Children and young people today are bombarded with unprecedented levels of stress, pressure and expectation. Many find it hard to effectively self-regulate and manage day-to-day stressors, often displaying a spectrum of ‘Big Emotions’ as a result. When they don’t know how to manage those emotions, problem behaviours often result and can negatively affect their physical, psychological, academic, and social well-being. As helping professionals, educators, caregivers and allies of these young people it’s important that we equip ourselves with effective strategies to help children and teens develop the skills they need to navigate life’s challenges proactively rather than reactively. During this workshop Dr Caroline Buzanko will present a range of practical, evidence-based interventions and tools which promote healthy self-regulation and emotional management skills to empower children and youth to better manage their emotions, overcome challenges, and foster greater resilience. This transformative presentation will provide the knowledge and skills you need to facilitate a measurable difference in self-regulation skills of the children and teens you work with.

Some of the key content areas Dr Buzanko will discuss include:

• Talking about self-regulation and emotional management with children and teens. What they need to know to boost their emotional literacy. 
• Differentiating misbehaviour from stress behaviour. 
• A suite of practical evidenced-based tools and techniques to promote healthy emotional regulation and self-coping skills in the face of challenging situations. 
• Exploring the sensory, language and executive functioning processing deficits that can get in the way of self regulation. 
• The importance of co-regulation. The process through which children develop the ability to soothe and manage distressing emotions through connections with nurturing and reliable adults. 
• Techniques to help young people cope with challenging situations that encourage them to embrace mistakes, turn obstacles into opportunities and take risks rather than ‘melt down’.

Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R. Psych. is a licensed Psychologist and clinical director of Koru Family Psychology in Alberta, Canada. She is an in-demand speaker, and a clinician who has worked with children with neuro-developmental disorders and their families for over 20 years, with a focus on maximising connection, confidence, learning success, and resilience. She presents with an energy and clarity that mean this seminar is a must for anyone working with children and young people with ADHD.