Full Course Description

The Self-Protective System of Children with Complex Trauma: Removing Barriers to Treatment with EMDR, Play Therapy & More!

Children affected by chronic trauma present with pervasive challenges in affect regulation, interoception and exteroception awareness.

And without adequate experiences of co-regulation, children with complex trauma become phobic of their own emotions perceiving them as dangerous leading to adaptations of trauma related phobias and rigid forms of self-protection—avoidance, control, pleasing, idealization and more – that block the healing of the very wounds they’re trying to protect.

Join Ana Gomez, world-renowned expert on the treatment of complex trauma as she shows you how to remove barriers to treatment by incorporating EMDR therapy, play therapy, parts work, and Sandtray therapy. You’ll discover the multiple pathways in which defences are formed and the therapeutic portals into the protective system so the child can access their inner world and experiences to begin the healing.

If this system is not embraced, if defences are not embraced and addressed, you risk the potential for therapy to become stagnant and impact the child’s therapeutic outcomes.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get the strategies you need to work around the entrenched forms of self-protection and move treatment forward!

Program Information

Objectives

Cite the factors that lead to the formation of trauma related phobias and adaptation.
Identify the relationship between trauma related phobias, interoception, exteroception and affect regulation in children and the formation of rigid forms of self-protection.
Demonstrate a wide range of trauma derived mechanisms of protection
Utilize Play therapy, parts work, Sandtray therapy and EMDR therapy strategies to work with children’s self-protective system

Outline

Trauma Related Phobias and Adaptations

Formation of Rigid Self-Protection

Avoidance, Attachment to Perpetrator, Pleasing...

Working with Children’s Self-Protective System

Strategies to Build Roads into the Trauma Networks

Play Therapy, Parts Work, Sandtray & EMDR

Copyright : 02/08/2023

Getting Parents Onboard: Facilitating Effective Family Therapy with Difficult Parents

Too many children feel hurt, angry, and disconnected from their parents—and too many parents feel discouraged that their child-rearing approaches aren’t working.

As a clinician, despite attempting various interventions to help a parent be successful within a parent-child session, you find that the unhelpful parent attitudes and behaviours persist.

Join Dafna Lender, LCSW, as she guides you in learning the steps towards successful parent attachment work.

You’ll learn how to:

Identify when a parent needs more focused individual work

Set goals for parent-focused work

Assess when it is time to re-introduce child into the therapy room

Navigate parent child sessions when the parent’s defenses are re-triggered

Help parents initiate repair and stay present with the child to facilitate true healing and connection

Program Information

Objectives

Assess when it is appropriate to work with the parent individually
Describe how to help a parent become less defensive and more open to their own attachment issues that are affecting the parent-child relationship
Practice scenarios for de-escalating parent dysregulation.
Apply gentle intervention to redirect a misattuned or critical parent in a parent-child session.

Outline

Assessing When It’s Time for Parent Individual Work

Breaking through Parents’ Defensiveness to Get to the Underlying Issues

Preparing Yourself to be the Parent’s Secure Base

Tools for Deepening Parent’s Regulation Skills

Role plays, Mindfulness Practice, Self-Care
- De-escalate dysregulation
- Parents own attachment issues
- Redirect the critical parent

Guiding Parents in Helpful Responses within Session

Copyright : 02/08/2023

EMDR & Trauma-Informed Yoga for Kids: Integrative Practices for the Mind, Body, and Heart

What if you could combine the healing powers of trauma-informed yoga & EMDR therapy to help children of all ages?

In this workshop you’ll learn how trauma-informed yoga and EMDR can be complimentary offerings for children to process and heal from trauma in their minds, bodies & hearts.

Join Zabie Yamasaki, M.Ed., RYT and author of children’s book “Your Joy is Beautiful” (PESI Publishing & Media 2023) and Christine Mark-Griffin, LCSW and author of “EMDR Workbook for Kids” (PESI Publishing & Media 2023) to learn how to maximize children’s capacity for healing.

You’ll discover approaches to help children:

Gain insight and strengthen their mind
Increase emotional regulation and align with expressing what is in their hearts
Utilize movement to enhance physical strength and attunement to their bodies

Zabie and Christine will share a variety of child-friendly approaches and practices for kids to feel empowered in their healing process while strengthening their emotional, physical, mental, spiritual and interpersonal skills.

Program Information

Objectives

Apply the lens of EMDR and Trauma-Informed Yoga to their clinical work with children.
Design a program or curriculum that integrates the phases of EMDR and the frameworks of Trauma-Informed Yoga.
Utilize somatic-based modalities and practices into the scope of their clinical work.

Outline

Brief Overview of the Frameworks

Kid Friendly Explanation of the 8 Frameworks of Trauma-Informed Yoga
Kid Friendly Explanation of the 8 phases of EMDR

Integrative Child Friendly Practices for Healing the Mind, Body and Heart with EMDR & Yoga

Getting prepared
Breathwork and mindfulness
Supporting kids who are triggered
Cultural considerations and accessibility
- Help children gain insight and strengthen their minds
  - Safe Calm Place,
  - Identifying Unhelpful & Helpful Thoughts
  - Psychoeducation about Window of Tolerance
  - Surrender Bowl
  - Tuning into Exteroceptive Sensations
- Increase emotional regulation and align with expressing what is in their hearts
  - Resource Development Intervention - Happy Place
  - Chakra for Kids & Inner light meditation
  - Take what you need board & intention stones
- Utilize movement to enhance physical strength and attunement to their bodies
  - Child friendly body scans
  - Games and activities for bilateral stimulation and discharging stress
  - Increasing body awareness + helping with ouches
  - Vinyasa – flow yoga
  - EMDR Back & Forth movement to move the trauma out & move the healing in

Copyright : 02/08/2023

Youth Suicide Intervention: New Strategies & Proven Techniques to Assess and Address Suicidal Ideation, Intent, Plans, and Behaviors

Join renowned child and adolescent clinician, Dr. Tony Sheppard, in this impactful session that delves into the urgent issue of youth suicide. Gain a deep understanding of this critical public health crisis and equip yourself with the necessary interventions to make a difference.

In this powerful workshop, Dr. Sheppard will guide you through the latest insights, tools, and skills essential for helping young individuals effectively manage suicidal ideation in their lives. You'll develop the expertise to:

Identify risk and protective factors, enabling early intervention and support
Adopt the right approach when addressing youth suicide, fostering a supportive and empathetic environment
Utilize available tools and resources that have been proven effective in crisis management
Effectively manage suicidal behaviour and guide individuals towards a path of healing and resilience
Foster the development of essential life skills in your clients, empowering them to lead healthy lives
Implement evidence-based practices within the scope of your training, ensuring ethical and effective care

Don't miss this opportunity to gain invaluable insights and practical strategies for crisis safety planning with youth and teens. Together, let's make a profound impact on the lives of young individuals and create a safer, more resilient future!

Program Information

Objectives

Understand the public health crisis around suicide and suicidal behaviour among youth.
Identify tools to assess youth for suicidal ideation, intent, plans and behaviours.
Intervene in a therapeutic manner that helps youth overcome problems with suicide in their lives.

Outline

Understanding Youth Suicide

Identifying Risk Factors
Identifying Protective Factors

Assessing Youth Suicide

Taking the Right Approach
Using Available Tools

Treating Youth Suicide

Managing Suicidal Behaviour
Building Skills for Healthy Living
Working within the scope of your training and evidence-based practice

Copyright : 02/08/2023

Break the Cycle of Intergenerational Trauma: Comprehensive Assessment, Tailored Interventions, and Empowered Understanding

Many clients seeking our help carry the weight of intergenerational adverse experiences, impacting their overall well-being and functioning. By understanding how these traumas manifest in children and families, you'll gain the expertise to engage in intergenerational healing and make a lasting impact.
Join world-renowned intergenerational trauma expert and the author, Mariel Buqué, PhD, for this must-attend training to become a skilled clinician in intergenerational trauma healing, empowering your practice to support children and generations of their family members. By assessing intergenerational trauma comprehensively, designing tailored interventions, and utilizing your newfound understanding, you will guide your clients through a journey of trauma healing and transformation.
With a focus on breaking the cycles of pain and adversity that have been passed down through generations, this workshop offers a comprehensive healing protocol that will enable you to guide your clients towards emotional resilience and stamina.

Program Information

Objectives

Assess intergenerational trauma in your clients' histories, enabling a holistic understanding of their unique experiences and challenges.
Design personalized intervention plans that empower your clients to shed the emotional pain associated with generational trauma, fostering their journey towards resilience and well-being.
Utilize your knowledge of intergenerational trauma to expertly guide your clients through their healing process, providing the support they need to overcome the lasting effects of trauma.

Outline

Intergenerational Trauma

What it is and what it is not
Assess client’s history in a comprehensive way

Guide Clients Through Trauma Healing

Strategies and practices to help shed trauma and build mental fortitude
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Copyright : 02/08/2023

Anxious & Stressed-Out Kids: Strategies to Overcome Negative Thinking, Intrusive Thoughts and Emotional Dysregulation

Stress, pressure, and the general busyness of growing up in the modern world can trigger negative thought patterns in kids.
And they continue to endure higher levels of stress and pressure across domains (school, extracurricular activities, sports)—it's a lot to process on any given day, and negative thinking can snowball quickly.
The good news is that kids can learn to tap into positive psychology to work through their intrusive thoughts and focus on their strengths, instead.
Join Katie Hurley DSW, LCSW and author of The Stress-Buster Workbook for Kids (PESI Publishing 2021) as she teaches you tools rooted in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
You’ll be equipped to:

Spot the signs of cognitive, physical, and emotional stress and anxiety
Assess symptoms of stress and anxiety and how they present at different ages
Notice the warning signs of negative thinking in kids
Help young clients positively reframe intrusive thoughts
And more.

Get tried-and-true strategies to help kids navigate the stressors of everyday life, overcome challenges and build self-confidence.

Program Information

Objectives

Identify symptoms of stress and anxiety in kids.
Utilize emotion regulation tools rooted in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to assist students or clients in coping with symptoms of stress and anxiety.
Apply cognitive reframing to intrusive thoughts to help students or clients shift their mindsets.

Outline

Assess for and Differentiate Between Stress and Anxiety in Kids

How symptoms present at different ages
Evaluate cognitive, physical, and emotional signs of stress and anxiety

Applying the Concept of Positive Thinking

Correct ratio of positive to negative thinking to reduce intrusive thoughts
Positive reframing to intrusive thinking

Emotion Regulation Tools to Use with Kids

Grounding techniques and when to apply them
Effective deep breathing techniques

Risks and Limitations

Mindfulness can trigger symptoms for trauma survivors
Age and developmental capability

Copyright : 03/08/2023

Therapeutic Improvisation: The Brain's Playground for Problem-Solving Anxiety-Related Disorders

Improvisation in the clinical setting is not about silliness and humour – it’s about how your brain changes to allow unhindered solution-oriented thinking while increasing attunement of others in your space – emotionally, verbally, and non-verbally.

Imagine having your clients display the deeper challenges of their ‘presenting problem’ and feeling better prepared to address what has been holding them back from experiencing feeling better.
This workshop will show you what’s been missing in your anxiety-related (disorders) treatment approach and reinvigorate your own creativity in the helping profession.

By incorporating Improv you’ll:

Experience a notable shift in clients’ interfacing with you and/or each other
Target anxiety, low confidence, learned avoidance behaviours and more
Notice clients becoming less guarded when approaching ‘heavier’ issues
Witness how the brain alters to find solutions while quieting self-judgement
Watch and evaluate how ‘body up’ and ‘top down’ integration unfolds
Free-form, a multi-sensory approach to enable clients to get “un-stuck” and experience relief and success—discovering their innate power to problem solve
Learn Improv games designed to promote psychological safety

Great News: No Experience Needed! Improvisation follows simple rules of play and interactions that you will learn and be able to use immediately!

Program Information

Objectives

Identify at least 3 challenges with incorporating improvisation into your practice and how to overcome them.
List 3 ways that clinicians can facilitate therapeutic improvisation in their practice.
Identify, and be able to use, at least 4 therapeutic improvisation interventions.
Explain at least 2 ways that you can utilize yourself as a therapeutic improvisation intervention tool in your practice now.

Outline

Facilitate Therapeutic Improvisation in Practice

Learn how to weave Therapeutic Improvisation into your sessions and identify unspoken conflicts
Realize how to identify entry points for using improv spontaneously during sessions

Introduce Clients to the Healing Effects of Therapeutic Improvisation

Discover the power to problem solve
Help clients to become less guarded
Quiet self-judgment

Interventions to Promote Psychological Safety

Find disclosures that arise from a level playing field
Remove ‘Status Boundaries’’ that can hinder progress from feeling ‘less than
Become the bridge to safer expression of needs and solutions

Copyright : 03/08/2023

Divorce and Children: Practical Strategies for Keeping Kids at the Center (Not in the Middle of Parental Separation)

Most mental health professionals understand the all-too-familiar struggle of feeling like a referee rather than an agent of change when working with divorcing parents. Although parents tell us they're focused on their children's best interests, most of us are painfully aware that kids' needs frequently get overshadowed by strong emotions, increased anxiety, and polarization.

But what if you could offer parents a behind-the-scenes look at the real impact of divorce on children? Imagine being able to motivate your clients to keep their kids at the centre, not caught in the middle of their conflict.

In this unique training, Divorce Parenting Expert Christina McGhee will share invaluable strategies and practical tools to help:

Utilize a child-centred approach to help parents make better choices while managing strong emotions
Debunk common myths and perceptions about how divorce impacts children's lives.
Model language that supports the integrity of parent/child relationships
Reframe conversations about critical issues like parenting plans and custody
Learn how to leverage your influence by asking powerful questions, setting intentions, and providing educational support

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to learn how to use a child-centred approach as you guide families through this delicate transition. Join us and become a catalyst – let's change divorce for the better.

Program Information

Objectives

Utilize your enhanced understanding of the long-term impact of divorce on children to inform your expectation and engagement with separating families.
Define the benefits of a child-centred approach while staying mindful of your professional role.
Explore pervasive themes and how they influence children's emotional well-being, view of self and family, ongoing relationship with parents, and their interpretation of divorce. Those themes are flexible over fair, belonging and connectedness, being free of adult worries, how parents relate after the split, and understanding what happened.
Apply key strategies for leveraging your influence and engaging co-parents in a child-centred process, specifically the skills of – asking powerful questions, challenging expectations around time-sharing arrangements, using a two-home concept, bringing the voice of children into the room, providing education around the impact of conflict, and the strategic use of educational support and referrals.
Learn critical issues to assess before exposing separating parents to SPLIT films or any other new resources and the value of having a clear intention in mind when offering supportive information.

Outline

Putting children at the centre, not in the middle, of divorce

What is a child-centred approach and why it matters
Rethinking your role and leveraging your influence
Shifting beyond the standard

How Parental Separation Impacts Children Throughout Their Lives

Preview a clip from SPLIT UP: The TEEN Years
Gain an unfiltered look at how divorce impacts children's lives
Points on introducing resources – parallel processing
Identifying professional biases and perceptions – how they affect our work

Debunking Myths and Perceptions

How parental separation plays out in the lives of children over time
- 5 key issues for children and considerations for guiding parents
- Focusing on flexible over fair
- The need for belonging and connectedness
- Freeing children of adult worries and concerns
- How parents relate to one another after the split: shifting from partners to co-parents

Understanding what happened – what to say to kids and what they're better off not hearing
Transforming Conflict into Cooperation.
How to leverage SPLIT UP or other resources with co-parents
Creative ideas for using media to transform conflict into cooperation
Key considerations before you share SPLIT with clients
When SPLIT is appropriate and when it's not
Suggestions for using it in different practice settings

Copyright : 03/08/2023

Maximizing the Brain-Body Connection to Build Resilient and Regulated Young Clients

When the children you work with don’t show progress despite your best efforts, it’s time for a course correction that considers what our field too often misses—how humans learn to regulate their emotions and behaviours.

In this innovative session, Mona Delahooke, PhD, will deepen your understanding of a hot topic and powerful tool in helping parents build their child’s mental health: Co-regulation. She will teach you why it’s critical to treatment success, maximizes treatment outcomes, and fills in a missing aspect of what is learned in traditional child mental health treatment.

You’ll explore how:

The important skill of self-regulation grows out of a child’s experience of co-regulation
Co-regulation serves to regulate a child’s nervous system
Internal bodily sensations (interoception) leads the way for future emotional literacy and mental health
To measure a parent’s and child's detection and interpretation of cues of safety, threat, or dangers
A new treatment roadmap that you can integrate into your practice immediately
Why we need to shift away from individual child psychotherapy to dyadic work with caregivers

Dr. Delahooke will share techniques from her award-winning book Beyond Behaviors (PESI Publishing & Media, 2019) and from her latest book Brain-Body Parenting (Harper Wave, 2022). Register now!

Program Information

Objectives

Explain the “Developmental Iceberg” and how it helps us discover how to support each child and family’s individual needs.
Summarize four proposed pathways of the nervous system that inform us what to do in real time when managing children’s behavioural challenges.
Describe how an understanding of neuroception and interoception is changing the meaning of clinical practice in the treatment of emotional regulation issues.
Illustrate how co-regulation is a parallel process that impacts the therapist, parent, and client.

Outline

“Developmental Iceberg”

Discover how to support each child and family’s individual needs
Difference between categorical and dimensional clinical thinking

Four Proposed Pathways of the Nervous System

Know what to do in real time when managing children’s behavioural challenges
Polyvagal theory and a paradigm shift towards holistic thinking in mental health
Limitations of the model and the research and implications

Neuroception and Interoception

Changing the meaning of clinical practice in the treatment of emotional regulation issues
Subconscious and conscious processes that influence social and emotional development, psychological symptoms, and brain/body health
Examples in treatment of childhood anxiety, social anxiety and school refusal

Co-regulation Is a Parallel Process That Impacts the Therapist, Parent, and Client

What co-regulation is
How it influences the building of resilience and eventual self-regulation and executive functioning
The importance of an integrated approach in child psychotherapy

Attachment Repair and Relationship Restoration: Treatment Techniques for Freeing the Wounded Child

It has been said that “no one gets out of this life unwounded.” Wounds are inevitable in our relationships as we are flawed and fallible humans.

Addressing wounds and trauma is crucial to unlocking the true potential of intimacy and meaningful connection in both personal and professional relationships.

Join Eboni Webb, PsyD, HSP, to discover crucial techniques to unlock the true potential for intimacy and meaningful connection in your client’s relationships.

You’ll learn the:

Impact of wounds and trauma on relationships
Role of attachment in shaping adult lives
Early signs of trauma on a developing mind
Essential recovery techniques for repairing childhood wounds and broken relationships

You’ll walk away with proactive steps to foster healing, resilience, and growth…empowering clients to build stronger, more fulfilling and interconnected future!

Program Information

Objectives

Recognize early signs of trauma and their impact on the developing mind, such as changes in behaviour, emotional dysregulation, and disruptions in relationships
Describe the key aspects critical for healthy attachment, including factors such as secure base, emotional availability, and trust-building behaviours
Apply specific interventions to repair attachment disruptions verbally, environmentally, and interpersonally

Outline

Impact of identity trauma on a developing mind

Compare attachment wounding to attachment trauma

Key parenting and family styles that impact adult development

Culturally competent interventions to promote felt safety in the clinical space.

Digital Social Contagion Effects: How Social Media Can Shape Behavior and Spread Psychiatric Disorders

Join Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, best-selling author, internationally renowned speaker and an expert on mental health, addiction, and the impacts of our digital age, as he guides you through how screen time and digital media are leading to more than just depression, but the spread of a variety of psychiatric disorders via a social contagion effect.

You’ll be able to discern the difference between genuine psychiatric disorders like Borderline Personality Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Gender Dysphoria from the social media-driven variants that lead to clients mimicking behaviours and symptoms that they’ve absorbed from psychiatrically unwell influencers. In addition, we’ll look at school shooters, incels and political extremists as manifestations of digital social contagions.

In our new digital age, where kids, teens and young people are immersed in digital media like never before, this course is an essential guide for any clinician to better understand and treat these issues.

Program Information

Objectives

Assess if a client’s psychiatric disorder may be attributed to a "social contagion" acquired through excessive social media immersion.
Recognize the concept of social contagion and demonstrate an understanding of its influence on individuals and communities.
Utilize strategies and interventions to address and treat disorders influenced by social contagions rooted in social media immersion.

Outline

Assessments: Is it a Psychiatric Disorder or Digital Social Contagion Effect

“Tik Tok Tourette’s” vs. Borderline Personality Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Gender Dysphoria
Know whether social media is the cause

“Digital Extremism”

The Way That Extremist Groups Target and Brainwash Vulnerable Teens and Young People.

Treating the New Disorders Influenced by Social Contagions

The most current issues in mental health which are in the embryonic stage

The Food-Mood Connection: Empowering Psychotherapists with Integrative Strategies

In recent years, the field of nutritional psychology has emerged as a valuable adjunct to therapy in the treatment of mental health disorders.
Nutrition plays a significant role in mediating conditions such as depression, anxiety, and trauma. Understanding the connection between food choices and mental well-being has become increasingly crucial in enhancing client outcomes.
Join us for an engaging training led by Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RDN, where she will delve into the current state of nutrition in the United States and its profound implications for mental health. Through the exploration of the latest research studies, Kristin will highlight:

The undeniable link between food choices and psychological well-being in clients of all ages
Specific nutrients that can either benefit or harm individuals with mental health disorders
How to initiate discussions about diet and nutrition to foster client engagement and enhancing treatment outcomes

By understanding the role of these nutrients, you will be better equipped to integrate nutritional considerations into your clinical practice.

Program Information

Objectives

Identify the various components of how food impacts the brain, including the relationship between nutrition and mental health
Gain practical tips on how to initiate discussions about diet and nutrition within your own patient practice, fostering client engagement and enhancing treatment outcomes
List at least three specific nutrients that have a significant impact on pediatric and adult mental health disorders, recognizing their potential to benefit or harm individuals' well-being

Outline

Nutrition in the news – the latest studies on general nutrition in the last few months

A snapshot of consumer behaviour, and health status of the United States as it relates to diet and nutrition

An Introduction to nutritional psychology

Breaking down the most important nutrients associated with better mental health

Breaking down the most important nutrients associated with worsening better mental health

Nutritional Psychology in a pediatric population

Implementing the concept of diet into your patient practice

Psychopharmacology for Kids and Teens: A Therapist's Guide to New Medications, Prescribing Guidelines, and Working Effectively with Prescribers

Program Information

Objectives

Practice from the perspective of a reversed form of bio-psycho-social care ie. social-psycho-bio informed care
Analyze current psychotropic treatment as it is related to target symptoms developmental aspects, and informed consent for common mental health conditions in children and teens
Employ an effective strategy for building more productive collaborative relationships with prescribers of psychotropic medications.

Outline

Managing the Power Differential to Build Collaborative Prescriber-Therapist Relationships
General Principles of Prescribing Psychotropic Medication

Disclaimer about medications and supplements
Why target symptoms are king
Is medication the tail or the dog?
Non-pharm first: S-P-B
Possibility of abuse, drug and substance use
When and why to integrate safety checks

Medication Management in Children and Teens

Step by step considerations
How to monitor target symptoms
Developmental considerations

The Ongoing Process of Informed Consent

Elements of informed consent
Who can give consent?
When parents are divorced
Assent: To what extent can the child be a partner in the process?
The ongoing process that supports good care

‘SPB’ Treatment of Common Mental Health Conditions

Anxiety including OCD
Sleep Disorders
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Depression
Autism
Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Psychosis & Schizophrenia
Eating Disorders
Substance Use Disorders

Risks and Limitations of Research and Off Label Use of Medications