Below you will find “Session Snapshots” from confirmed Presenters! There will be three or four Thursday afternoon workshops. Friday and Saturday morning will see the delivery of a multitude of sessions spanning a variety of areas.

Friday morning sessions with Michael  A. Rousell

Sudden Influence: Those unpredictable moments when our experience of the world and ourselves in it suddenly and dramatically changes. A “Spontaneous Influence Event”, or “SIE” can change our worldview. Psychologist Michael Rousell, who studied such events across decades, shows how SIEs--which occur when we are emotionally charged--do occur for to all of us, for better or worse. These events trigger an intense emotional response and activate a mental state of extreme suggestibility. There is thus fertile ground for statements about our worth, abilities, and potential to be implanted solidly in our minds, leading to success or failure, often without our completely comprehending the effect and why it occurred. Rousell explains how the sudden impact of these SIEs disarms our instinctive defense mechanisms and rational thinking processes, leaving us open to instant adoption of new beliefs.

Friday morning with Melinda McNie and Shanneen Goszulak

At Risk Drug Intervention Support Program (ARDIS) This session will explore one schools initiative toward increasing student retention rates. As part of a zero-tolerance approach, students caught under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at school or on school property receive a 5 day out of school suspension. However, the results can be punitive as increased absence from school may distance the drug-using student further from the educator’s reach. In an attempt to offset the negative impact of the student’s behaviour, the “At Risk Drug Intervention Suspension” (ARDIS) program was born. Join us to learn more about the program’s philosophy, creation, intention, components, results, and future direction during this session.

Friday afternoon session with Jason Moline

Building Positive Relationships between Students and Teachers

How can counselors help teachers build relationships with students?  What are some easy ways teachers can build their capacity to delve deeper into student problems without any extra time?  Often students are sent to see the counselor when the person who may be the most valuable is the teacher themselves. This session will outline different ways counselors can help teachers appreciate the significance of developing positive relationships as well as the skills to gather more information and then how to respond appropriately.

Some easy to use, practical ideas that can be used Monday morning will be shared in this fun, interactive session.

Saturday morning with Marv Hackman

Legal Issues for Guidance Counsellors

This session examines the issue of confidentiality and where guidance counsellors must disclose information from counselling sessions. Exploration of this issue will examine reporting on criminal acts, suicide disclosures and disclosed threat of physical violence to others. What prevails --- the counselee’s common law privilege to privacy or the right of parents, school administrators and school districts to seek information from a counselling session? Does one’s reporting obligation related to pregnancy and abortion advice change in Catholic schools? Obligations under statute --- the Child Welfare Act, FOIP Act, School Act, Student Record Regulation and the Teaching Profession Act will be reviewed.