CATCA 2023

When we consider play as a therapeutic opportunity, we begin to see it differently. Play at its core, for both children and adults, encourages us to work through challenges, learn new ideas, and solidify foundational autonomy. Both directed and non-directed play are essential in the development of children and youth and give us unique opportunities to foster an environment that is a catalyst in understanding an individual’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Play inherently creates a curious and safe place for us to explore our world both internally and externally. This session will help you turn the classroom into a place of play focusing on your students’ unique cognitive and developmental needs.

Have you ever ignored that little voice, or gut feeling, that tells you to grab an item on your way out the door, then wished you’d listened, because, “Darn! That would’ve been handy to have right now!” That inner guidance was your intuition. Intuition is like a muscle – exercising it makes it stronger. The practical exercises presented in this session build the ability to trust intuition to assess children’s situations, or best course of action, bring greater ease into life and the classroom.

Teachers are some of our most important leaders! Based on her research, Brené developed Dare to Lead™ – an empirically based courage-building program, and adapted it for schools. It’s a game-changer for teachers as leaders at all levels. Covering the four teachable, observable, and measurable courage skills sets, Dare to Lead™ in the Classroom (Daring Classrooms™) covers:1. Rumbling with Vulnerability: The foundational skill of courage-building is the willingness and ability to step into the discomfort of being vulnerable. Without this core skill, the other three are impossible to put into practice. Our ability to be daring educators will never be greater than our capacity for vulnerability – leaning into risk, uncertainty, and emotional exposure.2. Living Into Our Values: What’s our North Star? What do we stand for? Research participants who demonstrated the most willingness to be vulnerable and brave anchored their behavior to a couple of essential values, not 10 or 15. Our core values give us courage and strength, especially when things are difficult.3. BRAVING Trust: It’s a must-have in our important professional and personal relationships, but trust tends to be a fuzzy concept. Understanding the seven evidence-based elements of BRAVING trust helps us to be specific and exchange feedback in meaningful ways that supports real change and enduring trust. 4. Learning to Rise: To push the reset button and be resilient, we must recognize emotion, look at the facts and truth of what really happened, discover the lessons to be learned, make changes, and go forward with more wisdom than before. Daring educators are self-aware, know how to have hard conversations, hold themselves and others accountable, build trust, lead with empathy and connection, take smart risks that lead to innovation, reset quickly after disappointments and setbacks, and give and receive feedback – especially when it’s tough.Building Brave Spaces for Students. We can’t always ask our students to take off the armor at home, or even on their way to school, because their emotional and physical safety may require self-protection. But what we can do, and what we are ethically called to do, is create a space in our schools and classrooms where all students can walk in and, for that day or hour, take off the crushing weight of their armor, hang it on a rack, and open their heart to truly being seen.We must be guardians of spaces that allow students to breathe, be curious, and to explore the world and be who they are without suffocation. They deserve one place where they can rumble with vulnerability and their hearts can exhale. And what I know from the research is that we should never underestimate the benefit to a child of having a place to belong—even one—where they can take off their armor. It can and often does change the trajectory of their life.

Learn creative ways to engage students struggling with anxiety and other mental health challenges, particularly during the pandemic, utilizing the empowering and healing capacities of writing. Creative writing exercises will be presented in both fiction and non-fiction as tools for personal reflection and betterment. Participants will leave equipped to apply the exercises in the compassionate support of students in their schools and communities.

Are you interested in ways to support and enhance your student’s mental health and wellbeing? Canadian research has found girls who were mentored were 2 times less likely to be depressed; boys and girls were 2 times and 3 times, respectively, less likely to have social anxiety and were 2 times less likely to exhibit conduct problems. This session will look at different forms of mentoring in schools, both formal and informal. Ideas will be shared on how to incorporate or enhance mentoring in your school to support student mental health and social emotional wellbeing. Participants will learn about the Alberta Mentoring Partnership and the resources available to help support mentoring in schools. We will cover a variety of mentoring topics, including:- intergenerational mentoring; -teen mentoring; -virtual mentoring; and -Career and Technology Studies credits.

With the ever-increasing demands of standardized testing, test anxiety is becoming more and more prevalent. Students who struggle with test anxiety are unable to effectively and accurately demonstrate their understanding of topics covered, resulting in frustration and disillusionment with school. This session will provide a basic understanding of the psychology behind test anxiety as well as tools and strategies to help mitigate the effects of test anxiety. Whether participants are working with individuals or a whole class, this step-by-step plan can be used to help students reach their potential.

Forest Bathing and Earthing may be the latest health trend, but they certainly are not new practices! In this session you’ll gain a clear understanding of what these practices are, what the benefits are, and how You can do them. Learn how the ancient wisdom of spending time in the forest and with your feet on the earth is not only good for your health, but good for your soul! (A great add-on for outdoor education classes and arts-related programs)

This session is an Introductory Training in Collaborative Problem Solving®. Participants will learn an empathic and accurate understanding of what causes challenging behaviour and are exposed to an overview of the three key components of the approach. This training is a foundation for professionals interested in learning more about CPS and sharing this approach with others. To learn more about CPS please visit thinkkids.org.

This session will be lead by Matt Sticksl. Matt has been teaching in unique settings with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) for nine years and is the only CPS Certified Trainer in Western Canada. Matt has completed trainings in CPS to professionals and parents within CBE, AHS and across North America. He is passionate about helping others learn CPS and recently moved to a part-time teaching position as a Resource Teacher so he can have more time to share this approach with parents and professionals in Alberta.

Are your students’ gaining skills for their future careers? They could be, and we can help!
For 25 years, CAREERS has passionately supported WIL (Work Integrated Learning) to help launch high school students into a career path. Learn how we connect students to employers, allowing them to gain the skills and knowledge for their future career, all while getting paid and earning high school credits. Teachers know their students best and the more teachers that know what options are available for their students, the more we can all work together to create a successful pathway for them. There are many different professions to explore, and CAREERS can help your students discover which path is right for them! Come learn and share best practices related to off-campus and work integrated learning experiences and discover how CAREERS can support you and your students!

Are you looking for ways to push your athletes or teams to the next level? Have you watched your star athlete miss an easy shot in a high-pressure situation? There is an increasing body of evidence that training the mind of an athlete is as important, if not more so, than traditional physical preparation. This session will explain the basics of sport psychology by examining the importance of setting goals, establishing routines and the use of guided imagery to increase an athlete’s likelihood of success. Regardless of the sport, these suggestions will provide coaches and teachers with simple strategies to give their athletes the skills to reach their potential.

Self-Harm continues to be an issue of great concern in schools at all levels; yet people are still reluctant to discuss this topic in schools. More often than not, supports and training are put into place after several incidents have been identified in a school community. This session aims to take a proactive approach, by providing teachers with a plan to educate the students, teachers AND parents in a school community about the nature of self-harm. Participants will look at myths associated with self-harm, empathetic ways to react to disclosures and barriers to students seeking help. The goal? If people are educated about self-harm, they will be able to encourage more positive methods of coping and respond appropriately when faced with a student engaging in this behaviour.

Let go of who you think you're supposed to be, and embrace who you are! Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of blame, judgement, and shame. This is a myth...no one is perfect. These thoughts hold people back from enjoying life and can cause significant amounts of distress. Have you ever seen a student cry when getting a 90% or fall apart after coming in 2nd place in a competition? In this session you will learn about the “gifts” of imperfection: courage, connection, and compassion. These are “gifts” because they come when you’re willing to be vulnerable—you develop the courage to accept that you’re imperfect, you connect with other people because they empathize with your vulnerability, and you become compassionate with other people because you realize nobody’s perfect and accept their imperfections. Learn tools for embracing healthy striving, rather than perfectionism, to excel in life.

This session will provide an overview of the Four Pillars and Seven Principles of Trauma. Trauma plays a key role as an obstacle in the ability for a student to learn. Dean and Lee will help you understand how the 4 and 7 can be implemented in your organization. They believe that every organization needs to understand the pillars and principles before implementing a process in order to effectively support children and youth who are experiencing trauma.

This presentation is geared towards those working with elementary and middle school-aged children, but the information can be adapted to high school-aged students as well. Information will be presented, some tools will be practiced, and there will be time for discussion. The focus will include: • Common types of anxiety in children • Ways anxiety manifests in children • Understanding the anxiety cycle • On-hands strategies/tools for managing anxiety o Shifting Self-Talk o Mindfulness Practice (Focus/Awareness) o Body Relaxationo Breathing o Externalizing o Empowering o Anxiety Toleranco Retraining/Relearning through Exposureo Positive Reinforcement • Determining what is helpful and what is enabling• Working with the parents

This session will look at current research in support of anti homo/transphobic school environments. There will be opportunities for networking, sharing of resources, and dialogue to support classroom practices and schools moving forward to support queer inclusivity for students and staff.

The reality of the pain and struggles that many of our students experience is becoming more apparent, and unfortunately the coping strategy of "self-harm" is becoming more common. There is a lot of fear, misunderstanding, myth, judgement and confusion surrounding why and how students self-injure and we are left wondering how best to react (or not?) and support them as they cope. This session will provide some insight into the reasons students self-harm, the various forms this behavior can take, and the best strategies for prevention and support through both their physical and emotional healing.

THERE WILL BE A POST-CONVENTION VIDEO FOR THIS SESSION UNTIL MAY 30TH.

In this workshop, you will review and complete a project that can help your students to explore their emotions and reduce their anxiety through creative expression. This meditative and calming activity can contribute to enhancing self-esteem. Excellent for teachers of grades 3-12. The level of difficulty can be adjusted according to the grade level taught. You will leave the workshop with a completed piece of art and links to a PowerPoint presentation and a video for your classroom. All supplies will be provided by the instructor at the workshop for a fee of $5. The registration fee is to be sent at the following email transfer address: orzelski@ualberta.ca

This interactive session will give participants an opportunity to learn and practice several nervous system regulation and somatic stress management techniques, with a focus on energy psychology and EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique/tapping). Carla will provide valuable psycho-education on nervous system states and stress management, an introduction to acupressure tapping, and an opportunity to experience the relief that tapping can provide. Participants can expect to gain some new somatic (body-based/energy psychology) tools to help manage their own stress, calm nervous system activation/dysregulation and grow their emotional resilience. It also provides a fun and simple body-based practice that they can consider bringing into the classroom to help students with self- and co-regulation (good for the staff room too!) Additional Information: This is an experiential workshop; participants should be prepared for a small amount of body movement. Educators/support staff interested in scientifically proven self-regulation tools for their stress management toolbox (EFT Tapping) that is literally RIGHT at their fingertips; folks interested in polyvagal theory, somatic practices, energy psychology, stress management and nervous system regulation

This interactive session seeks to frame "hope" as an action word. Sean presents an empathy-based model (HOPE Wheel) that can be used to establish impactful and supportive relationships with students.

The Hope Wheel presents four directions: respect, understanding, relationships, and responsibility. Where we fall on the Hope Wheel is a reflection of our developing personal identity and perspective. You will learn a practical and very efficient process to assess levels of student development in each of the four directions on the wheel.

The process is grounded in Adlerian psychology (Private Logic) and explores from what perspectives students answer the prompts, "I am... others are... the world is... therefore?" Their answers ultimately define their personal "learning story," the one you need to know to support them in purposeful, empathic ways.

This is an engaging, interactive session. Be prepared to explore your own bias as you learn how to frame resilient relationships that guide students in sharing their values and perspectives openly with you so you can essentially support them in purposeful and effective ways.

Two-time Olympian and skip of Canada’s silver medal-winning curling team at the 2010 Winter Olympics will talk about making decisions, both on the ice and off of it, and how doing so effectively can have an enormous impact on your story and journey. “My theme is about choices, and that you do have control over how your life story unfolds.” Everything you become is based on the choices you make and as you write the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold that pen.

After many years of studying many forms of meditation, Matt is pleased to present one that is not only easy to teach, but easy to learn! Heart-based meditation has the benefit of being cultivated by a passionate group of scientists and independently studied in almost 500 papers. After 3 minutes of heart-based meditation, the body produces over 1,300 biochemicals that include: auto-immune, SIGAS, Stem cells, telemerase enzymes and more. Widely used for stress/anxiety reduction with children, police service, ptsd soldiers, high-stress front-line workers and others... this session will teach you this powerful form of meditation, how it works, why it works and how you can easily apply it to your own classroom.

Everywhere around us kids are just “looking for attention” starved for connection & positive adult relationships. This session speaks to the biological, psychological and developmental reasons kids seek our attention & uses theory & humor to look at the behaviors & brains of these kids & the survival games they play. Participants will learn the "Vitamin C" approach to attention seeking behavior & explore practical ways to nourish children & youth with the time & attention they seek…and deserve.

THERE WILL BE A POST-CONVENTION VIDEO FOR THIS SESSION UNTIL MAY 30TH.

Being present online is inevitable for youth and adults these days and getting familiar with the beauty and the risk of social media is a life skill. As intermediaries —whether you’re a teacher, education assistant, support worker, or parent/guardian— you may think about what youth are looking at and experiencing online.Social Stride is an initiative that was founded in 2020 following the rise of social media activism and the spread of (mis)information on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Their vision is to create a healthier online environment by using social media to address hate and discrimination through education, countering misinformation, and amplifying the voices of victims.In this session, participants will develop an in-depth understanding of digital literacy including the different social media platforms, the effects of dis/misinformation and hate online, as well as the importance of having a social media presence. The aim is to provide participants with strategies they can use to support the youth they interact with as well as recognize when youth are experiencing online hate or being subjected to dis/misinformation. Participants may even find themselves learning skills they can use themselves. The session will also discuss response and reporting mechanisms available in Alberta.

The Department of Canadian Heritage (Government of Canada) has provided funding to support this effort through the Youth Take Charge program and this initiative is also supported by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee and REACH Edmonton.