Speaker Presentation Slides
Pre-Conference Workshop Descriptions
| Workshop | Speakers | Description |
| Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Trauma in Schools View Knowledge Summary |
Sharon Hoover, PhD., Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Co-Director, Center for School Mental Health | The Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program, developed by Lisa Jaycox, PhD., is a school-based intervention consisting of 10 group sessions, 1-3 individual sessions, 2 parent psychoeducational sessions and 1 teacher educational session. It is designed to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and behavioral problems, and to improve functioning, grades and attendance, peer and parent support, and coping skills. CBITS has been used with students from 4th grade through 12th grade who have witnessed or experienced traumatic life events such as community and school violence, accidents and injuries, physical abuse and domestic violence, and natural and human-made disasters. CBITS uses cognitive-behavioral techniques (e.g., psychoeducation, relaxation, social problem solving, cognitive restructuring, and exposure). It is intended for implementation by mental health clinicians with some background in cognitive behavioral therapy. This training workshop will provide an intensive review of all CBITS treatment components, with opportunities for practice of intervention components and discussion of implementation strategies. |
| Tools for Practicing Culturally Responsive Program Evaluations | Kim van der Woerd, PhD., Principal, Reciprocal Consulting Samantha Tsuruda, MPH, Research Associate, Reciprocal Consulting Monique Auger, Master of Science Candidate, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University Cassidy Caron, BA, Research Associate, Reciprocal Consulting Billie Joe Rogers, PhD Candidate, Law and Psychology Program, Simon Fraser University |
There are a growing number of articulated protocols and considerations for research with Aboriginal communities to ensure that research is culturally appropriate and culturally competent. Although evaluators have been working in diverse communities for many years, there is a lack of tools to assist evaluators in conducting culturally sensitive and appropriate (e.g., valid and reliable) evaluations in northern, rural and Aboriginal communities. This session will consider factors that contribute to Culturally Responsive Evaluations. The goal of this session is to critically reflect on, and enhance participants’ understanding of working with Aboriginal communities and to provide practical and culturally responsive skills to evaluation. This session will be provided by an all-Aboriginal team who have extensive experience working with Aboriginal communities. |
| The Healthy Relationship Plus Program: A small groups approach to promoting healthy relationships and positive mental health among adolescents | Ray Hughes, National Coordinator, The Fourth R, Faculty of Education, Western University Susan Dale, Program Development & Implementation Coordinator, The Fourth R Claire Crooks, Director, Centre for School Mental Health, Faculty of Education, Western University |
Healthy relationship / violence prevention approaches are a natural context for addressing mental health promotion with youth. Relationships and mental health share common risk and protective factors, and influence each other in numerous ways. The Healthy Relationships Plus Program (HRPP) is a 14-week small groups program for youth ages 13-18 that is based on the approach developed through the Fourth R, an evidence-based dating violence prevention program. Preliminary evidence shows significant improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms for many youth. The mental health components of the program include education about common mental health challenges, anti-stigma activities, help-seeking skills, and opportunities for youth to practice how they would offer support to a friend that might be experiencing mental health challenges. In addition to the original HRPP, there are adapted versions that include a manual for use with groups where literacy might be a challenge, and a version that has been enhanced to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ youth. This workshop is a complete training for educators, community agency service providers, and mental health professionals wishing to implement the HRPP. Participants will have the opportunity to practice facilitating some of the activities from the program, and learn and practice the skills development activities through role play. All participants will receive a program manual. |
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Creating Positive, Healthy and Accepting Learning Environments for LGBTQ Students and all Youth Vulnerable to Gender-Based Violence |
Ken Jeffers, Coordinator, Gender-Based Violence Prevention, Toronto District School Board |
A workshop for educators, health professionals and community agency service providers that teaches how to embed positive spaces education into our schools, workplaces and organizations using a variety of learning activities and strategies to help change climates and attitudes. Participants will learn to identify the roots and impact of gender-based violence on all youth – with particular focus on female identified and LGBTQ youth. During the training participants will build knowledge and familiarity with the social construction of gender and sexuality, power and privilege and identify has to disrupt systems of oppression, review relevant legislation/ policy and plan for on-going work in their school/university/workplace to engage colleagues and staff teams to help shape positive learning environments that foster health, well-being and acceptance. Participants will also learn how to better challenge barriers to access regarding human rights accommodations for diverse gender identities as it relates to policy, practices and programming. Attendees will be given an opportunity for ‘next steps’ action planning and are encouraged to bring any equity improvement plans / positive space plans they may be working on and/ or begin to develop an action plan to improve professional capacity of colleagues/ staff to engage and support youth with issues related to Healthy Relationships, Sexual Orientation and Identity, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sexuality.
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| Trauma and Children: Closing the Gap between What We Know and What We Can Do Linda Baker - Trauma and Children: Closing the Gap between What We Know and What We Can Do Joanne Baker & Renée Turner - Reaching Out With Yoga Sandra Pribanic & Heather Gregory - Trauma-Informed Dance Intervention - Sole Expression |
Linda Baker, Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women and Children, Faculty of Education, Western University Joanne Baker, Executive Director, BC Society of Transition Houses Renée Turner, Research Coordinator, BC Society of Transition Houses Heather Gregory, Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre Sandra Pribanic, Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre |
The frequently repeated nature of child maltreatment and exposure to intimate partner violence is associated with psychological distress for most, serious compromises in functioning for others, and trauma for some. Experiences of trauma affect immediate and often, long term functioning; recognition of the importance of mitigating the harmful effects of trauma is well established. Using the latest research, this workshop will enhance understanding of what interpersonal trauma means for children and youth and propose principles and core competencies for trauma informed and developmentally sensitive services. In an effort to help close the gap between what we know and what we do, participants will learn about the emerging field of trauma-informed health promotion for survivors of child maltreatment and exposure to intimate partner violence. Leaders of innovative initiatives using trauma-informed physical activity will describe their programs, including trauma-informed yoga for children, youth and women in shelters and transition houses and trauma-informed dance for youth 12 to 17 years attending a community-based program. This workshop will be of particular benefit to those working with children and youth who are interested in the physiological and psychological signature of trauma, promising trauma-informed practice, and potential applications of trauma-informed physical activity to a variety of settings (e.g., schools, youth justice, mental health, recreation). |
| Youth Engagement: What, Why and How | Nicole Sudiacal, Youth Advisor, Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health Zac Johnstone, Strategic Advisory Council Member, Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health |
In this session, we will share evidence-informed models and tools to support organizations and communities to improve their engagement of young people in all aspects of service delivery and planning. We will provide an overview of relevant research and the benefits associated with meaningful engagement, to demonstrate how authentic engagement creates more positive outcomes for young people, service providers, agencies and communities. Specifically, we will showcase the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health’s Theory of Change and implementation model, housed in the Walking the Talk: Engaging Youth in Mental Health Toolkit, which provides a framework through which agencies can incorporate youth engagement throughout their organization, as well as guiding principles to embed within your youth engagement initiatives and across your agency. We will identify common barriers agencies struggle with when it comes to meaningful engagement, and provide recommendations and strategies to work through or around these barriers. This session will equip attendees with a deeper understanding of youth engagement, the associated benefits, and what implementation entails. The pre-conference session will be discussion based and interactive, drawing from the insights and experience of attendees to enrich the conversation. |
| The Art of Conducting Structured Professional Judgment Risk/Need Assessments of Elementary School-Aged Students | Leena K. Augimeri, Director, SNAP®Scientific and Program Development & Centre for Children Committing Offences, Child Development Institute and Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto | This workshop will provide an overview of various tools that can be used to assess risk factors of students engaging in disruptive behaviour for future violence. The focus of the workshop will be tools that fall under the ‘structured professional judgment’ family such as the EARL-20B/EARL-21G /EARL-PC – used for elementary school aged children. In addition, a brief overview of other tools such as the SAVRY/SAPROF/START-AV for secondary school students will be highlighted. The participants will have an opportunity to rate a case starting with the EARL-PC a triage screening checklist used by educators/police to assess level of ‘concern’, followed by conducting a risk assessment using the EARL-20B. This exercise will give participants an understanding of how such tools can be helpful in gauging level of concern/risk and how they can inform clinical risk management strategies. The importance of matching risk and need to effective treatment plans will be discussed. |
Conference Workshop Descriptions - Day 1
| Workshop | Speakers | Description |
| Intersection Between Mental Health and Violence | Tracy Vaillancourt, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Children’s Mental Health and Violence Prevention, University of Ottawa |
The prevalence of behavioural and emotional disorders among Canadian students is high—15-20% of youth have serious mental health problems. These problems are often chronic and lead to significant impairment in school, home, and community functioning. Unfortunately, only 1 in 6 youth with mental health problems receive services, and the services they do receive are often not evidence-based. One root cause of mental health difficulties is being bullied by peers. Indeed, longitudinal studies point to a causal relation between exposure to bullying and subsequent mental health problems. Importantly however, not all youth become unwell as a consequence of poor peer treatment. In this keynote presentation, the heterogeneity in mental health outcomes of bullied youth is discussed with a specific focus on the roles of genetics, neurophysiology, and neuroendocrinology. |
| Bullying and Dating Aggression | Debra J. Pepler, PhD., C.Psych, Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology, Scientific Co-Director, PREVNet, LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research, York University |
Based on our decades of research, we understand bullying as a relationship problem that requires relationship solutions. It is a problem that unfolds in the context of a relationship in which one person uses power and aggression to control and distress another – harmful dynamics that can be expressed in diverse relationships across the lifespan. Based on our longitudinal research, we have found that those who bully at a high and consistent rate are likely to carry these aggressive relationship patterns forward to their dating relationships. In considering the links between bullying and dating aggression, I will consider how these maladaptive relationship styles develop, what role relationships play in guiding youths onto troubled pathways and, conversely, what role relationships can play in diverting youths onto healthy development and relationship pathways, with implications for prevention and intervention. |
| The Trauma Associated with Involvement in Bullying | Wendy Craig, PhD., FRSC, O.Ont, Professor and Head of Psychology, Scientific Co-Director of PREVNet, Queen's University |
Bullying is a destructive relationship problem that requires relationship solutions. Ongoing exposure to stressful relationships, such as bullying, and the stressful biological responses that they create places children at risk for physical, mental, and social health problems. The first part of the presentation will provide an overview of healthy relationships and its association with bullying. The second part will review research on the neuroscience of bullying and the associated consequences for those who are victimized and those who defend. By recognizing bullying as a traumatic shared experience, and by promoting healthy relationships, we can optimize development in youth. |
| The role of positive and respectful relationships within children’s peer groups | Wendy Ellis, PhD., Associate Professor and Department Chair Department of Psychology King's University College |
Beginning in early adolescence, children spend the vast majority of their time interacting in peer cliques or groups. These group contexts have unique implications for adjustment beyond smaller dyadic friendships and larger classroom settings. In my previous research, I have shown that the peer group context is important for shaping a range of prosocial and antisocial behaviours. This presentation will highlight my most recent work based on direct observations of children’s peer groups. We examined positive and negative relationship dynamics within peer groups to consider the effects of healthy relationships on psychological adjustment and the socialization of risky behaviours. Implications of these findings suggest that peer group influence is not uniform and group relationships may increase or decrease children’s vulnerability to peers. |
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"Talking Relationships" in the Classroom: Starting a Conversation about Consent, Boundaries and Harassment |
Joyce Li, Clinical Psychologist, PhD. Student, Department of Psychology, Queen's University Ken Jeffers, Gender-Based Violence Prevention, Toronto District School Board |
To create a healthy school context, teachers and students require the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours that promote healthy relationships. The Toronto District School Board’s Gender-Based Violence Prevention team has developed a new resource to help teachers navigate conversations about healthy relationships. The Talking Relationships resource includes interactive activities to engage students in developing positive relationship skills and knowledge. In this interactive presentation, we will share the Talking Relationship resource with attendees. Our focus will be on practical information and activities related to consent, boundaries, and sexual harassment that educators (from middle school and up) can bring back to their schools. |
| Tara Bruno, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology at King's University College, Western University |
This research talk examines the connection between different types of maltreatment histories and substance use patterns amongst street-involved young men and women. The key findings highlight the connection between different patterns of substance use and different types of maltreatment experiences. Different durations of use, types of substances and combinations of substances are explored. There is also some preliminary evidence that the connection between maltreatment and substance use patterns may be different for men and women. The talk will conclude with a discussion about the significance of understanding unique substance use patterns and providing appropriate services and supports for vulnerable populations. |
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| Off-The-Shelf Programs to Prevent Bullying: How Can Schools Choose and What Can They Expect | John LeBlanc, MD, Msc, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Community Health & Epidemiology, Dalhousie University |
Schools and school boards are regularly inundated with promises that evidence-based program “X” will solve their problems with bullying and improve the social skills of their students. But how will they know if that’s true? How will they decide which program to use? What change can they expect in their schools if they implement program “X”? I will review tools available to schools ranging from difficult (systematic reviews) to accessible (lists of programs on websites by CASEL, PHAC, CDC). I will then present toolkits specifically designed to help busy school officials access the evidence in a ‘user-friendly’ manner and then combine this with information about a program’s target groups, its cost and its feasibility so that an informed decision can be made. The workshop will also help participants wade through the plethora of effectiveness measures such as effect sizes, relative risk reductions, absolute risk reductions, odds ratios, risk ratios and settle on measures that don’t require a graduate degree to understand. Finally, participants will reflect on how a bullying prevention program could be integrated into their school or organization’s multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). |
| Ryan Broll, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Guelph |
Cyberbullying shares commonalities with traditional forms of bullying, but it also differs in important ways. Among the differences, one of the most notable is that bullying is no longer confined to the schoolyard. The distributed nature of cyberspace, and indeed cyberbullying, requires that stakeholders work together to form what has been referred to as a “security quilt.” In this presentation, I discuss why it is important for educators, parents, and the police to collaborate to address cyberbullying, and what factors undermine these efforts. Strategies for addressing existing limitations, and for improved efforts to prevent and respond to cyberbullying, are discussed. |
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| BroTalk: Kids Help Phone’s New Support Zone for Teen Guys |
Alisa Simon, VP, Counselling Services and Programs at Kids Help Phone Dilys Haner, PhD Candidate, York University and the former Senior Manager, Clinical Research and Development at Kids Help Phone |
Kids Help Phone recognizes that teen boys contact helplines and social services far less than teen girls and that boys are less likely to discuss mental and emotional health issues than girls. And yet, while teen boys are reluctant to reach out, they tend to engage in high-risk behaviours and die by suicide more frequently than young women. To address the unique needs of teen guys, Kids Help Phone embarked on a 3-year project to better understand the climate and barriers that young males experience when help-seeking, and to develop a tailored approach and resources to better support them. This presentation provides an overview of the BroTalk initiative including how BroTalk was created, insights learning during the service development process and through service delivery and lessons learned regarding engaging teen guys. |
| Engaging Youth and Educators in Mental Health Literacy | Susan Rodger, PhD., C.Psych., Psychologist and Associate Professor, Counselling Psychology Program, Faculty of Education, Western University |
Authentic participation in schools begins with students and teachers who are active and engaged members of a healthy learning community. Mental health literacy, the awareness, knowledge and skills to support the mental health needs of ourselves and others, is a critically important foundation for mentally healthy classrooms. In this session we will discuss the foundations of a mentally healthy classroom and share the innovative and effective learning tools we have developed with and for teachers and youth, and in online and face-to-face environments, to build mental health literacy. |
| Connecting Inuit Knowledge and Approaches to Youth Violence Prevention and Mental Health | Marika Morris, Adjunct Research Professor, School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies, Carleton University |
As the most recently colonized of Indigenous peoples, intergenerational and ongoing trauma from residential schools, forced relocations, dog sled slaughters, food insecurity, and erosion of traditional socioeconomic livelihoods is particularly high among Inuit. Intergenerational trauma affects relationships between youth and parents, siblings, friends, romantic partners and teachers. Inuit have been trying to establish holistic healing services rooted in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (cultural knowledge/values) that take Inuit historical, cultural and socioeconomic issues into account. This presentation outlines both the problems of and preferred responses to intergenerational trauma, youth violence prevention and mental wellness using Inuit sources. |
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Kids Help Phone/Jeunesse J’écoute – Best Practices in “Live Chat” Counselling |
Alisa Simon, VP, Counselling Services and Programs at Kids Help Phone Dilys Haner, PhD Candidate, York University and former Senior Manager, Clinical Research and Development at Kids Help Phone |
Young people are making increasing use of social media technology. A they do so, it is important that service professionals not only meet young people in the technology-based spaces they inhabit, but that they are also transferring healthy communication and relationship skills into those spaces. This presentation showcases evaluation findings of Kids Help Phone/Jeunesse J’écoute’s “Live Chat” counselling service. This session includes an exploration of the demographic factors of young people in Canada who choose to reach out for help using text-based technologies, as well as best practices for engaging in counselling and crisis intervention with young people in the text-to-text environment. |
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Partnering to Implement an Evidence-Based SEL Program Within a Trauma-informed Framework |
Karen Bax, Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Education, Western University, Managing Director of Western's Mary J. Wright Research and Education Centre at Merrymount Sandra Savage, Mental Health Leader/Social Work Supervisor LDCSB |
There has been an increasing focus on creating trauma-informed schools as a way to provide safe and supportive environments for our most vulnerable youth. At the same time, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs promote important skills for all youth. The London District Catholic School Board and the Centre for School Mental Health at Western University have partnered to implement and evaluate MindUP within a trauma-informed framework. We will discuss the fit between MindUP and a trauma-informed approach, outline the steps we took to build capacity for a successful project, and offer recommendations for similar partnerships. |
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Lana Wells, Associate Professor Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence Lianne Lee, Director, Alberta Healthy Youth Relationships Strategy, Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence |
Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence has led a multi-pronged Alberta Healthy Youth Relationships strategy to cultivate social-emotional competencies in youth across Alberta in order to prevent dating violence and other risky behaviours. Despite the strategy’s success in scaling-up evidence-informed programs in school and community settings, our research shows that greater attention needs to be paid to the social conditions and climate necessary to achieve high-quality, high-fidelity implementation of these programs. Drawing from the field of implementation science, presenters will share highlights of a new supported implementation system that aims to advance a whole-school, whole-community, whole-child approach. |
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| Building Capacity for Data-Informed Decision-Making in High Schools: Lessons Learned from the Ontario Urban Priority High School Initiative | Deb Chiodo, Research Associate for the Centre for School Mental Health |
The Urban and Priority High Schools (UPHS) initiative is one response commissioned by the Ontario Premier following a 2007 fatal shooting of a student in a high school. The initiative is part of the government’s strategy to enhance the well-being of students in high-needs neighbourhoods. Schools within the Thames Valley District School Board are funded by UPHS and have sustained interventions targeting high-risk students with success. This workshop will describe how schools have gone from thinking of evidence-based decision making as an afterthought to the recognition of the usefulness of systematic and rigorous data collection to better establish student outcomes. |
| Promoting Healthy Relationships in the School Setting: The NewJCSH Positive Mental Health Toolkit | Katherine Ebert Kelly, M.Ed., Executive Director, Pan-Canadian Joint Health Consortium for School Health |
The newly revised Joint Consortium for School Health PMH Toolkit uses a Comprehensive School Health approach to help enable and improve healthy relationship development in all students. Positive Mental Health and Comprehensive School Health approaches share the perspective of moving beyond a problem-focused, interventionist approach to one of a system-wide, pro-active, prevention, self-determination lens. |
| The Fourth R: Teaching Healthy Relationship Skills to Reduce Youth Risk Behaviours | David Wolfe, PhD., Research Scholar and Professor, Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children, Faculty of Education, Western University |
This presentation will cover the aims and methods of the Fourth R, a school-based program developed to address teen risk behaviours in the context of developing healthy relationships. The Fourth R is a universal school-based program addressing safety and violence prevention, healthy sexuality, and substance use among young teens. The program is unique in that it is taught by teachers and fulfills Health curriculum requirements in many states and provinces (for grades 7, 8, and 9). The 21-lessons teach skills necessary to make safe choices in early- to mid-adolescence, and emphasize the relationship context in which bullying and others problems occur. The theory and structure of the program will be described, followed by classroom videos. |
| Cascading Leadership Across the System to Promote Scale-up and Sustainability in School Mental Health | Kathy Short, PhD., C.Psych., Director, School Mental Health ASSIST |
Bringing coherence to a fragmented practice landscape requires dedicated leadership at the school, district, community, and provincial level. This interactive session will focus on the role of the leader across levels of the system, drawing on a theory of change that emphasizes the need for organizational conditions and capacity as foundations for effective uptake, scale-up, and sustainability of evidence-based, implementation-sensitive programming. Resources developed through School Mental Health ASSIST in partnership with provincial stakeholder organizations will be described and shared. |
| Adapting a Healthy Relationships Mental Health Promotion Program for Diverse Youth: Pilot Process with LGBTQ Youth and in a Corrections Setting |
Amanda Kerry, PhD Candidate, School and Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Western University and Research Assistant, Centre for School Mental Health Alicia Lapointe, PhD Candidate and Instructor, Western University and Research Assistant, Centre for School Mental Health, Western University |
The Healthy Relationships Plus Program (HRPP) is an evidence-informed program that promotes healthy relationships and aims to prevent peer and dating violence, substance misuse, and unhealthy sexual behaviour. It also includes enhanced content on mental health and suicide prevention. The program objectives match well with the risk factors associated with youth involvement in the justice system. Analyses are currently underway to explore the feasibility and fit of an adapted version of the HRPP for youth justice settings. The HRPP has been also adapted to meet the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) youth who participate in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) and/or youth groups. Facilitator and participant feedback will be shared and program revisions will be discussed in this session. |
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How to Improve Emotion Regulation & Self-Control in Children Experiencing Conduct Problems & Their Families: The SNAP® Model |
Leena K. Augimeri, Director, SNAP®Scientific and Program Development & Centre for Children Committing Offences, Child Development Institute and Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto |
There is an emerging body of literature which emphasizes the robust linkages between conduct problems and the lack of emotion regulation and self-control. Children who have difficulty regulating their emotions are much more likely to have higher levels of aggression, rule-breaking and externalizing behaviours. Considering one of the most commonly referred mental health issue for children under 12 is conduct problems it should be of no surprise that approximately 60% of males in custody have a history of conduct problems (Baker, 2012). Cohen & Piquero (2009) estimate the cost of saving a high-risk youth at $1.7-$2.4 million between the ages of 12 and 21. Therefore, the impact on criminal offending should be the primary indicator of long-term success when evaluating an intervention for conduct problems. This presentation will briefly highlight the key research findings on self-control and introduce participants to an evidence-based strategy (SNAP® - Stop Now And Plan) that is being used to help school-aged children with conduct problems learn to stop and think before they act, especially ‘in the moment.’ The presentation will include video’s that demonstrate the SNAP strategy and conclude with some innovative research findings showing how SNAP can impact changes in brain systems responsible for executive functioning within 13 weeks, benefit and cost ratio’s, criminal outcome, and families’ ability to improve the quality of their parent-child interactions. |
| Creating Safe, Supportive and Trauma-informed Schools | Sharon Hoover, PhD., Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Co-Director, Center for School Mental Health |
A comprehensive school mental health approach, including universal, selected and targeted approaches, is required to promote safe and supportive schools that foster student well-being. Dr. Sharon Hoover, Co-Director of the national Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States, will discuss national, state, and local policies and practices related to comprehensive school mental health programming, including those designed to promote trauma-informed schools. Empirically-supported, school-based interventions designed to promote safety and wellness, reduce risk, and recognize and respond to trauma will be reviewed, including universal approaches (e.g., Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Social Emotional Learning, Kognito At-Risk for Educators, Psychological First Aid for Schools), selected interventions (e.g., Restorative Justice, Support for Students Exposed to Trauma), and targeted interventions(e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools, Bounce Back). Dr. Hoover will also review information about measures used to assess school climate and student trauma, and practices for successful implementation of universal or selective screening practices in schools. |
| Trauma and Children: Closing the Gap between What We Know and What We Can Do | Linda Baker, Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women and Children
Joanne Baker and Renee Turner, BC Society of Transition Houses Heather Gregory and Sandra Pribanic, BOOST Child & Youth Advocacy Centre |
The frequently repeated nature of child maltreatment and exposure to intimate partner violence is associated with psychological distress for most, serious compromises in functioning for others, and trauma for some. Experiences of trauma affect immediate and often, long term functioning; recognition of the importance of mitigating the harmful effects of trauma is well established. Using the latest research, this workshop will enhance understanding of what interpersonal trauma means for children and youth and propose principles and core competencies for trauma informed and developmentally sensitive services. Participants will learn about the emerging field of trauma-informed health promotion for survivors of child maltreatment and exposure to intimate partner violence. |
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A Question of Access: Examining Poverty and its Impact on Service Acquisition in Youth Justice |
Chair: Presenters: Discussant: |
Funded through Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy this first phase of research through a court related clinical service furthers understanding regarding poverty and youth in the context of their mental health status, peer relationships, social determinants of health, and gender. Access to timely and effective service can interrupt a cycle of antisocial behaviour and promote positive youth outcomes. Those who exist on the margins economically however are disadvantaged in accessing those same services. These findings are part of the groundwork in promoting a targeted service for certain youth and their families that supports the navigation through the child and family service delivery system. |
| Medicine Wheel Wellness: A Way of Life | Mike Cywink, Student Mentor and Program Liaison, The Fourth R: Uniting Our Nations |
From an Ojibway perspective, this workshop will be focused on the Medicine Wheel and how it plays an important piece in everyday life. I will focus on all aspects of a person’s well-being and how we, need to address all aspects of the medicine wheel to guide ourselves on the path to success. This will of course be open discussion, as all sharing circles are, so I will be asking questions and encouraging conversation. I will also do one of the Medicine Wheel activities from the Fourth R: Uniting Our Nations Peer Mentoring Manual which deals with stress. Participants will take part in a smudging ceremony, cultural teachings and team building activities. |
| Listening to One Another to Grow Strong: Culturally Based, Family Centered Mental Health Promotion for Indigenous Youth | Laurence Kirmayer, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS, FRSC, James McGill Professor and Director, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University |
Cultural identity, knowledge and values are important resources for the mental health and wellbeing of youth. Indigenous communities in Canada have diverse cultures but have faced a common history of suppression of their language, traditions and spirituality. Listening to One Another is a 14-session program for First Nations youth ages 10-14 and their families that uses culture as a vehicle to explore elements of positive mental health including communication, emotion regulation, positive family interactions, and coping with social stressors. |
| The Healthy Relationships Plus Program: A Small Groups Approach to Promoting Healthy Relationships and Positive Mental Health Among Adolescents |
Ray Hughes, National Coordinator, The Fourth R, Faculty of Education, Western University Susan Dale, Program Development & Implementation Coordinator, The Fourth R |
The Healthy Relationships Plus Program (HRPP) is a 14-week small groups program for youth ages 13-18 that is based on the approach developed through the Fourth R, an evidence-based dating violence prevention program. Preliminary evidence shows significant improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms for many youth. The mental health components of the program include education about common mental health challenges, anti-stigma activities, help-seeking skills, and opportunities for youth to practice how they would offer support to a friend that might be experiencing mental health challenges. Participants will learn about the program, receive an orientation to the sessions, and have the opportunity to practice some of the skills development activities through role play. |
| Culturally Safe Evaluation |
Kim van der Woerd, PhD., Principal, Reciprocal Consulting. Samantha Tsuruda, MPH, Research Associate, Reciprocal Consulting Monique Auger, Master of Science Candidate, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University Cassidy Caron, BA, Research Associate, Reciprocal Consulting Billie Joe Rogers, PhD Candidate, Law and Psychology Program, Simon Fraser University |
Engaging in program evaluation provides a unique opportunity to showcase program successes and identify ways to improve programming. It is crucial that program evaluations are completed in a culturally humble and safe way, and include important contextual factors (historical, social, cultural, and environmental). When doing work with Indigenous communities, it is imperative that Indigenous world views be included in the evaluation framework, including the community’s political, social and cultural values. Further, the evaluator should position him/herself by developing a relationship of trust and respect, that important issues are identified and redressed, and be cognizant on how power and privilege are represented within the methodology. |
| Dangerous Relationships: Dating Violence and Homicides |
Peter Jaffe, Academic Director, Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children, Faculty of Education, Western University Kayla Sapardanis, MA Candidate, Counselling Psychology, Western Univeristy |
The age group most at risk for domestic violence and homicide are young women in the age range of 15-24. This reality highlights the need for educators and parents to be aware of the warning sign related to dating violence and risk factors associated with homicides. The findings of Ontario Chief Coroner’s Domestic Violence Death Review and related research suggest many of these tragedies may be predictable and preventable. The importance of risk assessment, safety planning and risk management as well as broader prevention efforts in schools will be discussed. |
| Beyond Boys Will Be Boys: A Healthy Masculinity Program for Adolescent Boys |
Debb Hurlock, Strategy Consultant, Creative Theory Consulting Inc. Roseline Carter, RSW, Director of Programs, Calgary Sexual Health Centre |
WiseGuyz is a leading evidence informed healthy masculinities program for grade nine boys in Calgary, Alberta. The school-based program, developed by Calgary Sexual Health Centre started in 2011 and has steadily expanded with 300 boys having completed the program. Qualitative and quantitative research is integrated into the program and has consistently shown positive behaviour changes for the boys. Specifically, they experience enriched social and emotional capacities and fostering of critical thinking skills to negotiate and support the on-going development of healthy masculinities and relationships. WiseGuyz holds great promise for being a preventive approach for violence prevention and adolescent well-being. |
| The WITS Programs: Promoting Social Responsibility and Prosocial Leadership |
Bonnie Leadbeater, Dept. of Psychology, University of Victoria |
The evidence-based WITS Programs take proactive approaches to creating healthy communities to promote peer caring and prevent peer victimization. Recent research shows WITS can help schools and families to improve children’s social responsibility (caring for others) and prosocial leadership (identifying opportunities to help others). New WITS Programs resources will be presented that can be used by all adults to help children learn these important skills. WITS Programs are made in Canada for children in grades 1 to 6. They are accessible on the WITS website. |
Conference Workshop Descriptions - Day 2
| Workshop | Speakers | Description |
| A World Without Silos for Youth Mental Health | Ian Manion, Director, Youth Mental Health Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal |
Youth mental health should be recognized as a major health and social priority in Canada. In order for youth to reach their full potential as adults, they need access to system-level holistic approaches that support wellness and identify mental health issues early. Sadly our support systems are mostly deficit-based, difficult to access or navigate and siloed in their approaches. This presentation will highlight the status of youth mental health and health care in Canada. It will describe a holistic, integrated approach to care that is co-created with young people. Efforts to scale up such approaches across Canada will be discussed. |
| Chloe Hamza, PhD., Assistant Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto |
Given that mental health issues often co-occur with academic difficulties, schools provide an important context for the early identification of student mental health needs. One serious and widespread mental health issue that has received increased attention in recent years is non-suicidal self-injury (e.g., self-cutting without lethal intent). In particular, there has been mounting concern among educators, and school practitioners that non-suicidal self-injury may be associated with increased risk for suicidal behavior among students. The present presentation will explore findings on the link between these two forms of self-injurious behavior, and serve to assist schools in identifying students most at risk. |
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| Alicia Lapointe, PhD Candidate and Instructor, Western University and Research Assistant, Centre for School Mental Health, Western University |
This workshop explores the Fourth R’s pilot program that aims to promote mental wellness and positive relationship development among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) youth. This session details the evolution of the Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for LGBTQ Youth – a program offered within Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) and LGBTQ youth social/support groups - paying particular attention to youths’ engagement in the revision process. The LGBTQ affirmative and strengths-based nature of the program was enhanced by listening to LGBTQ students’ needs and desires, and working with them to integrate and privilege their knowledges, perspectives, and experiences in the program. |
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| Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention: Challenges for Secondary Schools |
Karen Edgar, Superintendent of Student Achievement Melanie Ferdinand, Coordinator, School Counselling and Social Work Services Gail Lalonde, Mental Health Lead |
Educators play a major role as a community partner in suicide prevention. These efforts are complicated by the role of social media and adolescents’ responses to suicide ideation and completed suicide. The workshop will highlight some of the work done by the Thames Valley District School Board in S-W Ontario in partnership with mental health agencies. The presentation will focus on the awareness, prevention, early intervention into adolescent suicide. The school board team will offer reflections on a series of suicides in one city and the challenges in dealing with the aftermath including interactions with parents, adolescents, community leaders and the media. |
| Promoting Mental Wellbeing Among First Nations Youth Through Culturally-Relevant Programming | Claire Crooks, PhD., Director, Centre for School Mental Health, Faculty of Education, Western University |
The Fourth R team has developed a range of healthy relationships programs specifically for First Nations youth. These programs are strengths-based, connected to culture, and approach wellness in a holistic way. There is a group mentoring program for elementary school students and a peer mentoring program for secondary school students. These mentoring programs have been shown to increase positive mental health, cultural connectedness, and credit accumulation. This presentation will briefly introduce these programs and share research findings from a number of perspectives. It will also highlight recommendations for others who are seeking to evaluate similar programs. |
| Perspectives on Learning: MindUP™ As Scaffolding For Young Children’s Self-Regulation for Learning |
Lynda Hutchinson, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, King's University College, Western University Caely Dunlop, PhD Candidate, School and Applied Child Psychology, Faculty of Education & Research Assistant, Centre for School Mental Health |
MindUP™ is a classroom based learning program that targets elementary school children’s development of socioemotional learning skills, including their self-regulation. Self-regulation describes how individuals, including young children, respond to environmental stimuli to achieve goals. Evidence is accumulating that children’s early and ongoing development of self-regulation is linked to a wide range of positive developmental and educational outcomes (e.g., positive/satisfying relationships with teachers and peers, metacognition, effective problem solving). This presentation provides an overview of the MindUP™ program and how its focus on children’s development of socioemotional learning complements views concerning children’s development of self-regulation for learning and achievement. |
| Student Well-Being in Ontario | Bruce Ferguson, PhD., C.Psych, Co-Chair of The Ontario Minister of Education's Expert Panel on Safe & Accepting Schools |
This panel presentation will bring together government and practitioners to address how student well-being is currently being promoted and supported across Ontario in a holistic way. The panel will consider well-being across four the developmental domains: cognitive, social, emotional and physical. Participants will hear about what next steps the Ontario Ministry of Education is taking to promote well-being in Ontario schools. Panel members, with distinctly different perspectives, will present the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in promoting well-being in our schools. |
| Co-Creating With Community Partners, Graduate Students, and Researchers: the PREVNet Model | Joanne Cummings, Director of Knowledge Mobilization, PREVNet | PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network) is a network of researchers, youth-serving organizations, governments, and corporations. Given our basic tenet that healthy development depends on healthy relationships, we mobilize knowledge to enhance practice and policy to enable children and youth to have healthy relationships wherever they live, learn, work and play. Through a process of co-creation new research is distilled to both inform and reflect practice and policy. We disseminate this new knowledge, facilitate its uptake through translation and customization, support its implementation in diverse settings, and evaluate its impact. This session will be of interest to researchers and community partners and researchers who want to better understand the benefits and challenges of collaborative knowledge mobilization. Back to top |
| Deinera Exner-Cortens, PhD., Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary |
Successfully implementing school-based violence prevention and mental health promotion programs requires the collaboration of multiple stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, community-based organizations, parents and youth. However, for many individuals, more information is needed on exactly how to build these collaborations and sustainably integrate violence prevention/health promotion programs and policies into practice settings. This interactive presentation will describe current approaches to supporting youth well-being through school-community partnerships, including by reviewing the Center for Disease Control’s recently released “Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child” framework. Throughout the presentation, attendees will participate in activities designed to apply the session information to their own context. |
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| Youth Engagement and Mental Health |
Nicole Sudiacal, Youth Advisor, Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health Zac Johnstone, Strategic Advisory Council Member, Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health |
In this session, we will provide a basic overview of youth engagement, what it means, why organizations should commit to it, and how to make it meaningful. Through showcasing our implementation model and theory of change, we will highlight the how of meaningful engagement, and provide clear recommendations on how participants can support their agencies and communities to move forward on meaningful engagement. We will delve into the guiding principles central to our approach to youth engagement, and demonstrate what these principles look like in action, and why they are so central to our approach. |
| The Role of Inclusive Classrooms in Promoting the Well Being of ALL Students | Jacqueline Specht, PhD., Professor and Director of the Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education, Western University |
The foundation of inclusive education is a belief that ALL students belong and are valued members of their classroom and neighbourhood school communities. The purpose of inclusion is to create a better quality of life for all of our students – to bring them to a society that accepts difference. When students are segregated, the opportunity to interact with a broad range of difference and interest and understanding is lost. This workshop will focus on the research surrounding the belonging and valuing all students and present some practical strategies for achieving successful inclusion. |
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Promoting Health through Collaborative Engagement with Youth: Overcoming, Resisting and Preventing Structural Violence |
Helene Anne Berman, RN PhD, Professor and Associate Dean (Research Faculty of Health Sciences Western University and Co-Director, Centre for Research on Health & Social Inclusion Eugenia Canas, PhD Candidate, Health Information Science, Coordinator, Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion (CRHESI) Abe Oudshoorn, Assistant Professor, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing |
Social inclusion, as it is enacted within everyday life, is shaped by societal, structural, and relational processes, and is a key factor affecting the health and well-being of youth. While structural forms of violence arise from macro-level factors and are largely invisible, they profoundly impact individual behaviours, including interpersonal violence. In this presentation, we will describe a national, five-year CIHR Team Grant, Voices against Violence: Youth Stories Create Change. Using Youth-centred Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology, youth ages took on the role of co-researchers, using a variety of arts-based approaches to critically examine the impact of structural violence on their health and wellbeing. Adult and youth presenters will discuss pragmatic approaches for creating supportive environments where youth perspectives can be shared in ways that are meaningful to youth, and that resonate among the various professionals and policymakers dedicated to youth wellbeing in Canada. |
| Braiding the Sweetgrass |
Kathleen Hagan, MA Counselling, Program Director, Hull Services Casey Eagle Speaker, Aboriginal Resource Coodinator, Hull Services |
The workshop will focus on change strategies that blend traditional Indigenous activities and Western therapies to wrap participants in Indigenous culture. Some strategies use Indigenous spiritual practices that include the Sweat Lodge, the Pipe, Elder guidance, and smudging. A recent innovation is the use of a trauma-informed lens of the “neurosequential model of therapeutics”. Current practices will be discussed including experiences with cohorts of eight to ten families run each year from March to June, and September to December. Parents participate in individual and group discussions and activities that emphasize the impact inter-generational trauma has on parenting capacity, children’s self-regulation, and overall family functioning. Children participate in culturally-based activities that facilitate the building of trusting relationships (e.g. sharing circles), introduce repetitive patterned activities (e.g., program rituals, drumming) that foster greater self-regulation, and create opportunities for connection to community and culture (e.g. traditional games, Elder teachings). Children and parents together focus on activities that can be extended into the community to create a sense of belonging and positive identification with their Indigenous culture. |
