C2Y: Discussions on Child and Youth Care

Social Media, Communications and Young Peoples Voice

On this episode of Your Right to Speak, Sammy and Josh talk with Sho and Aki about the use of social media, communications and elevating the voice of young people and social justice movements. There is discussion about how social media and communications should be used together, and how social media has become a new way for young people to express their views. 

If you are a child/youth that would like to be on the show or if you have an idea of what you think we should talk about please email Sammy and Josh at yourrighttospeak@gmail.com 

Being a Mindful Practitioner, Parent, and Person with Tina Lackner

Tina Lackner discusses what mindfulness is, the evidence-base that supports it, and how to implement it with children, youth and ourselves. Tina Lacker is a CYW, a registered play therapist, a mother of three, and a faculty member at Humber College in Toronto.

Here are a variety of mindfulness based resources, recommended by Tina, to get you started:

For Children: 

• Christiane Kerr - "Enchanted Meditations For Kids" or "Calm for Kids"
• Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer

For Teens 

• Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety by Christopher Willard

For Adults 

• Insight Timer- https://insighttimer.com
• Tara Brach- https://www.tarabrach
• Headspace- https://www.headspace.com
• 10 Mindful Minutes by Goldie Hawn

For Parent and their Children: 

• Still Like A Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and their parents) by Eline Snel, 

For Parenting: 

• Parenting the Mindful Child by Susan Kaiser Greenland and Child's Mind: Mindfulness practices to help our children be more focused, calm, and relaxed by Christopher Willard

For CYCs: 

• Acceptance & Mindfulness treatment for children and adolescents: A practitioners guide by Thomas Ollendick, Steven Hayes, Lauren Greco

Supporting Children, Youth and Refugee Families, a Conversation with Adrienne Carter

In this episode Adrienne Carter speaks about her work with refugees and displaced people in a variety of countries and contexts. She shares stories, wisdom, and practice-based evidence from years supporting children, adolescents and parents who are dealing with trauma from both natural disasters and war. She talks about the similarities and distinctive aspects of both experiences. Adrienne Carter also discusses effective therapy interventions and unique cultural factors when providing mental health services in different contexts.

Adrienne Carter is a psychotherapist and educator. She has worked with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), The Centre for Victims of Torture, and The Child and Youth Mental Health Centre in Victoria, Canada. She has supported refugees in Kosovo, Sri Lanka, and Kashmir among other locations. Adrienne has recently returned from Jordan where she was training people who are working with refugees from Syria. 

Death and Dying Pt. 2: The Death of a Child with Dr. Mary Vachon

This is part two of a special two-part discussion examining the topic of death. In this second episode Dr. Mary Vachon talks about the death of children. She discusses about how to work with children who are dying, how to support caregivers whose children are dying, and suggestions on caring for ourselves as we work in this very difficult area.

Dr. Vachon is a Registered Nurse/Ph. D. psychotherapist in private practice with a focus on death and dying. She has been working in this area since the late 1960s and has published over 170 scientific articles and book chapters in the areas of bereavement, occupational stress in health care professionals, dealing with life-threatening illnesses, and spirituality; among other related topics.

Death and Dying Pt. 1: Death of a Caregiver with Dr. Mary Vachon

In a special two-part discussion over the September and October episodes, C2YPodcast will be examining the topic of death with Dr. Mary Vachon. This first episode will deal with the death of a caregiver. Dr. Vachon offers suggestions on preparing a young person for the death of a parent, what responses one might see after the death, and how to support the child/youth/young adult as they grow up without that parent. 

Dr. Vachon is a Registered Nurse/Ph. D. psychotherapist in private practice with a focus on death and dying. She has been working in this area since the late 1960s and has published over 170 scientific articles and book chapters in the areas of bereavement, occupational stress in health care professionals, dealing with life-threatening illnesses, and spirituality; among other related topics.

Supporting Trans* Children and Youth: A conversation with Hershel Russell

Mr Hershel Russell introduces different understandings of gender and how to support young people who are "gender-independent" or trans*. This interview may be particularly interesting to parents of young "gender non-conforming" children and those who work with parents. Hershel Russell is a trans-male psychotherapist, educator and activist who specializes in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender counselling. To learn more about the work that Hershel does you can visit his website at www.hersheltoronto.ca.

During the interview Mr. Russell mentions several programs and videos. Below are links to items mentioned in the interview.

In The Life: Becoming Me

TVOparents: Child Gender Identity. An interview with Russell, Balot and Zucker

Gender Independent Students group at the Toronto District School Board

Rainbow Health Ontario

Living, and Raising Children, on the Autism Spectrum: A conversation with Nancy Getty

After her son was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, Nancy Getty was herself assessed. Nancy shares what it is like to live on the autism spectrum and to raise twins who have both been diagnosed having Aspergers Syndrome. Nancy invites us into the culture of Autism and shares insights into how she sees and navigates the world. Nancy also offers specific and concrete suggestions on how to work with children and families on the autism spectrum. A rare opportunity to hear what works and what does not from one wise person’s perspective. For more information about Nancy Getty you can visit http://www.aspergerrus.com.

A special thank you to Francis Felice for help with this episode’s production.

Play Therapy with Children and Adolescents, a conversation with Theresa Fraser

This episode is a conversation about Play Therapy with Theresa Fraser. Theresa is a Child and Youth Worker, a certified Canadian Child Psychotherapist, a Play Therapist, and is the current president of the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy. Theresa talks about how play therapy is used with children, adolescents, families, and other caregivers.

Attachment Theory and Practice, a discussion with Sally Doulis

This episode is a conversation with Sally Doulis about developing attachment between children and caregivers. She outlines what attachment is, discusses ways for caregivers to foster it and how to work with families that need support building attachment. Sally Doulis is a registered Social Worker. She has served as President of the Toronto Child Psychoanalytic Programme where she continues to be on Faculty and is a Supervisor. Sally has worked in the field of children’s mental health as a therapist, supervisor and teacher for thirty-five years. She has a private practice providing individual (child, adolescent and adult) psychotherapy, infant-parent psychotherapy with the under fives and their families, marital therapy, counseling to divorcing families, family therapy for reconnecting a child with a parent, and custody/access assessment through the Office of the Children’s Lawyer.

Parents supporting parents, a conversation with Helen Jones

This episode is a conversation with Helen Jones, a parent who speaks about her experiences with child welfare and the support she found with other parents facing similar struggles. Helen Jones is a founder, past president of and spokesperson for The Association of Parent Support Groups in Ontario Inc. (www.APSGO.ca). In this interview, she discusses the challenges she and her husband had with their daughters and what led her to start APSGO. She offers practical ideas for parents facing similar challenges and suggestions for professionals who work with parents. Helen Jones has two of her own television shows for parents “Helen, Help Us!” and “Teenzilla”, which can be seen on ichannel.