Dr. Manion is a clinical psychologist and scientist-practitioner who has worked with children, youth and families for over 35 years.  He was the founding Executive Director of the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO and Director of Youth Mental Health Research at the Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research. 

He is a committed advocate for child and youth mental health In Canada and internationally.  He is co-founder of Youth Net/ Réseau Ado, a bilingual community-based mental health promotion program with satellites across Canada.  

Ian is the father of five grown children.  He is also a person with lived experience who served as a spokesperson for the Bell Let’s Talk campaign in 2018. He continues his work with children, youth and families in private practice.

Family Resilience Program Manager, Parent Resource Centre (PRC)

After living in various parts of Africa, Western Europe, Western and Eastern Canada, Mariama and her family now call Ottawa home. Mariama is a thought leader, experienced administrator, community advocate, and counsellor, bringing over twenty years of experience to the social services sector. She is an ardent supporter of families within her community, subscribing deeply to the adage: it takes a village to raise a child. Mariama holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work degree with distinction from Dalhousie University School of Social Work. She is a member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Mariama greatly enjoys continuing her learning through a variety of formal and informal opportunities.

Mariama is an advocate dedicated to ensuring that people from all walks of life feel welcome and she is passionate about creating safe spaces for the families she supports and within her community. Mariama uses her facilitation and counselling skills to empower families and team members. Mariama’s approach is client-centered, evidence informed and impact driven.

Dr. Laura Armstrong, Ph.D., C.Psych., is a Full Professor, Clinical Psychologist, and researcher at Saint Paul University in the School of Counselling, Psychotherapy, and Spirituality. She supervises numerous graduate students in exploring mental health in relation to meaning.

Dr. Armstrong has developed and evaluated a resilience-based mental health promotion program for school children called the D.R.E.A.M. (Developing Resilience through Emotions, Attitudes, and Meaning) program. This school-based program uses original songs, video episodes, and hands-on activities. 

Dr. Armstrong is the editor of three textbooks and the author of over 35 published, in press, or submitted peer reviewed book chapters and journal article manuscripts. She also conducts research on ombuds practice outcomes, and has received Foundations in Ombuds training. In addition to research, Dr. Armstrong does public presentations and media interviews to enhance resilience and community mental health, and she works in clinical practice with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. 

Dr. Michael Cheng is a graduate of the University of Toronto (BSc) and received his MD from Queen's University.  He completed his residency in Psychiatry with a Certificate in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa.  In addition he completed a Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.  

He currently works as a psychiatrist at CHEO Outpatient Mental Health Services and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa. In between patients, Dr. Cheng works with eMentalHealth.ca, an initiative of Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

As a compassionate person herself, Catherine understands the challenges families face when supporting children and youth with mental health struggles. With a background in social sciences and firsthand experience with her own child, Catherine is a family peer supporter on the pleo helpline, where she provides guidance, empathy, and understanding to parents navigating similar journeys. Pleo offers a supportive community where no parent feels left alone in their journey to support their child's mental wellbeing. 

Catherine will be presenting along with a Mental Health Worker from the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) for this presentation. 

Catherine Potter is a bilingual Registered Psychotherapist, a PhD candidate in the Counselling and Spirituality program at Saint Paul University, and a part-time professor. As a Christian, she values the intersection of faith and mental health in her work with clients and integrating a meaning-mindset based lens in her research. Her dissertation research is on piloting an online parenting program to assess its impact on the parent-youth relationship and youth mental health.

Married for nearly 20 years, Catherine and her husband have four children, including two teenagers. She enjoys being outdoors and watching the sunrise, running, hiking, paddleboarding, and is currently learning how to raise chickens and grow a garden.

For over 21 years, Angela Warren was a registered Social Service Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, and is and a certified LivingWorks trainer for over 11 years.  Her career included supporting individuals and families at risk of homelessness, newcomers to Canada, youths challenged by addictions, adults with mental health and addictions and much more.  Four years ago, Angela left her manager’s position with Canadian Mental Health Association Champlain East, to dedicate her time to supporting suicide-safer communities. 

She has travelled throughout Ontario and some parts of Quebec to deliver training in LivingWorks ASIST and safeTALK. 

Amanda Watson is a Counsellor with  the Family & Parent Team at Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services. 

Amanda has experience working in many different capacities and roles in the field of addictions services including working in a harm reduction for public health, a methadone clinic, street outreach and as an adult addictions counsellor, problem gambling counsellor and parent counsellor at Rideauwood Addictions and Family Services. 

She has completed community research with people who use drugs (PWUD) and sex workers, both research projects focused on the effects of stigma surrounding both communities. 

Valerie Marsh is a Registered Early Childhood Educator with over 12 years of diverse experience working with children and families including home child-care, centre-based care, kindergarten classrooms, school-age programs, and Early ON Child and Family Centres. 

In 2022, she was awarded the position of Professional Learning Leader at South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre where she created and facilitated professional development workshops and learning sessions in areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion for the Early Years and Early ON team. She continued this work at Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre before taking on the role of Coordinator of Family Support Programs where she managed a multidisciplinary team overseeing the operations of three programs including the Early ON Child and Family Centre. 

She now lends her creative and collaborative leadership approach as the Director of Early Learning at the Parent Resource Centre of Ottawa where she manages an EarlyON program and develops and facilitates professional learning for educators in the sector. Val continues to pursue her passion of life-long learning through collaboration with community partners and participation in various community committees and task forces. She is currently completing a Master of Education in Early Childhood of Education at the University of British Columbia.