Throughout the year, there are therapeutic group sessions offered that target specific topics, such as parenting or anxiety. Please check back to see what is developing!

Parent Education Groups

Parenting in the 21st Century: The Neuro-Informed Parent

For parents of children of all ages.

Neuro-science has taught us so much more about our children’s brain development and how this important information can guide parents on how to best support their children. This program is based on the book Johanna has written titled, Parenting in the 21st Century: The Neuro-Informed Parent. This will be available in 2025.

• Understand your child’s brain and why it is important to learn about it for effective parenting?
• Learn how to help your child learn regulation skills?
• Learn why your child misbehaves and what to do about it?
• Understand the importance and effects of the nervous system interactions?
• Learn effective strategies to help with parenting?

Johanna offers parenting courses or support where she combines the principles of tried and true parenting programs with attachment theory and  the latest in brain research for parents of children of all ages.

Contact Johanna if you would like to have this program available for your group.

• “What was most meaningful to me was learning about the different parenting
  styles and how to use reflective listening to help improve communication in my family.”
• “We feel relieved to have some strategies to manage difficult situations.”
• “Johanna was very approachable and responded to questions and comments appropriately.”

Other Presentations

The Many Faces of Anxiety

This presentation talks about the anxiety signs in children, common misdiagnoses of anxiety, and some simple strategies that parents can use with their anxious child.

Parenting Challenges: Pre-school Aged Children

This presentation looks at some of the most common issues that arise with young children and suggests effective ways of dealing with these.

Becoming an Encouraging Parent

Encouragement has positive effects on the brain. Learn what encouragement is, the differences between praise and encouragement and how to encourage your child.

Putting “You” Back in Youth: Understanding Adolescents

This presentation aims to provide parents, caregivers, educators, service providers of pre-teens and teens a helpful, new lens through which to view teens. By understanding teenage behaviours, adults can better connect with teens. This presentation utilizes Attachment Theory, the latest information about brain development, Family Systems and Adlerian Psychology.

Beyond Behaviour

“Self regulation is a myth” according to Dr. Bonnie Badenoch. We learn to self-regulate by co-regulating with our caregiver/parent. The Synergetic (2008) principles of Lisa Dion teach us as caregivers how to provide these learning opportunities to the children in our care.

In this 2-hour workshop, caregivers will learn what it means to be regulated and what the symptoms are of a dys-regulated nervous system. We will explore each of the 4 fears that the brain sees as a threat, thus causing dys-regulation in the nervous system.

The Synergetic model use the neuro-science behind the transformation process and caregivers are able to work with a child in such a way that targets:

1. Supporting the child in experiencing uncomfortable sensations, emotions and thoughts that are triggering dys-regulated behaviours. The result is that the child learns how to regulate and manage their internal worlds and in turn manage their behaviours better.
2. Helping the child feel empowered while learning new and more effective ways of managing their own nervous systems.
3. Teaching the child how to stay connected to themselves so that their authentic self emerges and their belief in self increases.

Nurturing Connection and Understanding the Teenage Brain

This workshops helps demystify what is happening in the teenage brain as the teen is developing and transitioning into adulthood. This understanding can lead to a different relationship between you and your teen, further enhancing connection.

Parenting with the Brain in Mind

This two-hour workshop will look at how to approach parenting with the understanding of the child’s neurological development. Learn about how the brain develops and what can be expected from children based on which part of the brain is actually “online”. We will also look at ways to encourage brain development. This workshop is based on the work of Dr. Dan Siegel and Lisa Dion.

For Professionals

Building Blocks for Play Therapy: Foundations for Effective Practice

36 BCPTA CEs + 6 hours of group supervision

This six-month, 36 credit hour, course will give you the basics you need to begin using play with children.  The course will consist of instruction, practice, discussion, experiential activities and supervision.

You will learn:

•  basic skills to use with children
•  the influence of the nervous system in counselling children
•  about your nervous system
•  how to use neuro-informed practices with play
•  about directive and non-directive approaches
•  how to use sand, art and other media as expression
•  working with parents
•  and much more.

This training will count toward credentialing as a BC registered play therapist (BCRPT) with the British Columbia Play Therapy Association.

One module will be presented per month along with one group supervision session per month.

For more information and to register go to https://neuroinformed.ca/for-professionals

Play Therapy: The Importance of Play

• have age appropriate empathy with your clinical skills to allow children the opportunity to develop problem-solving skills
• engage a child’s inner resources, values, and move towards wholeness through play therapy
• integrate Play Therapy with Rogerian, Adlerian, and Family Systems theory
• engage the parent in the child’s healing process
• support parents towards more effective engagement

Supercharge your Supervision Skills

This is for supervisors who are wanting to incorporate using the nervous system and regulation to enhance their supervision skills.

Contact Johanna to book a presentation for your group on one of these topics or a topic of your choosing.