This lecture series will focus on children and youth mental health. Everyone has Mental health, and starting from a young age we have the opportunity to talk openly about mental health, develop coping strategies that can be carried into adulthood, and learn about what helps each person achieve personal growth and development. By the end of participating in this strengths based, solution focused lecture series, you will be able to;

  • Recognize and define the five areas of the mental health continuum
  • Define and analyze the eight dimensions of wellness as they relate to children and Youth.
  • Identify and interpret common practices and approaches used in support children’s mental health
  • Examine Ministry guidelines to supporting children’s mental health in Ontario

This lecture series will include small and large group discussions over a virtual platform, and include opportunities for reflection, questions, and case study analysis throughout. You can expect to engage with other participants through small breakout rooms and large group discussions.

Time: 1:00pm-3:00pm

Dates: Mondays, May 6 – June 17, 2024.

(Note: there will be no lecture on Monday May 20th due to the Victoria Day Statutory Holiday)

Location: Online, via Zoom.

The zoom link and information on how to access content will be provided to registered participants 1-2 business days before the first day of the series.

Topics:

  • Week 1: Introduction to Mental Health – This lecture will focus on defining mental health, introduction to the concepts of a mental health continuum, reviewing the definitions and common access points in Ontario for each part of the continuum. We will also cover the eight dimensions of wellness, and the definition of holistic wellness.
  • Week 2: Defining Children and Youth Mental Health – This lecture will take the information learned from lecture one, and expand on it to define the nuances, differences and similarities between mental health and children’s mental health. We will continue exploring the mental health continuum and the dimensions of wellness as it relates to children and youth.
  • Week 3: Policies, procedures and ministry guidelines – This lecture will focus on the policies and procedures that guide work in Ontario when it comes to children and youth mental health. We will explore resources, structure, ministry guidelines and funding
  • Week 4: Therapeutic Approaches to supporting child and youth mental health – This will outline the common therapeutic approaches that are used when working with children and youth. Specifically, we will focus on learning the basic foundational definitions and explore examples of play therapy, art/music therapy, solution focused, strengths based, brief narrative therapy, and other relevant concepts
  • Week 5: The Whole Brain Child – This lecture will focus on the work by Dr. Daniel Siegel and the Whole Brain Child. We will look at each component of the Book the Whole Brain Child and learn how using this model can be beneficial in supporting holistic mental health for children and youth.
  • Week 6: Support Networks for Children and Youth – This lecture will focus on the family and support systems that work towards children and youth mental health as a priority. We will explore risk and protective factors when it comes to mental health in children and youth, and the role support networks play in developing a positive relationship at a young age with personal mental health.

About the Lecturer:  Teddy Dancy (RSW, M.Ed) is a Social Worker, Educator and Mental Health Clinician. Prior to working directly with children and families, she focused on supporting post-secondary students through a successful transition to and through University for nine years in various roles at Carleton. She currently works in rural Eastern Ontario at a lead Children’s Mental Health organization, and specializes in brief narrative solution focused counselling. Most recently she has been a Contract Instructor with the Enriched Support Program at Carleton, and also has been facilitating SafeTALK workshops for suicide alertness across campus and in the community for the last eight years.

Policies: Please review the Lifelong Learning Policies