Important Notice:
Online registration is now CLOSED for this conference. You can arrive up to one hour early to register at the door.
The Vancouver Conference on Behavioural, Developmental & Emotional Challenges with Children & Adolescents
Presented by Lynne Kenney, Psy.D. and Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych and Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D. and Pamela Malkoff Hayes, MFT, LMHC, LPC, ATR-BC
Monday, November 25, 2024 – Wednesday, November 27, 2024 | Richmond, bc
Download Brochure (.PDF)
Date & Location
Monday, November 25, 2024 – Wednesday, November 27, 2024
8:30am – 4:00pm
Executive Hotel Vancouver Airport
7311 Westminster Hwy
Richmond, BC V6X 1A3
phone: 604.278.5555
Registration on this page is for live in-person attendance only. To attend virtually please register here: https://webinars.jackhirose.com/product/vancouver-educators/
Live In-Person Conference
- Complimentary tea, coffee and assorted pastries
- On-site exhibitors
Please note, in-person registration does not include access to the live stream or recorded footage.
Live Stream from Home
- This conference will be live streaming from Vancouver, BC to online participants on November 25 – 27, 2024 from 8:30am – 4:00pm PT
- Recorded footage and all course content will be available until December 28, 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/vancouver-educators/
Limited quantities are available. Must pre-buy during registration, not available at the door. Individuals with strict dietary needs or preferences can pre-order lunch off the menu through the hotel restaurant. Lunch buffets are non-refundable, no refund or credit will be granted under any circumstance.
Who Should Attend
Education and Clinical Professionals: All education and mental health or healthcare professionals who work with children or youth including, but not limited to K–12 Classroom Teachers, School Counsellors, Learning Assistance/Resource Teachers, School Administrators, School Paraprofessionals including Special Education Assistants, Classroom Assistants and Childcare Workers • All other professionals who support behavioural challenges and complex learning needs including but not limited to: Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists, Clinical Counsellors, Family Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Addiction Counsellors, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Probation Officers and Community Police Officers.
Agenda
Day One – November 25, 2024
WORKSHOP #1: Strengthen Executive Function with 20 Brain Coaching & Cognitive-Motor Activities to Improve Self-Regulation, Attention, Memory and Response Inhibition in Children and Adolescents
Presented by
Lynne Kenney, Psy.D.
8:30am - 11:45am November 25, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this dynamic and interactive 6-hour workshop, participants will delve into the fascinating realm of executive function skills and their pivotal role in academic achievement and lifelong success. Led by renowned pediatric psychologist and international educator, Dr. Lynne Kenney, this workshop will explore cutting-edge research from neuroscience, kinesiology, cognitive science, and neuroeducation.
Embark on a transformative journey that integrates research-based tools and activities into your educational practice, empowering you to enhance cognition, foster learning, and cultivate confident, self-regulated thinkers. Dress comfortably and be prepared to move and learn with enthusiasm, as we embark on this exciting exploration of executive function skills and cognitive-motor activities.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understanding the Biological Foundations: Gain insights into the biological precursors to executive function, self-regulation, and learning, and how these skills influence academic achievement and overall well-being.
- Navigating Co-Existing Diagnoses: Explore the meaningful overlap of co-existing diagnoses such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and ADHD, from a data-based perspective, to better support diverse learners.
- Differentiating Self-Regulation and Response Inhibition: Learn to distinguish between self-regulation, self-control, and response inhibition, and discover strategies to nurture these essential skills in children.
- Facilitating Cognitive Conversations: Acquire techniques to engage in the “cognitive conversation” with students, fostering awareness and understanding of executive function skills such as self-control, attention, and memory.
- Engaging Executive Function through Cognitive-Motor Activities: Explore the CogniSuite™ of coordinative rhythmic beat-based motor movements, designed to activate neural networks associated with attention, memory, and self-control.
- Practicing Stress Regulation Techniques: Practice cognitive-movement strategies to help children transition from a stress response to an alert state of calm, fostering an optimal learning environment.
- Experiencing a Range of Cognitive-Motor Activities: Engage in various cognitive-motor activities including marching, drumming, ball exercises, dance routines, desk-based movements, and beanbag work, to promote thinking skills and self-regulation.
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 #2: Optimizing Self-Regulation and Managing Big Emotions
Presented by
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
8:30am - 11:45am November 25, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
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.
LEARNING 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.
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych, is a psychologist. Mother. Professor. International Speaker. Yoda of Anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With nearly three decades of experience, she is a recognized expert in resilience and the social, emotional, and behavioural well-being…
WORKSHOP #3: Stress and Trauma: An Attachment-Based Perspective
Presented by
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
8:30am - 11:45am November 25, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Fresh insights from the sciences of development, emotion and attachment shed light on the hidden wisdom of the stress response, the essence of trauma, and the pivotal role of both attachment and emotion in etiology and recovery. What is also revealed in putting the pieces together is a common denominator that cuts across syndromes and diagnoses and informs intervention. While the material is presented with clinicians in mind, this model of stress and trauma applies across all ages and venues, including private practice, treatment programs, as well as personal healing and recovery. This model also has significant implications for the prevention, recognition and treatment of distressed children and youth, whether via the school, the family, special programs or direct treatment.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- To appreciate the true purpose and wisdom of the stress response
- To understand trauma as a stuck stress response
- To correctly identify the primary indicators of a stuck stress response
- To appreciate the necessary and sufficient conditions for the stress response to be resolved
- To identify natural and intuitive interventions that can be universally applied
- To distill to the essence the help that is needed to reverse a stuck stress response
- To understand the role of emotional playgrounds in the recovery of the resilience response
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
WORKSHOP #4: (CONTINUATION) Strengthen Executive Function with 20 Brain Coaching & Cognitive-Motor Activities to Improve Self-Regulation, Attention, Memory and Response Inhibition in Children and Adolescents
Presented by
Lynne Kenney, Psy.D.
12:45pm - 4:00pm November 25, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this dynamic and interactive 6-hour workshop, participants will delve into the fascinating realm of executive function skills and their pivotal role in academic achievement and lifelong success. Led by renowned pediatric psychologist and international educator, Dr. Lynne Kenney, this workshop will explore cutting-edge research from neuroscience, kinesiology, cognitive science, and neuroeducation.
Embark on a transformative journey that integrates research-based tools and activities into your educational practice, empowering you to enhance cognition, foster learning, and cultivate confident, self-regulated thinkers. Dress comfortably and be prepared to move and learn with enthusiasm, as we embark on this exciting exploration of executive function skills and cognitive-motor activities.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understanding the Biological Foundations: Gain insights into the biological precursors to executive function, self-regulation, and learning, and how these skills influence academic achievement and overall well-being.
- Navigating Co-Existing Diagnoses: Explore the meaningful overlap of co-existing diagnoses such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and ADHD, from a data-based perspective, to better support diverse learners.
- Differentiating Self-Regulation and Response Inhibition: Learn to distinguish between self-regulation, self-control, and response inhibition, and discover strategies to nurture these essential skills in children.
- Facilitating Cognitive Conversations: Acquire techniques to engage in the “cognitive conversation” with students, fostering awareness and understanding of executive function skills such as self-control, attention, and memory.
- Engaging Executive Function through Cognitive-Motor Activities: Explore the CogniSuite™ of coordinative rhythmic beat-based motor movements, designed to activate neural networks associated with attention, memory, and self-control.
- Practicing Stress Regulation Techniques: Practice cognitive-movement strategies to help children transition from a stress response to an alert state of calm, fostering an optimal learning environment.
- Experiencing a Range of Cognitive-Motor Activities: Engage in various cognitive-motor activities including marching, drumming, ball exercises, dance routines, desk-based movements, and beanbag work, to promote thinking skills and self-regulation.
WORKSHOP #5: (CONTINUATION) Optimizing Self-Regulation and Managing Big Emotions
Presented by
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
12:45pm - 4:00pm November 25, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
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.
LEARNING 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 #6: (CONTINUATION) Stress and Trauma: An Attachment-Based Perspective
Presented by
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
12:45pm - 4:00pm November 25, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Fresh insights from the sciences of development, emotion and attachment shed light on the hidden wisdom of the stress response, the essence of trauma, and the pivotal role of both attachment and emotion in etiology and recovery. What is also revealed in putting the pieces together is a common denominator that cuts across syndromes and diagnoses and informs intervention. While the material is presented with clinicians in mind, this model of stress and trauma applies across all ages and venues, including private practice, treatment programs, as well as personal healing and recovery. This model also has significant implications for the prevention, recognition and treatment of distressed children and youth, whether via the school, the family, special programs or direct treatment.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- To appreciate the true purpose and wisdom of the stress response
- To understand trauma as a stuck stress response
- To correctly identify the primary indicators of a stuck stress response
- To appreciate the necessary and sufficient conditions for the stress response to be resolved
- To identify natural and intuitive interventions that can be universally applied
- To distill to the essence the help that is needed to reverse a stuck stress response
- To understand the role of emotional playgrounds in the recovery of the resilience response
Day Two – November 26, 2024
WORKSHOP #8: Art Therapy Interventions to Address Anxiety and Trauma for Kids and Teens
Presented by
Pamela Malkoff Hayes, MFT, LMHC, LPC, ATR-BC
8:30am - 11:45am November 26, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Join us in our upcoming workshop where you will expand your therapeutic toolkit with innovative art interventions designed to counter catastrophizing thoughts and negative self-talk. Discover how evidence-based treatments can empower your students to cultivate resilience, tolerate frustration, and navigate discomfort without resorting to immediate self-medication. Through this seminar, you will learn a repertoire of art interventions that facilitate emotional transformation, trauma processing, problem-solving, perspective shifting, and progress towards acceptance and gratitude.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enrich your therapeutic practice and empower your students through the transformative potential of art therapy. Join us and embark on a journey towards fostering emotional resilience and growth in your students.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Explore Diverse Art Therapy Techniques: Assess over 10 art therapy techniques tailored for immediate integration into school settings, specifically targeting children’s emotion regulation and behavior management.
- Navigate Ethical and Clinical Considerations: Evaluate the ethical implications and clinical boundaries associated with selected art therapy methods within your professional practice.
- Understand Developmental Milestones: Identify developmental stages in children and discern indicators signaling the necessity for further therapeutic intervention.
- Facilitate Art Therapy Sessions: Demonstrate proficiency in guiding children through selected art therapy interventions to augment emotional comprehension and coping strategies effectively.
- Integrate Holiday-Themed Activities: Identify and describe five distinct art therapy interventions incorporating holiday-themed activities to foster deeper personal insight.
- Tailor Art Integration Strategies: Develop over a dozen strategies for seamlessly integrating art into school settings, catering to the needs of children and adolescents grappling with challenging behaviors.
Pamela Malkoff Hayes, MFT, LMHC, LPC, ATR-BC is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) in the states of California, Florida, Georgia, and Rhode Island. She is also a Registered and Board Certified Art Therapist with the American Art Therapy…
WORKSHOP #9: Conquering Anxiety: Strategies for Helping Your Anxious Clients
Presented by
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
8:30am - 11:45am November 26, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Despite all the resources and training programs out there, in our post-pandemic world, anxiety is more pervasive than ever before, and people are finding it harder and harder to cope. Unfortunately, when they seek support, many anxious clients do not receive the right kind of help and some professionals even make anxiety worse.
In this workshop, you will discover evidence-based interventions and practical strategies to boost anxious client’s internal locus of control and master anxiety. Designed specifically for mental health professionals, this workshop goes beyond the basics and offers specialized knowledge and skills to optimize outcomes with anxious clients. Using a transdiagnostic approach, you’ll leave with a toolbox filled with concrete strategies that you can use immediately, no matter the nature or severity of your clients’ anxiety.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Confidently explain the nature of anxiety in-depth, along with the neural pathways to anxiety and how this information informs treatment.
- Identify environmental factors that may contribute to anxiety.
- Develop a case formulation and intervention map based on the client’s triggers and anxiety-provoking situations.
- Explain the key components of evidence-based interventions for anxiety.
- Apply practical strategies to help clients manage anxiety effectively.
- Successfully help clients to face, and change their relationship with, fear.
- Use exposure therapy confidently in meaningful, successful ways.
WORKSHOP #11: (CONTINUATION) Art Therapy Interventions to Address Anxiety and Trauma for Kids and Teens
Presented by
Pamela Malkoff Hayes, MFT, LMHC, LPC, ATR-BC
12:45pm - 4:00pm November 26, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Join us in our upcoming workshop where you will expand your therapeutic toolkit with innovative art interventions designed to counter catastrophizing thoughts and negative self-talk. Discover how evidence-based treatments can empower your students to cultivate resilience, tolerate frustration, and navigate discomfort without resorting to immediate self-medication. Through this seminar, you will learn a repertoire of art interventions that facilitate emotional transformation, trauma processing, problem-solving, perspective shifting, and progress towards acceptance and gratitude.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enrich your therapeutic practice and empower your students through the transformative potential of art therapy. Join us and embark on a journey towards fostering emotional resilience and growth in your students.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Explore Diverse Art Therapy Techniques: Assess over 10 art therapy techniques tailored for immediate integration into school settings, specifically targeting children’s emotion regulation and behavior management.
- Navigate Ethical and Clinical Considerations: Evaluate the ethical implications and clinical boundaries associated with selected art therapy methods within your professional practice.
- Understand Developmental Milestones: Identify developmental stages in children and discern indicators signaling the necessity for further therapeutic intervention.
- Facilitate Art Therapy Sessions: Demonstrate proficiency in guiding children through selected art therapy interventions to augment emotional comprehension and coping strategies effectively.
- Integrate Holiday-Themed Activities: Identify and describe five distinct art therapy interventions incorporating holiday-themed activities to foster deeper personal insight.
- Tailor Art Integration Strategies: Develop over a dozen strategies for seamlessly integrating art into school settings, catering to the needs of children and adolescents grappling with challenging behaviors.
WORKSHOP #12: (CONTINUATION) Conquering Anxiety: Strategies for Helping Your Anxious Clients
Presented by
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
12:45pm - 4:00pm November 26, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Despite all the resources and training programs out there, in our post-pandemic world, anxiety is more pervasive than ever before, and people are finding it harder and harder to cope. Unfortunately, when they seek support, many anxious clients do not receive the right kind of help and some professionals even make anxiety worse.
In this workshop, you will discover evidence-based interventions and practical strategies to boost anxious client’s internal locus of control and master anxiety. Designed specifically for mental health professionals, this workshop goes beyond the basics and offers specialized knowledge and skills to optimize outcomes with anxious clients. Using a transdiagnostic approach, you’ll leave with a toolbox filled with concrete strategies that you can use immediately, no matter the nature or severity of your clients’ anxiety.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Confidently explain the nature of anxiety in-depth, along with the neural pathways to anxiety and how this information informs treatment.
- Identify environmental factors that may contribute to anxiety.
- Develop a case formulation and intervention map based on the client’s triggers and anxiety-provoking situations.
- Explain the key components of evidence-based interventions for anxiety.
- Apply practical strategies to help clients manage anxiety effectively.
- Successfully help clients to face, and change their relationship with, fear.
- Use exposure therapy confidently in meaningful, successful ways.
Day Three – November 27, 2024
WORKSHOP #13: Igniting the Spark: Strategies for Motivating the Disengaged Student
Presented by
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
8:30am - 11:45am November 27, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Are you ready to ignite the flames of student engagement and unleash the untapped potential of every learner?
Concerns over students meeting academic milestones are paramount in educational settings, often linked to issues of disengagement and lack of motivation. Disengagement has become an alarming challenge, especially since the impact of COVID-19. Since most kids lose their intrinsic motivation for learning in early elementary, we need to know how to break the barriers to engagement together and revolutionize the way we approach student motivation.
Learn how to inspire students to achieve their full potential while transforming the educational experience into a journey of discovery and achievement.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify and understand the key factors contributing to student disengagement
- Learn practical strategies that enhance student motivation and engagement in the classroom.
- Identify and overcome emotional barriers to learning
- Effectively use inspirational teaching techniques to spark interest and learning
- Design a learning environment that encourage risk-taking and support students in taking active roles in their own educational journeys.
WORKSHOP #14: Working with Stuck Kids: An Attachment Based Relational Perspective
Presented by
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
8:30am - 11:45am November 27, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Not everyone grows up as they get older. The construct of psychological immaturity has been with us as an intuitive concept for ages, but only recently has developmental science advanced to a state where it can now yield effective strategies and interventions to address learning and behavioural challenges.
Bestselling author of Hold On To Your Kids, Gordon Neufeld presents an integrated developmental approach to reaching troubled kids, using the constructs of attachment, vulnerability and maturation. In this workshop, Gordon takes the best that developmental science has to offer and delivers it in a usable form to the professionals who work with these children or those responsible for them.
His model has been honed from years of application in a wide range of settings: education, special behaviour programs, therapy, corrections, aboriginal communities, adoption, counseling, parenting, and the foster system. This material is applicable to children of all ages, from toddlers to teens. The insights and interventions apply to a wide range of presenting problems and syndromes including attention problems, bullying, impulsiveness, anxiety problems, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, oppositionality, drug abuse, aggression problems, boundary problems, alarming behaviour, boredom and much more.
Join us for this insightful workshop where you’ll gain practical knowledge and strategies to better understand and address psychological immaturity in the children and adolescents you work with.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- How to uncover the relationship between psychological immaturity and the most common presenting problems and syndromes
- Three distinct processes that drive maturation and how to support them
- Maximize how emotional engagement warms the engine of maturation
- To identify the signs being defended against vulnerability
- Developmentally-supportive interventions for problems resulting from stuckness
- Why separation-based discipline for stuck kids doesn’t work and how to provide alternatives
- Why consequence-based discipline fails to work with aggression problems and what does
WORKSHOP #15: Working with Oppositional, Defiant and Disruptive Children & Adolescents in the Classroom
Presented by
Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych
12:45pm - 4:00pm November 27, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In today’s complex world, most children and adolescents experience ups and downs and engage in challenging behaviours from time to time. However, these behavioural become problematic when they occur frequently and begin to impair daily functioning. The prevalence of emotional and behavioural issues in young individuals has surged, often without adequate support, leading to potential long-term consequences for their well-being and development.
Early intervention and treatment are crucial to support the social, emotional, and behavioural wellbeing of children and adolescents and reduce future risks. However, many are unsure how to provide effective help, particularly in the heat of the moment.
Are you ready to make a profound difference in the lives of children and adolescents facing intense behavioural challenges? This dynamic workshop is a must for anyone seeking effective strategies to understand, prevent, and respond to oppositional, defiant, and disruptive behaviours.
Equip yourself with the knowledge and skills needed to transform challenging behaviours into opportunities for growth and success. Establish a solid foundation for addressing these behaviours effectively with practical strategies and interventions. Even more importantly, learn how to guide children and adolescents toward positive choices while promoting their resilience and emotional well-being.
Don’t miss this opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of children and adolescents facing oppositional, defiant, and disruptive challenges. Join us for this comprehensive workshop and be the change they need.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understand the adaptive function of behaviours and the role of emotions.
- Recognize the limitations of traditional strategies and reframe oppositional and defiant behaviours.
- Identify contributing factors, including the impact of stress, in behaviour development.
- Explain trauma-informed approaches in addressing behaviours.
- Establish a foundation for supporting self-regulation.
- Develop nonviolent, responsive communication skills as effective emotion coaches.
- Strengthen emotional intelligence, resilience, flexibility, and conflict management skills.
- Understand the basic psychological functions and needs behind behaviour.
- Discuss the significance of motivational schemes and setting events.
- Implement proactive and reactive strategies for effective behavioural management.
- Manage the cycle of escalation and respond effectively to crises.
- Promote prosocial emotions and social success.
WORKSHOP #16: Making Sense of Adolescence
Presented by
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
12:45pm - 4:00pm November 27, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Crossing the bridge from childhood to adulthood has never been so daunting. The time of adolescence is longer than ever and yet society today offers little support in understanding or facilitating this transition. This course is designed to be used by parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators, professionals – anyone who desires to make sense of adolescence. Parents of pre- teens will find this course invaluable as preparation for what lies ahead.
The key to making sense of the adolescent is to understand the underlying developmental dynamics as well as the attachment needs of the adolescent. These needs are typically underestimated due to the physical maturity of adolescents and the resistance to dependence that can result from becoming prematurely attached to peers. Adding to the confusion is the fact that there is more than one developmental pathway to adulthood and societal integration.
Adolescence literally means ‘growing into maturity’. An adolescent is neither child nor adult and therein lies much of the difficulty, the turbulence, the confusion and the challenge. They need us, yet need to not need us. We are their best bet, yet their instincts are to resist us. Unlike primitive cultures, our highly complex society requires a lengthy adolescence with very few rites of passage. The task of turning children into adults has never been more daunting!
Nature’s part in creating grown-ups is to equip them for adult functioning around the time of puberty, ready or not. These changes create their own rites of passage that the adolescent must negotiate to truly mature. Unfortunately, growing up is not a given; not all adolescents embrace their developmental destiny. The most common temptation of adolescence is to replace parents with peers instead of becoming one’s own person. The most common mistake of adults is to back off prematurely. As long as an adolescent is not yet viable as a separate being, he or she is meant to be attached to those responsible for him or her.
These rites of passage create challenges for parents and teachers as well: the adolescent’s new found idealism makes them critical of us; their developmental self-absorption makes them deaf to our perspective; their acute allergy to coercion makes them rather difficult to direct.
Our challenge as adults is to help our teens cross the bridge from childhood to adulthood, to encourage them to embrace their developmental destiny and to ultimately shoehorn them into adult society. Meanwhile, we have the day-to-day challenge of parenting and teaching them, of guiding and directing them, of shielding them from stress.
Adolescence is truly the womb of adulthood and those enveloped in supportive adult relationships have the greatest chance of successfully negotiating this tumultuous time. The challenge is not to treat them as if they were children nor to retreat from them as if they were adults. Learning to ‘dance’ with an adolescent commands the very best in us.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- The psychological changes at puberty that impact adolescents and those that parent and work with them
- How to deal with the premature loss of power and influence with an adolescent
- How to recognize when rebellion is healthy or a result of adults being replaced by peers
- The psychological temptations faced by adolescents on their journey to maturity
- How parents and teachers can avoid premature or forced retirement
- How to preserve or restore one’s rightful place in an adolescent’s life
- How to differentiate between relationship problems and behaviour problems in the adolescent
- How to hold on without holding them back
Registration & Fees
| Registration | Early bird Fee | Regular Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Individual 1 Day Enrollment | $289.00 | $309.00 |
| Individual 2 Day Enrollment | $489.00 | $509.00 |
| Individual 3 Day Enrollment | $699.00 | $719.00 |
| Group 3-7 | $659.00 | $679.00 |
| Group 8-14 | $639.00 | $659.00 |
| Group 15+ | $619.00 | $639.00 |
| Full-Time Student | $619.00 | $639.00 |
All fees are per person and in Canadian Dollars ($CAD)
Fees do not include applicable taxes (5% GST).
Early bird cutoff date: November 11, 2024
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.
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.
Recommended Accommodation
Executive Hotel Vancouver Airport
7311 Westminster Hwy
Richmond, BC V6X 1A3
phone: 604.278.5555
website: www.executivehotels.net/vancouver-airport-hotel/
Our rates:
Please state you would like to book under the “Jack Hirose” block when booking your room to receive our group room rate.
Courtyard Standard Room – $179.00 plus tax
Courtyard Junior suite – $199.00 plus tax
Plaza Room – $209.00 plus tax
One-bedroom Condo – $259.00 plus tax
Guest bookings include:
- Overnight parking
- High-speed WIFI
- Free Airport Transfers – 6:00am – 10:30pm (Please arrange with the hotel directly)
Please note, room reservations are subject to availability
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 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.
Related Events
There are no related events at this time.