Kwesi has demonstrated his ongoing commitment to transforming the image of the youth living in his home community. This commitment to his community and its youth has been an area of inspiration for him whenever the work becomes demanding. Kwesi currently works as a Youth Outreach Worker with East Metro Youth Services and also volunteers as the Interim President of the Guyanese Canadian Youth Alliance Organization. A recent graduate of the University of Toronto, Kwesi is now working diligently to explore synergies between a passion for working with youth, understanding of various mental health challenges and his research background in the field of education.

Françoise is a certified mental health counsellor and compassion fatigue specialist. Her experience stems from many years (15+) as a crisis counsellor, working in a hospital emergency ward, university counselling service and community mental health environments. Françoise is director of WHP-Workshops for the Helping Professions whose aim is to offer counselling, consulting and training to helpers on topics related to self care, wellness, burnout and compassion fatigue. Since 2001, Françoise has given hundreds of seminars on compassion fatigue and self care across Canada to thousands of helping professionals in the health care fields. She is the author of The Compassion Fatigue Train the Trainer Workbook and The Compassion Fatigue Workbook and the ebooklet: Designing and Marketing a Compassion Fatigue Workshop in 10 Key Steps. For more information on her work: www.compassionfatigue.ca

Based in Kingston, Ontario, Françoise also runs a successful private practice.

 

Michelle Ashem is an experienced Community Health Promoter working with and for diverse sectors, initiatives and communities to improve overall health outcomes and reduce health inequities through collaboration and partnership, as well as through community engagement and empowerment. For 15 years she has provided consultation to individuals , groups and populations, and multidisciplinary organization's focusing on healthy public policy, health education and communication, program research and evaluation. Michelle strives for excellence in Public Health Practice in areas including health equity, sexual health promotion and youth/child health and is passionate about issues of social justice.

Harjit Aulakh, M.A. is psychology doctoral student at McGill University and currently works as a clinician with Saanich Child and Youth Community Mental Health Centre providing therapeutic services for youth of all ages. She has been developing and providing group therapy for NSSI teens for three years with Dr. Nixon, and is one of the co-authors of the chapter on psycho-social interventions with youth who self-injure in the book titled: Self-Injury in Youth: The Essential Guide to Assessment and Intervention.

Keith A. Bailey, Ph.D., is both an independent consultant and works as a consultant through the University of Tennessee’s Social Work Office of Research and Public Service. He has worked with youth for over 20 years and spent 15 years working with children in residential care, foster care, and day treatment in both direct care and administrative positions. He serves as an adjunct faculty in the Psychology Department for Tusculum College and is a Professional Level Trainer for Therapeutic Crisis Intervention.

Keith has a B.A. in Psychology from Tennessee Wesleyan College, a M.Div. from Duke University, a M.S. in Child and Family Studies-Child Development and a Ph.D. in Human Ecology from the University of Tennessee.

April Boyington Wall, MSW, PhD CMC (Certified Management Consultant) is a specialist in leadership and management development, particularly in social service organizations. Trained as a social worker, and with years of experience in management consulting, April brings unique expertise to both the business and the interpersonal side of organizations. As an instructional designer, she has a proven track record for being able to develop training programs that are interactive, relevant and practical—whether these are in-class or online.

April’s consulting firm, Principal, Whole Systems Change Inc., provides a range of consulting services including change management, designing and delivering innovative training programs, facilitation of planning and team-building sessions, workplace mediation, and strategic communication. She is known for her ability to quickly diagnose and provide remedies to some of the most challenging issues related to staff performance and organizational effectiven

Rachael Brubacher works in the SprOUT Program at the Griffin Centre. sprOUT is all about connecting lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender and questioning people labelled with intellectual disabilities across Ontario.

Griffin Centre is a non-profit charitable mental health agency providing flexible and accessible services to youth, adults and their families. Our mission is to promote positive change for vulnerable youth and adults with mental health challenges and/or developmental disabilities and their families. They are dedicated to delivering innovative services and developing creative partnerships that enhance lives and communities.

Regional Eating Disorder Program (REDP), Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

 

Barbara Collier is Executive Director of Augmentative Communication Community Partnerships Canada, a federal, non-profit organization that conducts projects to promote social awareness, communication accessibility, enhanced quality of life and community participation for people with complex communication disabilities. Barbara is a Speech Language Pathologist and has worked as a project manager, researcher, resource developer, educator and clinician. She has managed projects relating to abuse prevention and safety as well as communication access to justice and community services. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and has developed a number of instructional books and DVDs for consumers. In July, 2010, she was honored as Fellow of the International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Al Condeluci is recognized for his innovative and practical work in building inclusive communities and natural supports. He is CEO of UCP/CLASS, a community based support system for people with all types of disabilities living in Pittsburgh, PA. He holds an MSW and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh, where he is on faculty in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the School of Social Work. He has authored 6 books, including the acclaimed, Interdependence: The Route to Community (1991) which won the AMA McMann Award and the newly released, Together is Better (2009). Al is also the winner of the BIA-PA Hero Award , the Frieda Shapira Medal – Outstanding Leader, the NABIS Public Policy Award and the Pitt Distinguished Alumni Award. UCP/CLASS was selected as “Best Place to Work” in both 2007 and 2011.

Al lives in McKees Rocks, PA, just outside Pittsburgh, on the family hill with his wife and 3 children and some 30 other members of the extended Condeluci family.

Family Coordinator, Family Respite Services

Geraldine Crisci is an internationally recognized expert in the assessment and treatment of child sexual abuse and has developed protocols for trauma assessment and treatment of sexualized behaviour in children. She serves as a faculty member of the C.O. Bick Police College, Metropolitan Toronto Police and the R.C.M.P and is qualified as an expert witness in criminal court in the areas of sexual abuse. Geri provides ongoing training, supervision and consultation through Crisci & Associates to a number of sexual abuse treatment programs and children’s mental health centers.

MERRILYNN DOWNEY is a behaviour specialist working as a consultant in the field of children’s mental health. In this role she provides intensive home-based support to families, groups, and consultation to schools and child welfare agencies. She has years of experience working within the school system as 1 to 1 staff with youth struggling with especially challenging behaviours. Merrilynn works with Eileen Kilbride in private practice offering home-based support services, as well as presentations.

Dr. Dubord is the Director of the Toronto Center for Cognitive Therapy. He was the first Canadian Fellow of the Beck Institute, and the Founding Director of the University of Toronto Psychiatry's Department of Intermediate and Advanced Cognitive Therapy Courses. His relentlessly-practical teachings are grounded in almost 20 years of a diverse and humbling therapy practice. Dr. Dubord is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and has been recognized by the University of Toronto with several major teaching awards. See also www.cbt.ca

Michael H. Epstein, Ed.D., is the Director of the Center for At- Risk Children’s Services and William E. Barkley Professor of Special Education at the University of Nebraska. He received his doctoral degree in special education from the University of Virginia. He has been employed as a teacher of children with behavior and learning problems, a director of educational programs for students with disabilities, and a university professor. Dr. Epstein has received over 16 million dollars in external grants, has published over 220 professional papers, has served as a consultant to various state and federal agencies and foundations, has served as a reviewer for numerous professional journals, and is the founding editor of the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. He is the author of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale: A Strength Based Approach to Assessment and the Scale Assessing Emotional Disturbance. He is the co author of Outcomes for Children and Youth with Emotional

Patricia Fisher,

Dr. Patricia Fisher, Ph.D., R.Psych., L.Psych., President and CEO.is a clinical and consulting psychologist who has specialized in the field of workplace traumatic and systemic stress over the past 20 years. She has authored 6 texts and numbers of research papers on the subject, and is a frequent presenter at international conferences and professional meetings. Active as a clinician, researcher, and consultant, her work also includes program design and evaluation, curriculum development and training, policy development and organizational planning. Dr. Fisher’s work has focused on the needs of public service personnel in high risk areas such as human and social services, law enforcement, corrections, emergency services, and health care. More recently, the scope of application has increased to include a wide range of high stress private and public sector workplaces.

Lorraine has specialized expertise in the area of gender and sexual diversity, particularly in service delivery with children, youth and families. Lorraine has worked for over 16 years in the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto’s Out and Proud Program, and has developed a new best practices manual, “Out and Proud Affirmation Guidelines: Practice Guidelines for Equity in Gender and Sexual Diversity,” about equitable service delivery related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex development.

Lorraine has also designed and co-facilitated a workshop series for LGBTQ older adults, through the 519 Church St. Community Centre, and is currently developing and facilitating an innovative workshop series at Delisle Youth Services for parents and caregivers of LGBTQ youth. Her work includes training, curriculum design, policy and best practice development, resource development, consultation and organizational change.

Beginning as a front line worker, Thom has worked with young people, families and staff for over 40 years as an International consultant / trainer for foster, family, and kinship care, program development and residential care in various countries. He is Co-founder / Editor of the International Child & Youth Care Network (www.cyc-net.org) and Relational Child & Youth Care Practice. Thom is also the developer of the training, The Meaningful Use of Daily Life Events which is utilized worldwide. He is the author of 7 books and numerous professional articles.

Rick is both the co-founder and Executive Director of The Men’s Project.
He has been a social worker, educator and program manager and taught social sciences and social work education at the college and university level. He conducts training for professionals on issues of male sexual victimization, gender and violence in Canada, the United States, Jamaica, England and India. His research and writing has been published in both national magazines and federal publications. He recently co-authored the guidebook Men & Healing: Theory, Research and Practice with Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (2009). This guidebook is now being used to formulate services in Ireland, the United States and Canada. Rick was also the author for Health Canada in their investigation concerning the correlation between men's experience of HIV and sexual violence. Rick is the 2007 recipient of the inaugural Attorney General’s Award of Distinction for his work.

Jim Hall is a therapist, consultant, trainer, writer and program developer at Wolfwood Canada. Over the past 25 years Jim has worked at agencies such as: The Shoniker Clinic, Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre, GreeneStone Muskoka), Durham Children’s Aid Society, Centennial College, New Choice Foster Homes, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, SASAT), Central Toronto Youth Services, Covenant House, Yorklea Detention Centre, Rouge Valley Health System. Jim authored ‘Creating Courage: Search & Rescue’, a manual that deals with anxiety and trauma. He developed the Brave Bears Group Program for Children with Anxiety and their caregivers which was offered for over 15 years at the Shoniker Clinic. Jim has been nominated 4 times since 1992 for the Krista Sepp Award for his work with children and adolescents.

Jim has done training/consultation and workshops for: Safeguards Training, Pujualussait Committee- Aboriginal Healing Foundation, Toronto CAS, Toronto Board of Education, Mi

Jennifer of Share Vitality has worked in a variety of mental health settings over the last 18years. These settings range from an acute child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit in a hospital, school board section classroom, leading a crisis team for the entire age continuum and also different children mental health treatment agencies. The majority of her work has been in an outreach capacity providing crisis intervention and support to families that are living with high needs mental health challenges.
Throughout Jennifer’s career, she has had a great interest in the areas of self-care /burnout prevention and trauma informed care/leadership. She has found an area that she is really passionate about in being an educator to frontline staff and leadership. In this work she has found a way to reach even more individuals. She believes that if we can support those that work in high touch professions, client care can be improved and everyone will benefit.

Bill Helmeczi is the Director of Mental Health for Pathstone Mental Health Services. In this role, he also provides leadership to Pathstone’s two Institutes: Education and Training Institute and Research Institute. He is a part-time instructor in Child and Youth Studies Department at Brock University. He has an M.Ed and an M.Sc Psych and will complete his doctoral degree, in Public Health Policy, August 2013. His main areas of specialization are with high-risk youth and in ethical decision-making. He has nearly 20 years experience researching and working with high-risk aggressive youth. He is co-author of a treatment program for Adolescents that engage in inappropriate sexual behaviour. In addition, for the past twelve years he has provided clinical consultation to open, secure custody facilities and residential treatment programs.

Regional Eating Disorder Program (REDP), Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

Richard Heresniak, is the Lead Crisis Counselor at the Astor Home for Children, a 75-bed residential facility for severely emotionally disturbed children, ages 5-13,located in Rhinebeck, NY. He handles crisis intervention work and is the primary
TCI trainer for the facility. Mr. Heresniak worked his way up to this position,starting out as a Teacher Assistant in the Astor Learning Center, followed by Crisis Intervention and childcare worker in the RTC and RTF units. He has been trained in TCI since 1989.

Jack C. Holden, Ph.D., is President of Mueller Holden and Associates in Ithaca, NY, and a TCI Instructor. Since 1986, Mr. Holden has been a full-time consultant/trainer traveling nationally and internationally to develop and deliver training programs in the human service field. Mr. Holden consults with Cornell University and co-developed the following curricula: Recovery for Staff-TCI, Cornell University, 1995, and Connecting: Essential Elements of Residential Child Care Practice.

Michael has been working in child and adolescent services since 1988 in a variety of settings including child welfare, youth justice, education and child and youth mental health. He has been with Crossroads Children’s Centre since 1996 and is currently the Associate Executive Director.

Michael is one of only a few trainers in Canada in the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach. He has been instrumental in implementing the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach across Ontario, and to date has trained approximately 3,000 people. All working together towards the common goal of improving outcomes for the ever increasing number of children and youth receiving services in the Ottawa area. As well, Michael has been a CPS coach for approximately 7 years providing ongoing guidance to a number of sites in the Ottawa area.

Dr. Daniel A. Hughes received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Ohio University, with a clinical internship at the University of Rochester Medical School. He is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and the Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children (ATTACh).

He consults with various mental health, social service, and residential treatment agencies in the U.S. and other countries. He presents workshops and trains therapists in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Scotland, England and Ireland while maintaining a direct service practice in Pensylvania. Dan is the author of Facilitating Developmental Attachment (1997) and Building the Bonds of Attachment (1998/2006) and Attachment Focused Parenting (2006), Attachment Focused Family Therapy (2007) and Attachment Focused Parenting ( 2009).

To learn more about Daniel Hughes go to:
www.danielhughes.org or www.dyadicdevelopmentalpsychotherap

Dr. Paula Hutchinson PhD, is a lecturer at Dalhousie University in the School of Health and Human Performance. She teaches ‘Leisure for Persons with Disability’ and ‘Evaluation in Health Promotion’. Her primary areas of interest are knowledge transfer of research evidence, social policy, care giving, and community-based programs for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For the past 5 years, Paula has been a consultant for the ‘Nova Scotia Partnership on Respite’, as well as ‘Family Health and Well-Being’. Specializing in participatory research and education, she has developed and evaluated evidence-based curriculum for professionals and families of children and adults with intellectual disability. Currently, with funding from Autism Speaks Canada, Paula is developing and evaluating community inclusion curriculum for individuals with ASD and recreation service providers.

 

The instructors for the Train the Trainer program are members of the Freedom From Harm Working Committee, Community Living Ontario. The team includes: Jim McLean, Larry Collard, Lee-Anne Dupuis and Peggy Corrigan Dench.

Colleen Kamps has been working in the helping field for over twenty five years. Over the past fourteen years she has specialized in assessment and treatment of children who have been sexually abused, children who have witnessed violence, and children with sexual behaviour problems, through the T.A.L.K. Program. She co-developed an assessment tool for children with sexual behaviour problems. . Colleen is also a faculty member of Centennial College in the Child & Youth Worker Program and also trains and consults with several treatment programs, child welfare agencies, and children's mental health treatment residencies Prior to the specialization in child abuse, Colleen has worked extensively in the area of child welfare, education, residential services, and youth outreach.

Shelley Kavanagh has worked for the Toronto District School Board for the past 18 years as an Art Therapist at Central Etobicoke High School. This Expressive Arts Therapy Program serves youth, aged 14-21, many of whom have not found success in the regular school system. Their challenges include mental health issues, witnessing violence, experiencing and perpetrating abuse and perpetrating other criminally offensive behavior. Shelley is also the Art Therapist at Thistletown Regional Centre’s SAFE-T (Sexual Abuse Family Education and Treatment) Program.

EILEEN KILBRIDE is a children’s mental health specialist with over 20 years experience providing services to children, families, child welfare agencies, schools, and other community partners. She has also provided presentations and training opportunities regarding the impact of developmental trauma. Eileen is a psychological associate and has been a member of The College of Psychologists of Ontario since 1997. She has a private practice, specializing in attachment, trauma, and animal assisted therapy.

Steven traces his ancestry to the Mohawks of the Six Nations and is of the Turtle Clan. He is a graduate student at OISE completing a Masters of Education in the area of Community Development. Steven has over 25 years of community healing work in Canadian First Nations, both urban and remote reserve communities. His work on land claims, mental health, addictions, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and youth engagement have led to a strong commitment to change the trajectory of especially First Nations youth. Steven is active in consultations around reconciliation of colonial injustices and preparations to inform the Canadian public on the tragic legacies of Canadian Indian Residential Schools which all Canadians have been victims. Steve hopes to use his advanced education from OISE to participate in the de-colonization across Canada and the globe.

Franklin Kuhn, Jr., Ph.D, a clinical psychologist, has worked in clinical and administrative positions with child welfare organizations for 20 years. He has served as medical school faculty and has provided consultation and training to agencies
across the U.S. Dr. Kuhn has been a consultant to the RCCP since 1985.

Annette Kussin, M.S.W., R.S.W. is a Registered Social Worker and Registered Marriage and Family Therapist. Annette has over thirty years of experience in children and adult mental health in clinical, supervisory and management positions. She has been the Clinical Director of the Creche Child and Family Centre, the Director of Clinical Services at Oolagen Community Services and Head of the Family Therapy Program at the Hincks/Dellcrest Centre. For 5 years Annette was a partner in Crisci, Kussin & Mayer, Counselling, Consultation and Training. She presently has an independent private practice.

For over 25 years Annette has specialized in couple and family therapy offering training, supervision and consultation. Over the past 15 years she has developed an interest and expertise in Attachment Theory, Trauma and Brain Development. She provides training in this area for many organizations in Toronto and Ontario.

In her present private practice Annette offers counselling services to th

 

Ruth Linnen is the founder and director of Certified Professional Counselling Centre (CPCC). She is a Certified Psychotherapist with a specialty in Trauma Consultation, Treatment and Education. Ruth has studied in the areas of personality development, psycho-therapeutic modalities, family and couples therapy, and trauma. She is a Critical Incident Specialist and has been trained in Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). She regularly provides Emotional Regulation groups in her private practice. Ruth also works in a community based mental health setting providing assessment, treatment and consultation to individuals and families in the area of psychiatric illness and related challenges.

Greg Lubimiv is the Executive Director of the Phoenix Centre for Children and Families, a children’s mental health centre in southeastern Ontario. The Phoenix Centre provides a wide range of services including, day treatment, respite care, intensive services, early years programs, outpatient and prevention. Greg has over 30 years of experience in children’s mental health and child welfare where he has been involved as a clinician, trainer and administrator. Greg has specialized in the field of play therapy and family therapy and has authored a number of books and articles on this and other topics including Wings for Our Children: The essentials of becoming a play therapist and My Sister Is An Angeline, a book helping children cope with a siblings death.

Greg graduated with his Bachelor of Social work from Laurentian University and later with his Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto. He is a certified play therapist and supervisor with the Canadian Association o

Ed is a Special Education Resource Teacher with the Hamilton Wentworth Catholic School Board whose role it is to support students and teachers in the classroom. He is also an Instructor at Mohawk College in Hamilton and an Associate Faculty Instructor with Conestoga College in Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and Stratford where he teaches a course entitled Approaches to Autism as part of the Educational Assistant Program. Ed speaks at various workshops and seminars and runs a summer camps and respite programs for individuals with high needs Autism.

Sheila Mansell, PhD, R. Psych., specializes in the treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders, complex needs, intellectual disabilities and mental health concerns (dual diagnosis), and their families and support systems. She has published and trained many frontline staff, families and supports on the subject of abuse, intellectual disability and treatment of trauma. She has been practicing within the field of dual diagnosis for the past sixteen years. Her presentations draw on research as well as her own practice. She previously worked as a researcher for the Abuse and Disability Project and co-authored and published research articles and presented papers at conferences in Canada, the USA, Israel, and Europe. In 2001 she co-authored a book with Dr. Dick Sobsey published by National Association for the Dually Diagnosed titled Counselling People with Developmental Disabilities Who Have Been Sexually Abused. She was a consulting psychologist to the Arnika Centre for Dual Di

Zack Marshall works in the ReachOUT and SprOUT Program of the Griffin Centre. sprOUT is all about connecting lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender and questioning people labelled with intellectual disabilities across Ontario.

ReachOUT is a creative, inclusive & accessible program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer youth and adults in the Greater Toronto Area. Activities include drop-in groups, community outreach, counselling, consultation, art & skills exchange. They offer safe spaces that reflect the diversity of queer and trans communities.

Griffin Centre is a non-profit charitable mental health agency providing flexible and accessible services to youth, adults and their families. Our mission is to promote positive change for vulnerable youth and adults with mental health challenges and/or developmental disabilities and their families. They are dedicated to delivering innovative services and developing creative partnerships that enhance lives and communities.

Debra Mayer, MA, is Director for SpeciaLink, the National Centre for Child Care Inclusion and offers training in assessing inclusion quality and transforming programs across Canada. She is a lifelong advocate for children with disabilities and for the adults who care so much about our children. In Manitoba, Debra teaches in the inclusion and management streams for the University of Winnipeg’s ECE degree program and serves as the early childhood consultant for Community Living Manitoba.

Nancy is an integral part of the group practice of Crisci & Mayer, Consultation Counseling and Training. For over 25 years, she has worked as a clinician, supervisor, manager, consultant and trainer in the areas of child sexual abuse, adult survivors of trauma, effects of secondary trauma on workers, clergy and professional misconduct, workplace issues and organizational change. She has worked for a variety of child welfare, children's mental health and medical and private organizations. As part of the group Crisci & Mayer, she offers therapy and provides clinical supervision and consultation to clinicians and social services organizations.

Rick has extensive experience providing front-line clinical services to children, adolescents and their families, including clinical and psychological assessments, psycho-educational assessments, and therapeutic interventions. He has both provided psychological services and consultation to residential, educational (day treatment), home-based and outpatient services. As well, he has been extensively involved in development and delivery of social skills and anger management programs for both parents and children; conducting research on skills training, program evaluation, and providing clinical training and supervision. In addition, he has conducted over 100 two-day training workshops for the public, mental health and school professionals on various topics related to anger control, treatment planning and externalizing and internalizing disorders. Dr. McCendie is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario and the Canadian Psychological Association.

Lisl is the Manager of the Child Development Centre, a licensed childcare facility at Rosalie Hall. She has been practicing since 1987. In addition to this, Lisl provides support and consultation to families focusing on child development, parenting and attachment. Since 1999, in partnership with Aisling/ Discoveries and the YWCA, Lisl provides group facilitation in the Here To Help program, supporting mothers and children who have experienced domestic violence. Lisl is a steering committee member for the Growing Healthy Together Prenatal Program.
Lisl is currently working towards achieving her Honours BSc. in Early Childhood Development and holds an infant mental health certificate from York University.

Kim Meawasige (Consultant) is a FASD Policy Analyst at the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres in Toronto, and formerly worked with Native Child and Family Services of Toronto for ten years. Kim is a co-chair of Toronto’s “Aboriginal FASD Task Force” committee, and board member of FAS World Canada. Kim has developed and implemented several community support programs for parents and children who are affected by FASD including an Aboriginal Children’s FASD Camp that is in it’s fourth season. Kim has also provided over one hundred workshops to different communities in Canada. She brings a professional and personnel commitment to this issue. She is a Mother of seven and Grandmother of one, with four of her children diagnosed with FAS. Kim has been in the field of FASD for over ten years. She provides assistance with FASD resources available to urban Aboriginal people, shares approaches–both traditional and contemporary to dealing with FASD, conducts on-site training and

Tracey Methven has 20 years experience with a broad range of health promotion agencies in both community and clinical settings, working for the last 15 working specifically in Sexual Health promotion, Harm Reduction and anti-oppression training/education. Her work focuses on experiential learning, inclusion, body- and sex-positivity, and empathy. She works with diverse ethno-cultural communities and is passionately committed to illuminating health inequities through education, community empowerment and partnerships.

Michelle Moran is a social worker who has been working with youth in the field of violence prevention for over fourteen years. During that time, Michelle has co-authored several manuals for educators as well as created an interactive CD Rom, web site and video with youth on the issue of youth violence prevention. Currently, Michelle is working at East Metro Youth Services, an accredited children’s mental health centre, supervising the RISE (Respect in Schools Everywhere) Program. The RISE Program is a school-based youth engagement program that supports youth in becoming leaders of peace and safety. Michelle also works as a part-time faculty member at Centennial College in the Child and Youth Worker Program.

Dr. Nixon is the Network Leader for the Interdisciplinary National Self Injury in Youth Network Canada (INSYNC) and has recently co-edited a book with Dr. Nancy Heath entitled “Self Injury in Youth: The Essential Guide to Assessment and Intervention, Routledge, NY.

Dr. Nixon is a child and adolescent psychiatrist practicing in Victoria, British Columbia. She previously worked at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa where she was Director of Psychiatry Research and Head of the Mood and Anxiety Clinic. She was the founding Editor of the Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a member of the board of the CACAP for 7 years.

Dr. Nixon is a Research Associate at the Center for Youth and Society at the University of Victoria and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, UBC. She is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at the U of V. Her area of research includes population based studies

Lori Psenicka has worked in children's mental health for over thirty years. She discovered the power of group work beginning her career in residential services with youth. She has developed her expertise through continued training and facilitating a variety of groups for children and parents. Lori has developed many Practice-Based curriculums for treatment and educational groups which have been effectively implemented in out-client settings. Lori is trained in several Evidence-Based Groups including COPE, The Incredible Years, SNAP, Coping Power. She is passionate about supporting group facilitators to enhance the quality of group work by developing training sessions and providing consultations. Lori enjoys presenting workshops to both parents and professionals on a variety of mental health issues. Currently Lori is Coordinator of Group Services at Peel Children's Centre.

Ashley Quinn, M.S.W., is a social work doctoral student at the University of Toronto and currently works as a course instructor at Ryerson University teaching anti-oppressive and transformative approaches to social work practice. Ashley is grounded in her commitment to advocate for Aboriginal children, youth and their families. Ashley is an experienced practitioner in the fields of children and youth mental health, juvenile justice, child welfare and education. She is a leader in her community where she was recently a research assistant for the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Survey, the first Canada wide study designed by and for urban Aboriginal community members. Ashley has published peer-reviewed articles and has presented at local, national and international conferences. Ashley is a recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) scholarship for her research on resiliency among First Nations children and youth involved in the child welfare system.

Margarita Rabinovich, Lic. (Psych.) is a clinical therapist with more than twenty years of experience working with children, youth and families. She has trained in trauma, attachment, mindfulness and contemplative practices such as meditation and yoga. She is currently a clinical therapist of the complex trauma services at Child and Adolescent Services in Hamilton. Margarita is the founder and director of Fostering Care Consulting Services. Margarita has developed and facilitated training for foster parents, group home and child welfare workers that are being offered to frontline workers and caregivers since 2006. Margarita is actively involved in promoting the use of mindfulness in the work-place. She has offered training to counsellors, psychotherapists as well as team building workshops. Her clinical and teaching approach includes research and evidence based practices. People who have attended her workshops appreciate how accessible and hands-on her teaching style is.

Laurel has 6 ½ years of experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist, with 5 of those years dedicated and focused towards Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC); working in an advanced level clinic for children and young adults, in Toronto. Prior to completing her Masters, Laurel studied sign language and graduated from an American Sign Language – English Interpreter Program. Over the past 4 years, Laurel has been a Member at Large on the International Society for the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) Canadian executive. Through her work, she has encouraged and facilitated AAC awareness events to take place across the nation to coincide with International AAC Awareness month. She enjoys sharing her experiences with student S-LPs, and is a mentor to new staff members in her present work environment. Recently, Laurel joined ACCPC as part of the Cultures of Communication Team. She is delighted to be a part of the AAC Community, and appreciates opportunities

Regional Eating Disorder Program (REDP), Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

Mary Ruberti, M.S.W., is a TCI Instructor and an independent training consultant with many years of experience working with emotionally disabled and mentally ill children and youth in both residential and community-based settings. This work has included the utilization of adventure-based counseling in this population in a variety of settings. Ms. Ruberti has received training from Project Adventure, Inc., a nationally recognized ABC training provider.

Colin Scheyen is the Multimedia Coordinator at East Metro Youth Services, an accredited children’s mental health agency in Scarborough. In his program, Studio2, he works with youth to create meaningful media projects about important social issues using video production, photography, music and graphic design. Colin has a Bachelor of Education degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree and is currently completing his Masters in Educational and Media Studies where he focuses on using multimedia as a tool to engage youth. His work has been published in multiple academic journals and he will be presenting his paper, "Abo-Digitalism: Youth Identity, Critical Pedagogy, and Popular Media" at the International Association for the Study of Popular Music Conference at Acadia University in June 2012.

Debbie Sliwinski is a certified Child and Youth Counselor, with over thirty five years experience. Her particular focus is in the areas of children's mental health, child welfare and trauma. Debbie has worked on child and youth units as well as psychiatric units for over 20 years; she has managed a Children's Mental Health Residence, a Day Treatment and a Community Mental Health program for transitional aged youth with major mental illness.
Debbie has been a part-time faculty at Centennial College for over fifteen years and provides consultation and support to families around children's mental health issues. She has done trainings for Safeguard's and presented at many national international conferences. Debbie has been an accreditation site reviewer for Children's Mental Health Ontario since 2008. Presently, Debbie is the Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Counsellors; her mandate is to promote community partnerships, with the goal of obtaining legislativ

 

Cathy is a Senior Clinician-Infant Mental Health at Rosalie Hall with over 25 years experience as a practicing social worker. Cathy coordinates research, evaluation, and clinical development at Rosalie Hall. In addition to this she provides clinical counselling and consultation in the areas of infant mental health, trauma, attachment and parenting interventions with individuals, families, groups and parent child dyads. Cathy is currently teaching at York University in the Infant Mental Health Certificate program and she is on the steering committee for Infant Mental Health Promotion at Sick Kids and is a community advisory board member for Scarborough Agencies Sexual Abuse Treatment Program.

Regional Eating Disorder Program (REDP), Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

John Strang, Ph.D., C. Psych. is a clinical neuropsychologist with over 25 years experience in learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, children’s mental health, and acquired brain injury in children and adults. He is the founding Director of the Ozad Institute, Windsor Regional Children’s Centre (WRCC), which is devoted to research and education in neurodevelopmental disabilities; a staff neuropsychologist at WRCC; and a consulting pediatric neuropsychologist at the John McGivney Children’s Centre for children with physical and neurological disorders. His private practice is currently focused on the neuropsychological assessment of adults and children who have sustained head injuries. Dr. Strang has over 20 publications in clinical neuropsychology. Adjunct faculty appointments are held in Psychology at the University of Windsor, and Psychiatry at the University of Western Ontario: SWOMEN (Windsor). He has completed over 100 presentations at conferences and community-based ve

Regional Eating Disorder Program (REDP), Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

 

Natasha has been committed to implementing the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach across Ontario, and to date has trained approximately 3,000 people; including police, fire departments, children’s aid societies, parent organizations, mental health agencies and learning institutions (schools, colleges and universities). She is a CPS coach and provides on-going weekly support to various sites in Ottawa working from a CPS perspective. These coaching and training efforts are aimed at providing compassionate care and ultimately improving outcomes for the ever increasing number of children and youth receiving services in the Ottawa area and across the Province of Ontario. Natasha is one of 7 trainers in Canada for Collaborative Problem Solving and recently completed her fellowship for her Master’s in Social Work at Think:Kids in the department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Suzanne Thomson has twenty years experience in the field of trauma and expressive arts therapy, using a variety of modalities to facilitate the assessment and treatment of disenfranchised populations. She facilitates therapy groups, designs treatment tools and curriculums, consults, teaches and conducts training in trauma and expressive arts therapy. She is the creator of Hero’s Journey, a game of adventure for children who have experienced violence in their lives.

Diana is a WHP Associate and has been committed to trauma-focused work in the health care sector for the past 20 years. She has coordinated hospital based sexual assault/domestic violence treatment programs, which involved counselling those who have been traumatized by violence, teaching other professionals how to do this work effectively while staying healthy themselves. Diana has also worked in the area of Employee Assistance Program counselling where she has specialized in working with individuals who are feeling stressed by their personal and/or work life. Her passion is to assist people in creating personal changes that promote health. Participation on numerous community and provincial committees, research projects and educational endeavors round out her professional interests.

Elsbeth Tupker, M.S.W., has 26 years of experience working with youth at the former Addiction Research Foundation and more recently at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Her work
has focused on treatment of young drug users,including program development, program management, research, and professional training. She has coauthored a number of publications: Youth & Drugs and Mental Health: A Resource for Professionals; Let
'Em Go: How to Support Youth in Creating Their Own Solutions, and First Contact: A Brief Treatment for Young Substance Users with Mental Health Problems; and an online course: Introduction to Concurrent Disorders.

Tess Vo works in the ReachOUT Program, Griffin Centre
ReachOUT is a creative, inclusive & accessible program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer youth and adults in the Greater Toronto Area. Activities include drop-in groups, community outreach, counselling, consultation, art & skills exchange. They offer safe spaces that reflect the diversity of queer and trans communities.

Griffin Centre is a non-profit charitable mental health agency providing flexible and accessible services to youth, adults and their families. Our mission is to promote positive change for vulnerable youth and adults with mental health challenges and/or developmental disabilities and their families. They are dedicated to delivering innovative services and developing creative partnerships that enhance lives and communities.

Rebecca has been a Child and Youth Care Professional since 1998. She has worked in numerous practice contexts including; the young offender system, family preservation, early intervention, child protection, youth substance abuse and children’s mental health. She is currently a Program Manager of Intensive Residential and Day Treatment Services in the Thunder Bay area. This curriculum was derived out of an evaluative research project. These findings have been presented at several International conferences. Dr. Anglin’s (2002) model of residential treatment serves as the framework with other developmental, behavioural change, and crisis intervention theories serving as supporting clinical perspectives.

Ronna Hope Warsh has 35 years of experience in human services in a variety of leadership roles. She has worked in small non-profits and in government at the municipal and provincial levels. During this time she has collaborated with agencies that provide health care, child welfare, employment, developmental services, child care and children’s mental health services. She has been a leader on several Boards of Directors and is the founding Board member of a successful Family Health Team. She has also been involved in agency mergers and Ronna’s most recent position was that of Community Development and Health Commissioner for the City of Windsor. In 2012 Ronna received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association, a Community Service Award from Community Living Windsor and a Community Building Award from the Somali Community of Windsor. Ronna is now a certified leadership coach and is passionate about her consulting and coaching work in Human Servi

Jessica received her doctorate from the Sociology and Equity Studies in Education Department at OISE/UT in May of 2005. Jessica brings a plethora of experience working in the field of anti-oppression and education. She is a published author, has presented her work at several local and international conferences, has been interviewed for various print and television media, has been a guest lecturer at OISE/UT, and has spent the last several years working in youth violence prevention. After spending many years as a program director for a national youth violence prevention organization, Jessica joined the Violence Intervention Project at East Metro Youth Services. Currently, Jessica runs a school-based violence prevention project for “at-risk” youth while continuing to author various studies.

Librarian for the Virtual Library

Greg Wise, M.A., who formerly worked as a residential child care supervisor and with the developmentally disadvantaged and mentally ill, is an extension associate with the FLDC. He delivers TCI training and updates nationally and provides technical
assistance to residential facilities throughout New York State.

Dr. Wolfe’s training and experience as a psychiatric nurse and sociologist have informed her 18 years of clinical practice. She was trained as a psychiatric nurse in Manitoba, and received her MA and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Toronto. Her doctoral thesis focused on the reciprocity between maternal depression and children’s psychological and behavior problems. She has lectured in various subject areas at the community college and university level.

Dr. Wolfe has worked with adults in in-patient hospital settings and provided group therapy to adolescents in day treatment programs in Winnipeg. Currently, in addition to having a private practice, Dr. Wolfe is employed both as a mental health therapist providing individual and group psychotherapy to adults in an out-patient setting and as a crisis intervention specialist in an emergency department.

Dr. Wolfe specializes in the treatment of depression, relationship problems, work-related stress and codependency.

Wende Wood is the Drug Information and Drug Use Evaluation Pharmacist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She graduated from the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan in 1992, and then moved to Toronto where she completed an Industrial Pharmacy Specialty Residency in Drug Information with The Upjohn Company of Canada and the University of Toronto. She then worked as a staff pharmacist in general hospital, psychiatric hospital and community pharmacy settings in Ontario and Saskatchewan. She joined the pharmacy staff at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in January of 1999. In December of 2002 she became the first person in Ontario (10th in Canada) to achieve the designation of Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist. Wende speaks frequently to a wide variety of groups, from community organizations, allied health professionals, the media and university students, on topics including psychopharmacology, drug interactions and reducing the s

Manager of Respite Supports, Family Respite Services