Schedule

Saturday, May 3, 2025

8:00 - 8:45

Registration and Mental Health Information Fair

Confirm your registration, mingle, have a refreshment, and visit a showcase of exhibitors and partners. (Interested in exhibiting? Apply here for FREE).

8:45 - 8:55

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Marcia Armstrong, President, Rotary Club of West Ottawa

8:55 - 9:15

Anxiety: How much is too much?

Plenary Speaker: Dr. Ian Manion, Mental Health System Consultant, Public Speaker at Manion & Associates

9:15 - 10:15

Breakout Session 1. (scroll below for details)

Option 1a: Parents Navigating Youth Mental Health: What To Look For and What To Do. Dr. Ian Manion

Option 1b: Help Save a Life. Suicide Is Preventable. Anyone Can Make a Difference. Angela Warren

Option 1c: Want To Help Children and Youth With Anxiety? Help Them With Mental Wellness and Self-Regulation.
Dr. Michael Cheng

Option 1d: Youth, Anxiety and Tech Use
Amanda Watson, Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services

Health Break 10:15- 11:00

Information Fair

11:00 - 12:00

Breakout Session 2. (scroll below for details)

Option 2a: Strategies To Promote Child Mental Health: A Hands-On Workshop Dr. Laura Armstrong

Option 2b: The challenges of School Refusal and Avoidance Catherine Shea, Family Peer Supporter, Parents Lifeline of Eastern Ontario; Melissa Chung, Program Manager of Social Work Services, OCDSB

Option 2c: Body Image and Peer Pressure To Conform Catherine Potter, Registered Psychotherapist, Part-time Professor at Saint Paul University

Option 2d: Effectively Supporting Your Youth - Youth Advisory Committee, YouthNet/RéseauAdo (YNRA)

12:00 - 12:45

Taking Care of You Too: Balancing Parenting and Self-Care

Plenary Speakers: Valerie Marsh and Eden Hyslop, Parent Resource Centre

12:45 - 1:00

Closing Remarks

Breakout Session Details

Breakout Session 1

9:15 - 10:15

Option 1a. Parents Navigating Youth Mental Health: What To Look For and What To Do

Dr. Ian Manion

In this interactive session, Dr. Manion will talk about the signs and symptoms of emerging mental health issues in young people. The emphasis will be on what parents can do to support their youth and to better foster resilience. Significant time will allow for dialogue with participants as they raise general issues where more guidance would be beneficial.

Option 1b. Help Save a Life. Suicide Is Preventable. Anyone Can Make a Difference.

Angela Warren

How can you recognize when someone may be struggling with thoughts of suicide and how can you respond to make a difference? LivingWorks safeTalk and ASIST will be referenced in this presentation.

Option 1c. Want To Help Children and Youth With Anxiety? Help Them With Mental Wellness and Self-Regulation.

Dr. Michael Cheng

There are many factors that may contribute to anxiety in our youth. Some youth struggle with mental wellness, being disconnected from that which gives purpose, belonging, meaning and hope. Youth may also struggle with self-regulation, the ability to get their nervous systems into a state of calm and safety. The good news is that skills for mental wellness and self-regulation can be taught explicitly to children and youth. Participants at this session will understand how modern society contributes to anxiety and learn ways to co-regulate the anxious, overwhelmed child or youth.

Option 1d. Youth, Anxiety and Tech Use

Amanda Watson, Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services

This workshop will explore the relationship between youth tech use and anxiety. Problematic use of technology is often a result of youth attempting to cope with anxiety and other stressors. Technology use can, in turn, often exacerbate these conditions.

Breakout Session 2

11:00 - 12:00

Option 2a. Strategies To Promote Child Mental Health: A Hands-On Workshop

Dr. Laura Armstrong

Participants will learn a "toolbox" of strategies that can help children ages 5-12 develop skills for resilience. Some of these strategies come from our school and community-based mental health education program called D.R.E.A.M. (Developing Resilience through Emotions, Attitudes and Meaning). These strategies have been found to reduce behavioural concerns, increase social-emotional literacy skills, enhance emotional well-being, as well as build Meaning Mindset (agency over thoughts and behaviours; hope for the future; positive self-concept; and openness to learning, feelings, and other new experiences). Come prepared to have fun! This is last year's summary. She is going to provide a different one for this year hopefully by tomorrow.

Option 2b. The Challenges of School Refusal and Avoidance

Catherine Shea, Parents Lifeline of Eastern Ontario; and, Melissa Chung, Ottawa Carleton District School Board

As parents and caregivers, we understand the struggles when our children find it difficult to attend school – it affects the whole family. How many of us have experienced the daunting task of dragging our kid out of the car to the school door, receiving texts from our child pleading to go home when they should be in class, taking time off work or being late because our child would not get ready for school, or having to leave work early to pick them up when they can’t make it through the day? In this workshop we will share strategies and insights to help you navigate these challenges while maintaining a healthy relationship with your child.

Option 2c. Body Image and the Peer Pressure To Conform

Catherine Potter, Registered Psychotherapist, Part-time Professor at Saint Paul University

Catherine will examine anxiety issues related to body image and the peer pressure to conform to beauty standards, offering guidance on how parents can support their teens through these challenges.

Option 2d. Effectively Supporting Your Youth

Youth Advisory Committee, YouthNet/RéseauAdo (YNRA)

During this presentation common stress factors affecting youth today and how to support your youth's mental health will be discussed. Members of YouthNet's Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) discuss their experiences and share what they think you need to know as a parent/caregiver to a young person in 2025.

Closing Plenary: Taking Care of You Too: Balancing Parenting and Self-Care

Valerie Marsh and Eden Hyslop, Parent Resource Centre

This session is designed to support parents in nurturing their well-being while balancing their parental responsibilities. Emphasizing the importance of YOU—both as a parent and an individual—it offers practical strategies to build resilience in the face of challenges. Participants will learn how to set healthy boundaries, prioritize mental and physical health and manage parental stress while cultivating self-compassion and mindful practices.

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