Important Notice:
Online registration is now CLOSED for this conference. You can arrive up to one hour early to register at the door.
The Alberta Conference On: Fostering Emotional Well-Being & Bolstering Resilience in Children and Youth
Presented by Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D. and Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Ph.D. and Steven G. Feifer, D.Ed., ABSNP and MaryAnn Brittingham, MS and Daniel J. Fox, Ph.D and Lynne Kenney, Psy.D. and Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych and Meghan Barlow, Ph.D. and Carissa Muth, Psy.D., CCC, R.Psych
Monday, December 4, 2023 – Wednesday, December 6, 2023 | Calgary, ab
Download Brochure (.PDF)
Date & Location
Monday, December 4, 2023 – Wednesday, December 6, 2023
8:30am – 4:00pm
Best Western Premier Calgary Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre
1316 33 St NE, T2A 6B6, Calgary, AB
phone: 403.248.8888
website: www.calgaryplaza.com/
Registration on this page is for live in-person attendance only. To attend virtually please register here: https://webinars.jackhirose.com/product/the-alberta-conference/
Live In-Person Conference
- Complimentary tea, coffee and assorted pastries
- On-site exhibitors
- Bonus evening session: Qigong Meditation Exercises
Live Stream from Home
- This conference will be live streaming from Calgary, Alberta to online participants on December 4-6, 2023 from 8:30am – 4:00pm MDT
- Recorded footage and all course content will be available until January 6, 2024
- Please allow 3 – 5 business days after the conference has ended for recorded footage to become available
- More information & live stream registration: https://webinars.jackhirose.com/product/the-alberta-conference/
Please note, in-person registration does not include access to the live stream or recorded footage.
Monday, December 4 & Tuesday, December 5, 2023: Lunch Buffet and Live Music | Wednesday, December 6, 2023: Lunch Buffet Only
Featuring: Heather Blush and The Uppercuts
$27.00 per person, per day – includes taxes and gratuity
Lunch Buffet includes:
| Day One (Dec 4) | Day Two (Dec 5) | Day Three (Dec 6) |
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Individuals with strict dietary needs can pre-order and pay directly through Barrington’s (hotel restaurant).
Letter from Jack Hirose
Dear Colleagues,
The past few years have changed the landscape for how we learn and attend events. Zoom has been an invaluable tool for all of us, but the time has come to get back to the method that revitalizes the passion for our professions. Conferences allow for in person benefits such as, the chance to meet fellow clinicians and educators, exhibitors, on-site bookstore, group work and refreshments. We’ve removed the keynote but added even more presenters and a flexible format to create a custom learning experience of the highest calibre.
This year a total of 17 workshop sessions and 3 keynotes will be offered and will address a host of topics relevant to mental health, education, and any professional who applies behavioural science to practice. We invited 8 accomplished guest presenters who will share their knowledge and insights on a host of valuable mental health topics. Every session offered will focus on effective intervention strategies, recent advances and timely topics that will provide all professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to better serve their clients and/or students.
Attendees have the option to attend either full-day or half-day sessions that will cover a diverse and broad range of important topics. For those who prefer to learn at home we will be streaming portions of the conference online. The Alberta Conference On: Fostering Emotional Well-Being & Bolstering Resilience in Children and Youth will be held in Calgary on December 4-6, 2023. Once again we are pleased to work closely and collaborate with our co-sponsors CTV, Sunshine Coast Health Centre and Georgia Straight Women’s Clinic. We hope to see you at our conference which promises to be another exceptional opportunity to not only enhance one’s knowledge and competencies, but to network with our colleagues.
Sincerely,
Jack Hirose
CEO & President
Jack Hirose and Associates
Dear Fellow Conference Attendees,
On behalf of the entire team at Sunshine Coast Health Centre and Georgia Strait Women’s Clinic, we do hope you join us for the The Alberta Conference On: Fostering Emotional Well-Being & Bolstering Resilience in Children and Youth being held from the 4th to the 6th of December, 2023. We are once again pleased to be co-sponsoring an event with Jack Hirose & Associates, Canada’s premier psychotherapy conference organizer. The pandemic has been difficult for all of us but Jack’s hosting of this live event is a positive sign that the worst of the pandemic is solidly behind us.
We have missed the intimacy of live events but are excited to see all of the events/conferences planned for the Fall of 2023. Jack and colleagues will also be offering plenty of virtual events with the same world-class expert lineup you have come to expect over the years. We like to think of this hybrid approach as offering the best of both worlds.
I also want to acknowledge Jack Hirose & Associates for reaching an important milestone, having trained over 100,000 mental health professionals over the past 25 years. One cannot overestimate the spinoff benefits to communities across the country in which clients and their loved ones have benefited from working with skilled practitioners.
Melanie Alsager, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Sunshine Coast Health Centre & Georgia Strait Women’s Clinic
Who Should Attend
A Conference Tailored for Mental Health and Education Professionals at All Levels and Any Professional that Applies Behavioural or Developmental Science to Practice
Mental Health Professionals: All mental health professionals including, but not limited to Clinical Counsellors, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Social Workers, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Hospice and Palliative Care Workers, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Addiction Specialists, Marital & Family Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Vocational Rehabilitation Consultants and all other mental health professionals looking to enhance their therapeutic skills.
Education Professionals: All education 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 and all other professionals who support behavioural challenges and complex learning needs.
Agenda
Day One – December 4, 2023
Keynote: Resilience & The Stress Response: Addressing Emotional Stuckness Including Trauma
Presented by
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
8:30am - 9:30am December 4, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
New understandings reveal that there is much wisdom to the stress response. Rather than focusing on dysfunction, we should begin by appreciating how our brains are brilliantly programmed to not only summon the strength required to deal with distressing situations, but to also serve as an emotional first-aid response. The problem is not with the stress response per se, but when the stress response is not followed in a timely fashion by its partner, the resilience response. We will be much more effective in our interaction with distressed children, youth and students if we first come alongside how their brains are trying to take care of them, and from this stance, proceed to help the stress response become unstuck.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Updating an understanding of the stress response through the lenses of attachment and emotion
- The ability to differentiate between the two kinds of strength that is often associated with resilience
- An appreciation of what has to bounce back for emotional health and well-being
- An understanding of the wisdom of the stress response and how to come alongside it
Dr. Gordon Neufeld is a Vancouver-based developmental psychologist with over 50 years of experience with children and youth and those responsible for them. A foremost authority on child development, Dr. Neufeld is an international speaker, a bestselling author (Hold On To…
More information: www.neufeldinstitute.org
Keynote: Fostering Social Emotional Learning Skills in Children & Adolescents
Presented by
Steven G. Feifer, D.Ed., ABSNP
9:30am - 10:30am December 4, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
According to a 2023 survey conducted by Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC), mental health has worsened in Canada in the aftermath of the global pandemic. For instance, the survey revealed that 14 percent of Canadians continue to struggle with stress and burnout, 10 percent disclosed high levels of anxiety, and 8 percent endorsed moderate symptoms of depression. This workshop will explore the impact of mental health conditions on academic performance in children and adolescents, and discuss how schools can foster social emotional learning to improve both academic and social-skill functioning. Poverty, childhood abuse, parental neglect, trauma, and pandemics can impact key brain mechanisms underlying learning and social-emotional behavior in students. Schools can enhance emotional wellness in children through early prevention efforts, appropriate assessment strategies, teaching collaborative problem solving, and developing a nurturing school climate to foster emotional growth for all children. Specific assessment strategies, screening tools, and targeted classroom interventions will be shared. The specific learning objectives include:
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Discuss the prevalence of children with emotional disabilities in Canada, and the relationship between emotional wellness and successful academic performance.
- Explore key brain regions impacted when students experience stress, anxiety, and depression, and the subsequent effect on academic and social skills’ development.
- Discuss assessment options for students with emotional dysregulation, and introduce the FACT scale to assess the impact of stress and trauma on academic and social-emotional functioning.
- Explore effective classroom accommodations, social-emotional learning options, and targeted classroom strategies and interventions for children and adolescents with emotional self-regulation issues in school.
Steven G. Feifer, D.Ed., ABPdN is dually trained as both a nationally certified school psychologist and board certified pediatric neuropsychologist, having completed research stints at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Feifer has earned numerous distinctions throughout his career including…
Keynote: Living the Medicine Wheel Teachings
Presented by
Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Ph.D.
10:45am - 11:45am December 4, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
The medicine wheel teaches us there are four quadrants that require our dedicated attention – the “Physical quadrant” which encompasses everything we are from conception to elderhood. The “Mental or learning quadrant” where we gather knowledge, courage, and confidence about our world and express the gifts we can give our children. The “Emotional quadrant” where we embrace the concept of “all my relations” as a foundation for our lives and build capacity to love unconditionally. The “Spiritual quadrant” where we are reminded of the need “to be good ancestors” and guide next generations with a good heart as we walk the 7 values (grandfather/grandmother teachings) into the future.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- We have a personal responsibility to understand the relationship between all four quadrants
- We become imbalanced if we only focus on one or two over the others – each one requires discipline and dedication
- Systemic disorders are directly related to how we live our lives – moving, learning, loving, and being socially and emotionally connected
- Everything is connected and this includes the foods we eat, the people we love, how we treat our bodies, and what we chose to learn.
Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Ph.D. served as Vice Provost for Indigenous Initiatives at Lakehead University for three years. Effective September 2016 she was appointed as the 1st Indigenous Chair for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada for Lakehead University and continues to develop…
Workshop #1: Resilience & The Stress Response: Addressing Emotional Stuckness Including Trauma
Presented by
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
12:45pm - 4:00pm December 4, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
CONTINUATION OF THE MORNING KEYNOTE
New understandings reveal that there is much wisdom to the stress response. Rather than focusing on dysfunction, we should begin by appreciating how our brains are brilliantly programmed to not only summon the strength required to deal with distressing situations, but to also serve as an emotional first-aid response. The problem is not with the stress response per se, but when the stress response is not followed in a timely fashion by its partner, the resilience response. We will be much more effective in our interaction with distressed children, youth and students if we first come alongside how their brains are trying to take care of them, and from this stance, proceed to help the stress response become unstuck.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Updating an understanding of the stress response through the lenses of attachment and emotion
- The ability to differentiate between the two kinds of strength that is often associated with resilience
- An appreciation of what has to bounce back for emotional health and well-being
- An understanding of the wisdom of the stress response and how to come alongside it
Workshop #2: Fostering Social Emotional Learning Skills in Children & Adolescents
Presented by
Steven G. Feifer, D.Ed., ABSNP
12:45pm - 4:00pm December 4, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
CONTINUATION OF THE MORNING KEYNOTE
According to a 2023 survey conducted by Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC), mental health has worsened in Canada in the aftermath of the global pandemic. For instance, the survey revealed that 14 percent of Canadians continue to struggle with stress and burnout, 10 percent disclosed high levels of anxiety, and 8 percent endorsed moderate symptoms of depression. This workshop will explore the impact of mental health conditions on academic performance in children and adolescents, and discuss how schools can foster social emotional learning to improve both academic and social-skill functioning. Poverty, childhood abuse, parental neglect, trauma, and pandemics can impact key brain mechanisms underlying learning and social-emotional behavior in students. Schools can enhance emotional wellness in children through early prevention efforts, appropriate assessment strategies, teaching collaborative problem solving, and developing a nurturing school climate to foster emotional growth for all children. Specific assessment strategies, screening tools, and targeted classroom interventions will be shared. The specific learning objectives include:
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Discuss the prevalence of children with emotional disabilities in Canada, and the relationship between emotional wellness and successful academic performance.
- Explore key brain regions impacted when students experience stress, anxiety, and depression, and the subsequent effect on academic and social skills’ development.
- Discuss assessment options for students with emotional dysregulation, and introduce the FACT scale to assess the impact of stress and trauma on academic and social-emotional functioning.
- Explore effective classroom accommodations, social-emotional learning options, and targeted classroom strategies and interventions for children and adolescents with emotional self-regulation issues in school.
Workshop #3: Living the Medicine Wheel Teachings
Presented by
Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Ph.D.
12:45pm - 4:00pm December 4, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
CONTINUATION OF THE MORNING KEYNOTE
The medicine wheel teaches us there are four quadrants that require our dedicated attention – the “Physical quadrant” which encompasses everything we are from conception to elderhood. The “Mental or learning quadrant” where we gather knowledge, courage, and confidence about our world and express the gifts we can give our children. The “Emotional quadrant” where we embrace the concept of “all my relations” as a foundation for our lives and build capacity to love unconditionally. The “Spiritual quadrant” where we are reminded of the need “to be good ancestors” and guide next generations with a good heart as we walk the 7 values (grandfather/grandmother teachings) into the future.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- We have a personal responsibility to understand the relationship between all four quadrants
- We become imbalanced if we only focus on one or two over the others – each one requires discipline and dedication
- Systemic disorders are directly related to how we live our lives – moving, learning, loving, and being socially and emotionally connected
- Everything is connected and this includes the foods we eat, the people we love, how we treat our bodies, and what we chose to learn.
Day Two – December 5, 2023
Workshop #4: Creating Trauma Resilient Classrooms
Presented by
MaryAnn Brittingham, MS
8:30am - 11:45am December 5, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
Research has since established resilience as essential for human thriving, and an ability necessary for the development of healthy, adaptable young people. It’s what enables students to emerge from challenging or traumatic experiences with a positive sense of themselves and their futures. Students who develop resilience are better able to face disappointment, learn from failure, cope with loss, and adapt to change. We recognize resilience in students when we observe their determination, and perseverance to tackle problems and cope with the emotional challenges of school and life. Resilience is not a genetic trait. It is derived from the ways that students learn to think and act when faced with obstacles large and small.
In this session, we will explore how to help students build the resilience they need to succeed in school and in life. We will review how trauma impacts students and their school experience and will provide concrete actions on the “how” to create support for all students and the school professionals who serve them
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Understand the impact of trauma and chronic stress on learning
- Understand how to use the “Upside Down Triangle” to help students self-regulate
- Learn the four S’s to building resilience
- Identify triggers and alternative ways to respond
- Learn how to create resilient mindsets by noticing and reframing your self-talk and stories
- Review how to foster compassion to support ourselves and our students.
MaryAnn Brittingham, MS, holds a master’s degree in family and child counselling from Long Island University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from D’Youville College. She has over 38 years of experience as a special education teacher…
Workshop #6: Strengthen Executive Function, Attention, Memory, Response Inhibition & Self-Regulation in Children & Adolescents
Presented by
Lynne Kenney, Psy.D.
8:30am - 11:45am December 5, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
Did You Know?
- For many students, Executive Function is a better predictor of academic outcomes than intelligence quotient (IQ) and socioeconomic status (SES), (Blair & Raver, 2015; Cortés Pascual et al. 2019; Micalizzi et al., 2019).
- Executive Function skills predict math and reading in higher grade levels (Ribner et al., 2018; Magalhães et al., 2020).
- Self-Regulation skills predict academic, behavioral, and social achievement across a lifetime (Robson et al., 2020).
The Key Is To:
BOX: Empower children and adolescents with the skills to think, plan, attend, inhibit, and self-regulate. “When students develop their ability to think things through, pay attention, manage their emotions, resist their impulses, and plan the sequence of their actions they are better able to successfully learn, connect, and behave.”
This Is Achieved By:
Strengthening Executive Function and Self-Regulation Skills.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Learn About:
- The current science supporting the importance of improving executive function skills in your students.
- The developmental precursor skills that shift the trajectory of student learning, behavior and achievement.
- Evidence-based methods for strengthening executive function.
- The relationships between executive function skills, reading and math.
Understand How To:
- Improve your student’s focused attention.
- Teach your students how to be the “Best Coaches” for their own brains.
- Use cognitive skills coaching activities to bolster self-regulation and impulse control in your students.
- Play cognitive-motor activities like CogniTap and Think-Ups, which require self-regulation, attention, memory, and self-control.
Develop Skills To:
- Teach your students become “Cognitive Scientists” more invested in their own learning.
- Help your students achieve self-regulation quickly and effectively.
- Incorporate cognitive-motor movement to help your students achieve an alert state of learning readiness.
- Teach your students how to better monitor and manage their attention, memory and cognitive flexibility.
Be Ready To Implement:
- Cognitive Skill Coaching Activities for better organization, planning, time management, attention, memory, self-regulation, and cognitive flexibility.
- Simple 5-minute Brain Priming activities to prepare your students to actively participate in classroom lessons.
- Social-Cohesion activities to help students practice kindness, respect, and collaboration.
- Rhythmic vestibular, visual-tracking, and proprioceptive activities to support learning and engagement.
Lynne Kenney, Psy.D., is the nation’s leading pediatric psychologist in the development of classroom cognitive-physical activity programs for students in grades K-8. Dr. Kenney develops curriculum, programming, and activities to improve children’s cognition through coordinative cognitive-motor movement, executive function skill-building strategies,…
More information: www.lynnekenney.com
Workshop #7: Navigating Addictions: Practical Interventions to Promote Healing & Recovery
Presented by
Carissa Muth, Psy.D., CCC, R.Psych
8:30am - 11:45am December 5, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is NOT available for live stream.
The field of addictions is muddled with a myriad of theories and treatments, yet little progress has been made over time to improve relapse rates. Given the repetitive and persistent nature of addictions, mental health professions addressing such concerns are at increased risk for compassion fatigue and burnout. In order to reduce this risk on treatment providers, the workshop will focus on empowering workers by providing techniques to effectively address a variety of client presentations. Often default recommendations of attending inpatient care are provided to clients as professionals lack the tools to know how they can make positive impacts on a clients care at various stages of the recovery journey.
In this workshop, you will also be provided with tools to understand the complexity involved in the development of substance use disorder and thus be able to make effective treatment recommendations. Attendees will leave the workshop equipped with practical techniques for treating those struggling with addictions including basics of assessments, working with families, and providing post-treatment care. Additionally, various invention methods will be overviewed including CBT and narrative therapy in order to provide the client with techniques to implement with a variety of client presentations.
Dr. Carissa Muth is a registered psychologist in Alberta and the Clinical Director at the Sunshine Coast Health Centre and Georgia Strait Women’s Clinic. She holds Doctorate of Psychology, Master of Arts in Counselling, and Bachelor of Social Work degrees…
Workshop #8: Creating Trauma Resilient Classrooms (REPEAT SESSION)
Presented by
MaryAnn Brittingham, MS
12:45pm - 4:00pm December 5, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
THIS IS A REPEAT OF THE MORNING SESSION
Research has since established resilience as essential for human thriving, and an ability necessary for the development of healthy, adaptable young people. It’s what enables students to emerge from challenging or traumatic experiences with a positive sense of themselves and their futures. Students who develop resilience are better able to face disappointment, learn from failure, cope with loss, and adapt to change. We recognize resilience in students when we observe their determination, and perseverance to tackle problems and cope with the emotional challenges of school and life. Resilience is not a genetic trait. It is derived from the ways that students learn to think and act when faced with obstacles large and small.
In this session, we will explore how to help students build the resilience they need to succeed in school and in life. We will review how trauma impacts students and their school experience and will provide concrete actions on the “how” to create support for all students and the school professionals who serve them
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Understand the impact of trauma and chronic stress on learning
- Understand how to use the “Upside Down Triangle” to help students self-regulate
- Learn the four S’s to building resilience
- Identify triggers and alternative ways to respond
- Learn how to create resilient mindsets by noticing and reframing your self-talk and stories
- Review how to foster compassion to support ourselves and our students.
Workshop #10: 20 Empirically-Based Art, Music, Movement & Thinking Skill Activities to Improve Behaviour & Learning in Children & Adolescents
Presented by
Lynne Kenney, Psy.D.
12:45pm - 4:00pm December 5, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
Music, art, and movement have been recognized as important elements in children’s cognitive development (Dumont et al., 2017; Americans for the Arts, 2023). Music, art, and movement provide various benefits that enhance cognitive abilities, including attention, language skills, spatial awareness, problem-solving, creativity, and social interaction.
Musical training has been linked to improved cognitive skills, such as enhanced verbal memory, mathematical abilities, and spatial-temporal skills (Forgeard et al., 2008; Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2018; Schellenberg, 2004).
Learning to play an instrument has shown positive effects on executive functions, including attention, self-regulation, and working memory (Moreno et al., 2011). Children who undergo musical training have better verbal memory, second language pronunciation accuracy, reading ability and executive functions (Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2018).
Music engages multiple brain regions, stimulating neural connections and promoting neuroplasticity, which is crucial for cognitive development (Zatorre et al., 2007; Lippolis et al., 2023).
Dance and rhythmic movements have been shown to improve executive functions and cognitive skills, such as attention, working memory, and inhibitory control (Kattenstroth et al., 2013; Buderath et al., 2008).
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Learn about:
- The relationships between art, cognition, learning and academic achievement.
- How art education has been associated with improved academic performance, including higher achievement in reading and math.
- How engaging in visual arts encourages creativity and divergent thinking to foster problem-solving skills and the ability to think outside the box.
- How foundational cognitive skills such as self-regulation, attention and memory support higher-order skills including problem-solving, imagination and creativity.
Understand how to:
- Apply Musical Thinking to engage your students in learning self-regulation, motor pacing, previewing, planning, tempo, timing and rhythm.
- Use proprietary musical activities including “Watermelon, Unicorn and Tiger” to teach children how to transition from one activity to another and experience the “felt-sense” of slowing down.
- Use Procreate to improve your students imagination and creativity skills.
Develop skills to:
- Use art activities that involve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, which contribute to the development of spatial awareness and cognitive abilities.
- Apply active play and movement activities to stimulate brain development by improving neuroplasticity, neural connectivity, and cognitive flexibility.
- Teach precursor skills to reading, math and spelling including visual-spatial skills, patterning, sequencing, visual-tracking and vestibular strength.
Be ready to implement:
- Dance and rhythmic movements that have been shown to improve executive function and cognitive skills, such as attention, working memory, and inhibitory control.
- Attention, memory and self-regulation songs for students in grades K-4.
- Paradiddles, Cognitap Spots and Rhythmic Movement Phrases to engage cognition and self-regulation in students in grades 5-12.
Movement and cognition
- Physical activity and exercise have been linked to enhanced cognitive functions, including attention, memory, and academic achievement (Hillman et al., 2014; Tomporowski et al., 2011).
- Cognitively engaging physical activity programs have been shown to improve executive functions (Leisman, G. et al., 2016; Schmidt et al., 2016; Diamond & Ling, 2016; Ma, J., et al. 2014; van der Fels et al., 2015; Oberer et al., 2017; Egger et al., 2019; Williams et al., 2020).
- Cognitive-motor activity combines rhythmic physical activity with cognitive-visual and auditory stimuli. This simultaneously activates distinct regions in the brain.
Workshop #11: (CONTINUATION) Navigating Addictions: Practical Interventions to Promote Healing & Recovery
Presented by
Carissa Muth, Psy.D., CCC, R.Psych
12:45pm - 4:00pm December 5, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is NOT available for live stream.
THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE MORNING SESSION
The field of addictions is muddled with a myriad of theories and treatments, yet little progress has been made over time to improve relapse rates. Given the repetitive and persistent nature of addictions, mental health professions addressing such concerns are at increased risk for compassion fatigue and burnout. In order to reduce this risk on treatment providers, the workshop will focus on empowering workers by providing techniques to effectively address a variety of client presentations. Often default recommendations of attending inpatient care are provided to clients as professionals lack the tools to know how they can make positive impacts on a clients care at various stages of the recovery journey.
In this workshop, you will also be provided with tools to understand the complexity involved in the development of substance use disorder and thus be able to make effective treatment recommendations. Attendees will leave the workshop equipped with practical techniques for treating those struggling with addictions including basics of assessments, working with families, and providing post-treatment care. Additionally, various invention methods will be overviewed including CBT and narrative therapy in order to provide the client with techniques to implement with a variety of client presentations.
Evening Session: Qigong Meditation Exercise Session
Presented by
Munira Jiwa, BScPT
6:30pm - 7:30pm December 5, 2023
EVENING SESSION:
Energize with Qigong
Join Qigong Master Teacher Munira Jiwa for an energizing, yet calming qigong moving meditation practice.
After a full day of sitting and listening to all the inspiring speakers, nourish your body, mind and spirit with gentle movement, breath awareness and a visualization practice to help balance your energy.
Put the Oxygen Mask on Yourself First!
In order to help others, it’s imperative that we prioritize our own health and well being so we can serve to the best of our ability.
Experience how qigong can help you optimize your energy so you can be the best that you can be.
Munira Jiwa, BScPT (Physical Therapy), Spring Forest Qigong Master Teacher and Certified Simplified Tai Chi Instructor Munira is a “Spreader of Qi-Joy”. She lives with her family in beautiful Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Munira experienced a profound transformation from chronic pain,…
Day Three – December 6, 2023
Workshop #12: Optimizing & Supporting the ADHD Brain
Presented by
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
8:30am - 11:45am December 6, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex, heterogeneous disorder. When left unmanaged, ADHD is associated with long-term pervasive impairment across all areas of functioning. Recent models of ADHD have conceptualized ADHD as a disorder of behavioural inhibition, impairing executive functioning (EF), which lead to difficulties with self-regulation, organizing and planning behaviours, attention, and distractibility.
Given the substantial risk for students with ADHD, conducting valid and collaborative assessments, as well as developing effective interventions to promote student success, are critical to mitigate associated impairments and long-term risks. In this learning series, clinicians, educators, and families will develop a 360° understanding of ADHD to promote student success in all areas of functioning. Participants will learn more about the ADHD brain, how EF deficits manifest, self-regulation, effective teaching practices, and practical strategies to optimize the ADHD brain and the child’s overall social, emotional, and behavioural functioning. Practical case-base material is presented so participants can easily adapt strategies to meet the unique needs of their students.
Importantly, there are essential components to optimize assessments and interventions that are not widely known. This workshop is therefore vital for anyone working with children with ADHD. Participants will learn the critical steps to take to address the shortcomings of diagnostic assessments. Further, participants will learn imperative approaches to overcome the gaps that medications and behaviour modification cannot address.
When managed effectively, ADHD is an asset that supports individuals’ successes. There are so many positive qualities of ADHD that need to be celebrated, which are also addressed. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a renewed outlook on ADHD, and they will be better equipped to identify ADHD and design and implement effective intervention programs for children with ADHD.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Develop a 360° understanding of ADHD and executive functions
- Identify key assets of ADHD and how to optimize them
- Identify associated comorbidities and how they complicate the presentation and treatment of ADHD
- Implement strategies to conduct effective assessments and obtain valid diagnostic results
- Address shortcomings of assessment practices and to promote accurate results and parents’ acceptance of their child’s diagnosis
- Integrate assessment data to highlight areas of strengths and challenges and inform effective intervention
- Create a toolbox of practical strategies they can individualize and use immediately to help kids with ADHD in all areas of functioning, including at home, at school, and within relationships
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych, is a Psychologist. Mother. International Speaker. Yoda of Anxiety. Neurodivergent Superhero. Changer of Lives. She is a dynamic force in the field of psychology, dedicating nearly three decades to transforming the lives of children, teens,…
Workshop #14: Addressing the Emotional Roots of Anxiety & Agitation: An Attachment-Based Developmental Approach
Presented by
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
8:30 - 11:45am December 6, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
There is currently an epidemic of anxiety and agitation affecting children and teens which can take many forms including attention problems, clinginess, eating problems, obsessions, compulsions, phobias, panic, sleep issues, physical illnesses, as well as a host of other perplexing behaviours. Today’s world can create many challenges for children and youth with school pressures, peer interactions, family dynamics, negative self-image, perfectionism, and many other stressors that can impede a child’s ability to learn and mature. Whether it’s the natural, episodic worries or more profound and crippling versions of anxiety, Dr. Neufeld will help make sense of the roots of anxiety and agitation and suggest ways in which we can help bring the anxious and agitated to rest.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Understanding the spectrum of syndromes that are all rooted in the primary emotion of alarm
- Appreciating the attachment roots of anxiety and agitation
- Exposing the emotional root of most attention problems
- Equipping with solutions that are both natural and developmental
Workshop #15: Optimizing Self-Regulation & Managing Big Emotions
Presented by
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
12:45pm - 4:00pm December 6, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
In today’s world, our children and youth face an unprecedented level of stress and pressure, making it hard to effectively self-regulate and manage day-to-day stressors. As parents, educators, and mental health professionals, it’s essential that we equip ourselves with effective strategies to help children and teens develop the skills they need to navigate life’s challenges. When they don’t know how to manage those emotions, problem behaviours often result and can negatively affect their physical, psychological, academic, and social well-being. For many, they struggle to meet even the most basic expectations. It is essential they receive the right support.
Join us for a transformative workshop designed for mental health professionals, educators, parents, and caregivers to build self-regulation and emotional management skills in children and teens. During this workshop, you’ll learn evidence-based interventions and practical tools to promote healthy self-regulation and emotional management skills in children and youth. This workshop will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the children and teens you work with. Join us in this engaging and practical workshop, where you will leave with the skills and knowledge to empower children and youth to manage their emotions, overcome challenges, and build resilience.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Explain self-regulation and emotional management in children and teens.
- Identify the role of emotions and how they show up.
- Differentiate misbehaviour from stress behaviour.
- Address the sensory, language and executive functioning processing deficits that get in the way of self-regulation.
- Discuss the importance of co-regulation and how to best support children and teens.
- Teach children and teens what they need to know boost their emotional literacy.
- Apply practical evidenced-based tools and techniques to promote healthy emotional regulation and coping skills in children and teens.
- Implement techniques to help children and teens cope with challenging situations.
- Develop an increased capacity to support children and teens in their emotional needs.
Workshop #17: Why Our Children's Mental Health Is Deteriorating & What Can Be Done About It
Presented by
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
12:45pm - 4:00pm December 6, 2023
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This session is available for live stream.
The alarming rise in anxiety, depression, despair, and attention problems, begs for an explanation. The prevailing premise blames the social isolation experienced during the pandemic. When the dots are joined however, another picture emerges that reveals the attachment roots of mental health. This current mental health crisis provides us with a unique opportunity to understand the underlying dynamics, giving us a guide to better take care of our children, our students and ourselves.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Gaining insight as to the attachment and emotional roots of mental health
- Making sense of how the pandemic affected the mental health of students
- Appreciating how peer orientation predisposes to mental health problems
- Understanding why self-care for children can be counterproductive
- Being equipped with developmental interventions for the prevention and reversal of mental health problems
Registration & Fees
| Registration | Early bird Fee | Regular Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Individual 1 Day Enrollment | $279 | $299 |
| Individual 2 Day Enrollment | $499 | $519 |
| Individual 3 Day Enrollment | $699 | $719 |
| Group 3-7 | $679 | $699 |
| Group 8-14 | $659 | $679 |
| Group 15+ | $639 | $659 |
| Full-Time Student | $639 | $659 |
All fees are in Canadian Dollars ($CAD)
Fees do not include applicable taxes (5% GST).
Early bird cutoff date: November 20, 2023
The early bird date has passed. Regular rates apply.
Please review our Registration Terms and Conditions for information on our cancellation policy, payment policies, rebates, and more. You must agree to our Terms and Conditions to register for a workshop or conference.
Register Online Download Registration Form (.PDF) Register your Group
Downloads
All brochures and forms are provided in .PDF format.
If you are unable to open our files, we recommend downloading Adobe Reader for free.
Brochure (.PDF) Registration Form (.PDF)
Exhibitors are welcome at this event. We are pleased to offer sponsorship opportunities to businesses and organizations that provide services related to nursing, psychotherapy, addictions treatment, counselling, marriage & family therapy, psychology and other related fields.
→ More information
Recommended Accommodation
Best Western Premier Calgary Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre
1316 33 St NE, T2A 6B6, Calgary, AB
phone: 403.248.8888
website: www.calgaryplaza.com/
Our rates:
Call: Please contact the hotel directly for current group rates, when booking please reference “Jack Hirose & Associates“. To make a reservation over the phone, please call 403.248.8888.
May:
Select King Room: $139.00 plus tax
Select 2 Queen Room: $139.00 plus tax
July:
Select 2 Queen Room: $179.00 plus tax
*please note, room reservations are subject to availability*
Please keep in mind when booking Jack Hirose and Associates corporate guest rooms, reservations booked for most hotels can be cancelled within 48 hours. If you are booking guest rooms through third-party websites in many instances the reservations booked cannot be cancelled.
When booking hotel rooms, ask for the Jack Hirose and Associates corporate rate. To receive our corporate rate, rooms must be booked one month prior to the workshop date. Please keep in mind hotel rates may fluctuate.
Continuing Education Credits
This workshop has been formally approved by the following associations:
- Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation (CACCF)
CACCF is only pre-approved for the workshop Navigating Addictions by Carissa Muth, Psy.D., CCC, R.Psych - Canadian College of Professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists (CCPCP)
- Canadian Professional Counsellors Association (CPCA)
- Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
Jack Hirose & Associates is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Jack Hirose & Associates maintains responsibility for the program.
† The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Social Workers (NLASW) accept CPA-approved CEUs.
* Participants will receive a certificate of completion after every workshop. Workshops are pre-approved for 5.5 or 6 credits per day unless otherwise specified.
Please check back closer to the conference date for more information.
Exhibitors
Exhibitors Welcome:
At the conference, exhibitor tables will be provided to allow your organization the opportunity to display and circulate informational packages to conference attendees who may require the services of your respective organization or business.
The conference is an excellent opportunity for exhibitors to gather attendee information – collect business cards to enter a draw, scan badges to participate in your activity and interact with mental health and education professionals throughout the country.
Exhibitor booth, all 3 days, fee: $3,000.00 plus tax (For-profit organization) $2,500.00 plus tax (Non-profit organization)
To secure an exhibitor booth, please contact our office at 604-924-0296 or email: registration@jackhirose.com
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There are no related events at this time.