological
- Under-regulation versus over-regulation
Module 2: Engagement, Assessment, and Building Alliance Across Difference
- Why youth hide
- Trauma-informed engagement
- Beyond tick-box assessment
- Structural engagement for autonomy
- Cultural safety strategies
- Fidelity versus flexibility
Module 3: Core Clinical Skills—The Technical Architecture of Intervention
- The “Power Tools” of DBT-A
- Crisis survival skills
- Dialectical thinking & function question
Module 4: Safety Planning, Family Systems, and Ethical Harm Reduction
- Collaborative safety planning
- Harm reduction strategies
- Family systems and the middle path
- Systemic context
Closing: Develop an implementation plan for one current high-risk client
Education and Clinical Professionals: K–12 Classroom Teachers, School Counsellors/Psychologists, Learning Assistance/ Resource Teachers, School Administrators, School Paraprofessionals including Special Education Assistants, Classroom Assistants and Childcare Workers. All other professionals who support students including but not limited to: Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists, Clinical Counsellors, Family Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Addiction Counsellors, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Probation Officers, and Early Childhood Educators.
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych, is a psychologist. Mother. Professor. International Speaker. Yoda of Anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With nearly three decades of experience, she is a recognized expert in resilience and the social, emotional, and behavioural well-being of children and teens. In 2024, Dr. Caroline was honoured as Alberta’s Psychologist of the Year for her exceptional contributions to the field.
Known for her dynamic, engaging style, Dr. Caroline has a knack for simplifying complex challenges and equipping professionals with practical tools that make a real difference. Her workshops go beyond theory, providing strategies that educators, caregivers, and mental health professionals can use immediately to support children and teens facing any challenge.
Through her work at Koru Family Psychology and research at Athabasca University, Dr. Caroline’s mission is clear: to help every child unlock their potential, build confidence, and embrace resilience. When you train with Dr. Caroline, expect to be inspired, empowered, and ready to create a world where everyone thrives.
| Registration | Early bird Fee | Regular Fee |
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| Individual 1 Day Enrollment | $229.00 | N/A |
| 1 Day Group 3 - 7 | $169.00 | N/A |
| 1 Day Group 8 - 15 | $119.00 | N/A |
| 1 Day Group 15+ | $99.00 | N/A |
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| Individual 2 Day Enrollment | $399.00 | N/A |
| 2 Day Group 3 - 7 | $295.00 | N/A |
| 2 Day Group 8 - 15 | $208.00 | N/A |
| 2 Day Group 15+ | $173.00 | N/A |
| | |
| Individual 3 Day Enrollment | $569.00 | N/A |
| 3 Day Group 3 - 7 | $420.00 | N/A |
| 3 Day Group 8 - 15 | $296.00 | N/A |
| 3 Day Group 15+ | $246.00 | N/A |
All fees are in Canadian dollars ($CAD) and per person.
How to Purchase a Group Rate
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If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Fees are per person, seat sharing is not allowed. Please respect this policy, failure to comply will result in termination of access without a refund. For group rates please contact webinars@jackhirose.com
