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The Student Based Mental Health & Education Conference: Exploring AI, Working with High-Risk, Marginalized, Self-Harm, Emotional Self-Regulation & Highly Alarmed Kids [Victoria, BC]

Live Streaming from Victoria, BC | October 28 – 30, 2026

Presented by Lisa Porter, DCP, CCC, CCS, Kelly Cleeve, M.Ed., B.Ed., B.A and Deborah MacNamara, Ph.D.

Sponsored by Sunshine Coast Health Centre & Georgia Strait Women's Clinic

$229.00

Up To 18 Hours  |   Pre-approved for CEU’s

$229.00
$229.00
$229.00
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Description

LIVE STREAM: October 28 – 30, 2026 from  8:30am – 4:00pm (Victoria, BC) Please adjust your start time according to your specific time zone. 

ON-DEMAND: Recorded footage & course content (certificate, videos, quiz) will be available until December 7, 2026. Please allow 3 – 10 business days for footage to be processed. Extensions cannot be granted under any circumstances.

Welcome to The Student-Based Mental Health and Education Summit: Fostering Resilience Through Indigenous Perspectives for At-Risk, Highly Dysregulated, and Technology-Saturated Children and Youth.

On behalf of Jack Hirose & Associates, welcome and thank you for joining us. We are delighted to bring together educators, counsellors, therapists, administrators, and helping professionals from across Canada for three days of practical, evidence-informed learning.

Throughout the conference, you will explore practical strategies for supporting children and youth facing trauma, emotional dysregulation, mental health challenges, and the impacts of today’s digital world, while gaining valuable insights grounded in Indigenous perspectives and resilience-focused practices.

We hope you enjoy both the conference and your time in Victoria, and leave feeling inspired, connected, and equipped with new ideas to support the children and youth in your communities.

Day One | October 28, 2026

Digital Wellness in an AI Era: Practical Strategies for Educators and Clinicians
Presented by Lisa Porter, DCP, CCC, CCS

8:30am – 4:00pm   October 28, 2026

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Children, adolescents, and adults are navigating a world increasingly shaped by social media, smartphones, artificial intelligence, and constant digital connectivity. These technologies are influencing how people learn, communicate, form relationships, seek support, and experience mental health challenges. Educators and clinicians are often left wondering how to respond effectively while supporting wellbeing in a rapidly changing environment.

This practical workshop provides evidence-informed strategies for promoting digital wellness in schools, counselling settings, healthcare environments, and community programs. Participants will explore the relationship between technology use and mental health, including concerns related to anxiety, depression, social comparison, sleep disruption, attention difficulties, cyberbullying, FoMO, emotional regulation, and social connection.

Drawing on current research and real-world examples, the workshop will examine how artificial intelligence and digital technologies are changing learning, help-seeking behaviours, and interpersonal relationships. Participants will learn practical approaches for supporting healthy technology habits, strengthening resilience, fostering critical thinking, and helping young people navigate online spaces safely and responsibly.

The workshop will also address emerging issues such as AI companionship, academic integrity in the age of generative AI, and the ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in educational and clinical settings. Rather than focusing solely on restricting technology use, participants will explore ways to work with these tools constructively while maintaining the human connection that remains central to learning, development, and therapeutic change.

Through case studies, discussion, and practical applications, attendees will leave with concrete strategies that can be implemented immediately to support mental health, digital wellbeing, and healthy engagement with technology across a variety of educational and clinical contexts.

Day Two | October 29, 2026

When Students Feel Seen: Social-Emotional Learning as a Tool for Inclusion and Empowerment
Presented by Kelly Cleeve, M.Ed., B.Ed., B.A

8:30am – 4:00pm   October 29, 2026

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Creating classrooms where every student feels seen, valued, and connected has never been more important. As Canadian classrooms become increasingly diverse, educators are challenged to support students with a wide range of cultural identities, lived experiences, learning needs, and social-emotional strengths. This engaging and interactive workshop explores how social-emotional learning (SEL) can move beyond teaching individual skills to become a powerful framework for fostering belonging, inclusion, and student empowerment.

Grounded in current research and practical classroom experience, participants will examine the connections between social-emotional learning, equity, and student well-being while exploring the barriers that can prevent marginalized and underserved learners from experiencing a true sense of belonging. Through reflective activities, case studies, collaborative discussions, and practical classroom strategies, attendees will discover how relationship-centred, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approaches can create learning environments where every student is supported to thrive.

Participants will also explore Transformative Social-Emotional Learning (tSEL), critically examine traditional SEL frameworks through an equity lens, and develop practical strategies that honour diverse identities, experiences, and ways of learning. Throughout the day, educators will leave with evidence-informed tools they can immediately apply to strengthen relationships, increase student engagement, and build more inclusive classroom communities.

Day Three | October 30, 2026

Supporting Defended and Disconnected Children and Youth: Reducing Alarm and Building Connection to Foster Resilience, Growth and Emotional Healing
Presented by Deborah MacNamara, Ph.D.

8:30am – 4:00pm   October 30, 2026

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Some children and youth seem impossible to reach. They resist help, reject relationship, avoid vulnerability, push adults away, or appear emotionally shut down altogether. Traditional behavioural approaches often fail to make headway because the issue is not simply behaviour — it is alarm, adaptation, defended attachment, and much more.

Many of our most vulnerable children have experienced too much separation, instability, stress, disconnection, or emotional pain. Others may have received care but struggle to trust, depend, or receive it. In these contexts, relationship itself can become defended against.

This presentation moves beyond surface-level behaviour management — and even beyond conventional trauma-informed approaches — to explore the developmental and relational roots of disconnection, alarm, and emotional defenses. Participants will gain insight into why some children resist closeness, why caring adults can feel shut out, and how alarm and attachment dynamics shape behaviour, learning, and emotional well-being.

Grounded in developmental science, attachment theory, and practical relational experience, this seminar will explore how educators, counsellors, youth workers, and helping professionals can make meaningful headway with hard-to-reach children and youth. Participants will learn how to reduce alarm, work with — rather than against — defenses, build trust and connection over time, and create the conditions where growth, learning, and emotional healing can unfold.

This highly practical workshop will integrate real-life examples, guided reflection, and case-based application to help participants translate developmental-relational understanding into meaningful action within their own settings and with the children and youth in their care.

Education and Clinical Professionals: All education and mental health or healthcare professionals who work with children or youth including, but not limited to K–12 Classroom Teachers, School Counsellors, Learning Assistance/Resource Teachers, School Administrators, School Paraprofessionals including Special Education Assistants, Classroom Assistants and Childcare Workers • All other professionals who support behavioural challenges and complex learning needs 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 Community Police Officers.

Lisa Porter, DCP, CCC, CCS, started her career as a high school teacher, working in the public education in both Alberta and BC. She later transitioned into high school counselling, where she spent ten years supporting student mental health and wellbeing. Upon completing her doctoral degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Lisa moved into higher education and now teaches in both Master of Education and Master of Counselling programs, preparing future educators and mental health professionals for professional practice.

Lisa’s research and professional presentations focus on the impact of social media, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies on mental health, education, and professional practice. Her work emphasizes practical, evidence-informed approaches that help educators and clinicians respond thoughtfully to the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies. Her other research interests include harmonizing practitioner and scholar models in higher education, collaborative leadership within complex systems, and promoting youth voice in education and mental health. Lisa is co-author and co-editor of School Counselling in Canada: A Comprehensive Guide (2025).

Kelly Cleeve, M.Ed., B.Ed., B.A, with more than twenty years of experience in Canadian education, Kelly Cleeve is a respected educator, facilitator, and lecturer dedicated to advancing social-emotional learning, inclusion, and student well-being. She has worked with teachers, school leaders, and educational organizations across British Columbia and Canada, helping them create learning environments where all students can thrive.

Known for her engaging storytelling, interactive facilitation, and practical, relationship centered approach, Kelly delivers professional learning experiences that inspire reflection and meaningful action. Her workshops and university courses are recognized for blending research, real-world classroom experience, and accessible strategies that educators can immediately apply in their practice.Drawing on her experience sharing the work of the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education and her current role as a lecturer at the University of British Columbia, Kelly is passionate about fostering belonging, emotional literacy, and equity in education. She is committed to supporting educators in building inclusive communities where every learner feels seen, valued, and empowered.

Deborah MacNamara, PhD is a clinical counsellor and educator with more than 25 years’ experience working with children, youth, and adults. She is on faculty at the Neufeld Institute, operates a counselling practice, and speaks regularly about child and adolescent development to parents, child care providers, educators, and mental health professionals. She is also the author of the best-selling book Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One), which provides a 360-degree developmental walk around the young child, and The Sorry Plane, a children’s picture book. Her new book, Nourished: Connection, Food, and Caring for our Kids (and everyone else we love), will be released September 19, 2023. Deborah resides in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and two children.

RegistrationEarly bird FeeRegular Fee
Individual 1 Day Enrollment$229.00N/A
1 Day Group 3 - 7$169.00N/A
1 Day Group 8 - 15$119.00N/A
1 Day Group 15+ $99.00N/A
Individual 2 Day Enrollment$399.00N/A
2 Day Group 3 - 7$295.00N/A
2 Day Group 8 - 15$208.00N/A
2 Day Group 15+ $173.00N/A
Individual 3 Day Enrollment$569.00N/A
3 Day Group 3 - 7$420.00N/A
3 Day Group 8 - 15$296.00N/A
3 Day Group 15+ $246.00N/A

All fees are in Canadian dollars ($CAD) and per person.

How to Purchase a Group Rate

  1. Add Seats to Your Cart
    Select the total number of seats you need for your group and add them to your cart. Each seat represents one participant who will be enrolled in the course.

  2. Complete Your Purchase
    Proceed to checkout and complete the payment for the total number of seats needed for your group.

  3. Contact Our Office
    Once your purchase is complete, please contact our office at webinars@jackhirose.com with your order number.

  4. Receive Group Enrollment Link
    We will send you a unique link that you can distribute to group members. Group members will be required to use this link to complete receiving access to the course.

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

 

  • Canadian Psychological Association
    The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Social Workers (NLASW) accept CPA-approved continuing education credits

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