CES Sessions
All sessions are offered at no cost.
Managing Productive Struggle: Building confidence and resilience in the face of challenge! ***please register using the poster only***
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Presented by Nicola Doughty, Registered Clinical Counsellor, BCACC in partnership with Nicola Doughty Counselling
This is a lively and informative presentation exploring how you can support your child when they are experiencing the frustration, stress, and anxiety that comes from tackling challenges. Whether it be social, emotional, or academic concerns, parents will learn how to align and guide their children, thereby increasing their sense of agency and building confidence.
This presentation will explore the concept of power, brain development in children and what it means for parents as children pass through the various stages of growing up.
Avoiding the traps of becoming a helicopter or snowplow parent, parents can feel more in tune with their values and parenting style when they know they are engaging practical strategies that promote positive growth. There will be ample opportunities for questions throughout the presentation.
Supporting Your Child’s Journey to Wellness ***please register using the poster only***
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Carmen McCarty - Youth Facilitator, RSW & Amanda Tailleur-Marshall - Youth Facilitator, Diploma in SW
Closer to Home Community Services
You will learn about teenage brain development, mental health statistics affecting our youth and how to advocate for your youth.
Navigating Technology with our Youth ***please register using the poster only***
Noon - 1:30 PM
Presented by: Andrea Halwas Larsen, in partnership with Juno House
In this 1.5 hour presentation, we will discuss the role of technology and today’s youth. The message of this presentation is not only based on technology, but also about a child’s healthy brain development and the necessary parenting/caregiver role in creating healthy, emotional, regulated, and integrated brains. This presentation will address the underpinning of a child’s emotional brain development and how to grow it, as well as how technology can dangerously hijack this.
We believe that talking does not grow neurons; experience grows neurons. This workshop is designed to give attendees the skills to become their child’s emotional coach. The workshop will provide participants with:
• An understanding of the basic neuroscience behind healthy brain development,
• The dangers of technology for healthy brain development,
• Technology use rules that will help your child
• When building healthy brains, how to identify emotions in your child/student, and
• How to become your child’s/student’s emotional coach in only five steps and in that, build a resilient child.
The presentation is facilitated by a therapist from Juno House who has years of both clinical and facilitating experience. Juno House was founded in 2008 as a Centre of Excellence for adolescent girls and young women who are experiencing anxiety-based mental health issues of self harm, obsessive compulsive disorders, depression and eating disorders.
ADHD is Awesome! ***please register using the poster only***
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Dr. Caroline Buzanko PhD, Registered Psychologist
Clinical Director, Koru Family Psychology
ADHD is often thought of in terms of its symptoms and associated problems. Unfortunately, a deficit-based approach, focusing on what is wrong, can be very impairing for children and their families. However, there are so many positive qualities of ADHD that need to be celebrated! In this session, you will learn about what ADHD is, why it is awesome, and how to capitalize on its assets to promote long-term success.
Understanding Teen Mental Health & Wellness ***Please register using the poster only***
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Presenters: Ashley Meagher BA CYC & Allison Salazar, MA School Counselling, Rocky View School Division & MHCB Stepping Stones to Mental Health
Everyone has mental health, teens included! This session will provide information to help caregivers understand and cultivate positive mental health for youth during their teen years. Learn to distinguish between normal feelings and behaviour of teens, including signs and symptoms of mental health concerns. School and community resources will be shared.
Supporting Children and Youth through Grief & Loss ***please register using the poster only***
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Presenters: Allison Salazar, MA School Counselling & Stephanie Sands, BSc. Psychology
Rocky View School Division and MHCB Stepping Stones to Mental Health
To watch a child, grieve and not know what to do is a profoundly difficult experience for parents, teachers, and caregivers. There are many life experiences that can produce feelings of grief in a child, from the death of a relative or a divorce in the family to more everyday experiences such as moving to a new neighborhood or losing a prized possession. The pandemic has added even more reasons, with children grieving the loss of normalcy and a sense of safety. This session is to help adults counter the false idea of "not feeling bad" and to empower children with positive, effective methods of dealing with loss. We will look at guidelines for helping children develop a lifelong, healthy response to loss and how you can support them through these tough times.
Trauma Informed Care Approaches – Translating Trauma-Informed Principles Into Action ***Please register using the poster only***
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Presented by: Ashley Meagher BA CYC & Stephanie Sands BSc. Psychology, Rocky View School Division & MHCB Stepping Stones to Mental Health
This free community-focused session explores the role that traumatic experiences can have in people's everyday life. The focus of this information is to offer a generous approach by implementing skills that help community adopt a trauma - informed approach in the relationships and roles they have. Trauma is part of human experience and working from a trauma - informed lens acknowledges the prevalence of trauma within the population. As such, adults can anticipate that they will often serve individuals who have experienced or been affected by trauma. The hope of sharing this information is that together we can create a kinder more generous community for everyone.