The Student Based Mental Health & Education Conference: High Risk, Dysregulated Kids and Indigenous Perspectives in Technology-Saturated World [Winnipeg, MB]

Emotional Regulation: Understanding Triggers and Responding to Behaviours Across Educational and Clinical Settings

Presented by Tracy Whittaker-Taggart, M.A.

Children and youth experience emotions and behaviour in different ways, and how adults understand and respond to those behaviours can have a significant impact. Whether you are a teacher, counsellor, psychologist, therapist, educational assistant, administrator, parent, or another helping professional, this workshop invites you to take a closer look at how you currently approach emotional regulation and challenging behaviour.

Rather than simply asking, “How do we stop or manage this behaviour?” participants will be encouraged to step back and consider: What might this behaviour be communicating? What does this child or youth need from the adults and environment around them? Through discussion, reflection, and practical examples, we’ll challenge some common assumptions about emotions and behaviour and explore how shifting our perspective can change the way we respond.

Key areas of focus:

• Understanding what behaviour may be communicating
• Recognizing emotional triggers and regulation needs
• Examining how adult expectations and responses influence regulation
• Responding in ways that promote connection, safety, and understanding
• Reflecting on current practices and identifying opportunities for change
• Creating environments that better support a wide range of emotional and behavioural needs

Participants will examine their own current practices and strategies, considering what is working, what may need to change, and how adult expectations and responses can influence a child or youth’s ability to regulate. The workshop will explore practical approaches for responding to emotional and behavioural challenges in ways that promote connection, safety, and understanding rather than simply focusing on compliance or behaviour management.

Participants will leave with a refreshed perspective on emotional regulation and behaviour, practical strategies they can begin using right away, and concrete ideas for creating environments that better support children and youth with a wide range of emotional and behavioural needs.

Working with Children and Youth who are High-Risk, Marginalized and Engage in Self-Harming Behaviour

Presented by Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych.

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.

Key areas of focus:

• Understanding the factors underlying self-harming behaviour
• Structuring engagement that honours adolescent autonomy
• Using chain analyses to identify meaningful intervention points
• Teaching physiological regulation skills when cognitive strategies are ineffective
• Balancing family involvement with appropriate confidentiality
• Adapting evidence-based approaches for marginalized youth

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.

The workshop also addresses the relational demands of this work, including responding effectively in difficult clinical situations, working with families experiencing significant stress, and maintaining appropriate therapeutic boundaries.

Participants will develop practical skills and relational approaches for providing effective, compassionate support to high-risk and marginalized youth.

Reclaiming Childhood and Adolescence in a Technology-Saturated World: Indigenous Perspectives on Development, Connection, Community, and Resilience

Presented by Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Ph.D.

Children today are growing up in a rapidly changing world where technology, artificial intelligence, social media, and digital entertainment have become central parts of daily life. While these advancements offer many opportunities, they have also raised important questions about their impact on child development, social connection, emotional well-being, and overall health.

Many children now spend significantly less time outdoors, have fewer opportunities for face-to-face social interaction, and are increasingly exposed to online influences, violence, and digital content that may shape their perceptions of themselves and the world around them. Families, educators, and communities are witnessing growing concerns related to social isolation, emotional dysregulation, attention difficulties, anxiety, and challenges in developing empathy, compassion, and meaningful relationships.

This workshop will explore the influence of technology, artificial intelligence, social media, and violence on the healthy development of children and youth. Participants will examine whether modern technology contributes to impaired neurodevelopment and how increasing screen use may affect emotional, cognitive, social, and relational development.

Key areas of focus:

• Technology, artificial intelligence, social media, and child development
• The impact of increasing screen use on emotional, cognitive, social, and relational development
• Connection, compassion, empathy, community, culture, and relationships
• Indigenous perspectives on healthy childhood and adolescent development
• Land-based learning and experiences in nature
• Restoring balance through relationships, community engagement, cultural connection, and meaningful human interaction

Drawing upon Indigenous perspectives, participants will explore the importance of connection, compassion, empathy, community, culture, and relationships in supporting healthy development. The workshop will highlight the value of land-based learning and experiences in nature as important protective factors that promote resilience, belonging, identity, emotional well-being, and healthy growth.

Through discussion, reflection, storytelling, and shared learning, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how Indigenous teachings and community-centered approaches can help support children and youth in an increasingly digital world.