Sheonoroil Conference

Getting Better Together, teaching and living well with Educator’s Health Guide

 

April 27-28, 2017 at the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel

Featuring:

Dr. Stan Kutcher

Bio: Dr. Kutcher is an internationally-renowned expert in adolescent mental health and a national and international leader in mental health research, advocacy, training, policy, and services innovation working at the IWK Health Center and Dalhousie University. He has previously served as Department Head of Psychiatry and Associate Dean for International Health at Dalhousie University. Dr. Kutcher has received numerous awards and honors locally, nationally and internationally for his work including: the Order of Nova Scotia; Excellence in Education Award (CACAP); a Best Doctor in Canada; Doctors Nova Scotia Health Promotion Award; Dr. John Savage Memorial Award for outstanding humanitarian contributions to global health; Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacolgy Gold Medal; Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation and the Ruedy Award for Innovation in Medical Education, Association of Faculties of Medicine Canada. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He has been honored by the Canadian Psychiatric Association with the JM Cleghorn Award for his contribution to mental health research and the Paul Patterson Award for his innovations in psychiatric education. He is and has been a member of numerous boards and national organizations including the Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addictions of the CIHR; Interhealth Canada; Mental Health Commission of Canada (CYAC committee); the Canadian Society for International Health; the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research, the Sandbox Project, he is the recipient of over 100 research grants and awards, author of more than 300 scientific papers and the author/co-author of numerous medical textbooks. Locally he contributes to the work of Laing House, Immigrant Services and Integration Services and the Boys and Girls Clubs. Internationally he has been involved in mental health work in over 20 countries. One of his recent projects was leading the development of a national child and youth mental health framework for Canada: Evergreen. Currently his focus is on knowledge translation pertaining to improving mental health literacy and mental health care in schools and primary care as well as the development, application and evaluation of electronic youth mental health engagement, self-care and personal health record. He continues his innovative youth mental health development and research across Canada, and globally – including China, South America, Latin America and Africa.

Dr. Michael Ungar

Bio: Dr. Michael Ungar is among the best known writers and researchers on the topic of resilience in the world. As both a family therapist and very successful scientist, he has identified the most important factors that influence the resilience of children, youth and families. He is the author of 14 books that have been translated into five languages, numerous manuals for parents, educators, and employers, as well as more than 125 scientific papers. Dr. Ungar’s immense influence comes from his ability to adapt ideas from his research and clinical practice into best-selling works like Too Safe For Their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Teens Thrive, I Still Love You: Nine Things Troubled Kids Need from Their Parents and his blog Nurturing Resilience which appears on Psychology Today’s website. His work has inspired many educators, researchers and parents to think about resilience as more than individual qualities, but also as aspects of a young person’s social and physical environment (their home, school, and community). His work is regularly discussed in magazines like Body and Soul, Macleans, Fast Company, and Readers Digest, and in newspapers across North America.

In another of his many roles, Dr. Ungar is the founder and co-director of the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University where he coordinates millions of dollars in research in more than a dozen countries. That work has inspired many of Dr. Ungar’s books and articles for mental health professionals and researchers, including Working with Children and Youth with Complex Needs: 20 Skills to Build Resilience, and The Social Ecology of Resilience, which is among the most popular texts on resilience in the world. Dr. Ungar also regularly consults with organizations like the World Bank, UNESCO, the Red Cross and many other government and non-governmental organizations in Canada and overseas.

When not on the road and back at his home in Halifax, Canada, he is the Isaac Walton Killam Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University, former Chair of the Nova Scotia Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, Scientific Director of the Children and Youth in Challenging Contexts Network, executive board member of the American Family Therapy Academy, and a family therapist who works with mental health services for families at risk. In 2012 Dr. Ungar was the recipient of the Canadian Association of Social Workers National Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding contribution to clinical work with families, schools and communities.

Zac Crouse

Bio: In the Spring of 2009, while white-water kayaking in Nova Scotia; Zac witnessed the death of his close friend.  The incident left Zac with a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For over a decade, Zac has been teaching others the benefits of recreational therapy.  It was time for Zac to take his own advice and put his experience to good use.  Years of being a touring musician in Canada motivated Zac to explore alternative transportation methods for his first solo record 'You Plan to do Nothing'.  Choosing only a sea kayak and a bicycle, Zac traveled and played shows from Ottawa, ON to Halifax, NS.  Paddle To The Oceanic the story of Zac's use of kayaking and music as an alternative approach for dealing with PTSD.

As a recreation therapist, Zac has worked for over 10 years with young people who have substance use and mental health issues. He holds a Master’s degree in Education and is a popular educator at the number one university in Canada - St. Francis Xavier University - where his classes ‘sell out’ quickly. Zac uses recreation therapy and experiential education techniques to help young people and organizations develop leadership skills and increase resiliency through social, communication and problem solving exercises.
 
He is an accomplished white-water and expedition sea kayaker and a Paddle Canada sea kayak & canoe instructor. Not your average paddler, he has circumnavigated the island of Newfoundland by sea kayak and Cape Breton Island in a canoe…

Registration fee of $250 includes:

  • Evening Banquet on Thursday April 27
  • Breakfast & Lunch on Friday April 28
  • Keynotes & Workshops

Agenda

Thursday April 27

6:00 – 7:00       Registration

7:00 – 8:00       Dinner

8:00 – 9:00       Keynote – Dr. Stan Kutcher

9:00 – 11:00     Social

Friday April 28

7:30 – 8:30       Breakfast

9:00 – 10:00     Keynote – Dr. Michael Ungar

10:00 – 10:30   Johnson’s Nutrition Break

10:30 – 11:45   Morning Concurrent Sessions

11:45 – 12:45   Lunch

12:45 – 2:00     Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

2:15 – 3:15       Keynote – Zac Crouse

Workshop Sessions:

Using Mindfulness to Support Difficult Emotions
M. Cousins & K Humphries

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life  
J. Kierstead and B. Abbass

Using Mindfulness to Support Difficult Emotions
M. Cousins & K Humphries

Body Breaks in Your Life and Classroom  
B. Cunningham

A Restorative Approach to a Collaborative Future 
A. Hunt and R. Derible

Transitioning to the New Normal with Teacher Voice
B.J. Aucoin


Click here to download the poster (English / French)

Registration for this conference is now open.  Click here to register