DCO Educational Forum and Networking Day - Fall 2009

EDUCATIONAL FORUM – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2009

(In partnership with the Niagara Suicide Prevention Community Coalition – Finding Hope and Support in Difficult Times - Conference)

8:00 am     Registration (breakfast/coffee)

8:45 am      Welcome & Opening Comments

9:00 am      Keynote Address 

What is Working, What is Hopeful...Developing Strengths - Based Strategies

Our collective approaches to suicide prevention and many social and health challenges are going through radical changes. There is emerging evidence that increasing protective factors, rather than reducing risk factors results in a quicker reduction of suicidal behavior and its impact. Based on the publication, “What is Working, What is Hopeful… Supporting Community Based Suicide Prevention Strategies within Indigenous Communities”, this presentation discusses how adopting a strength’s based approach, focusing on what a community has rather than what it does not have can assist in developing effective prevention strategies. This is equally true for a number of health and social challenges across many communities.

 Keynote Speaker: David Masecar, M.A. C. Psychological Associate

David Masecar has a Masters in Clinical Psychology and is employed as a Psychological Associate. He has worked in child, youth, and family and community mental health programs and has taught university courses on psychology, human development, psychopathology and suicide. David has serviced on the OSPN and CASP boards;  has contributed to the development of strengths based community suicide prevention strategies, suicide intervention skills, trauma and attachment issues in youth; as well as the Community Police Mobilization Program (CPMP) and well as the CASP Blueprint for a National Strategy, and the Dreamcatcher Tour with Tom Jackson.

10:00 am       Refreshments

10:30 am       Skills-Based Sessions * (these are repeated in the am and pm.  Since space is limited, choose your first and second choice for each session on the registration form) 

A. Suicide Risk Assessment 101

Presenters: Victoria Kehoe, Distress Centre Durham and Dee Tyler, Distress Centre Niagara

This interactive workshop will help participants understand risk factors for suicide and to apply a suicide risk assessment model. Building a support network for a person at risk will be discussed.

 B. Bullying / Mobbing in the Workplace

Presenters: Mary Barzyk and Elaine Edmiston, Certified Mental Health Works Trainers with Canadian Mental Health Association, Niagara.

Most of us know bullying is violent behaviour that exists in school yards, the street and in some workplaces. Mobbing, however, is an insidious form of social isolation by a group toward a single target which can result in illness, absenteeism, reduced productivity, mental distress and suicide.

C. Mental Health 101

Presenter: Denise Waligora, Consultant/Facilitator

A brief overview of mood, anxiety, substance-related and psychotic disorders. Discussion will include how common mental health problems are and why education surrounding mental health is important.

D. Financial Panel

Panellists: Kathleen Batstone, Credit Counselling of Regional Niagara; Kim Penwarden, 211/Information Niagara; Rick Prior, King Prior Financial Services Inc.

Attend this workshop and find out more about financial resources in the Niagara community. Three speakers will present information on the services they provide and how to access them. There will be an opportunity for 'questions and answers'.

E. Understanding Compassion Fatigue

Presenter: Jane Bradley, BA Psychology, Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist

If you care deeply about the work you do and the issues you process daily, you are likely to absorb some of the emotions experienced by your clients. Although unnoticeable at first, Compassion Fatigue can build up, impacting your quality of life. Anyone who works in the Caregiver professions is susceptible to Compassion Fatigue.

F. Working Towards a Cure

Presenter: Dave Masecar, M.A. C. Psychological Associate

This workshop provides a framework for organizing strengths based approaches. Continuing with the theme of the keynote presentation, this workshop reviews the CURE (Community, Understand, Respond, and Evaluate) framework for developing strengths based strategies.

12 noon     Luncheon

1:30 pm     Skills Based Sessions (as above)

3:30 pm    Closing Remarks  

DCO NETWORKING DAY – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 06, 2009

(Launching provincial programs, moving projects forward)

8:00 am     Registration (breakfast/coffee)

8:30 am      Welcome & Opening Comments

8:45 am      Keynote Address 

Suicide, Confidentiality & Family: Are there lessons for the Crisis Community?

Suicidal individuals often strain the bounds of confidentiality of the medical practitioner.  Part of that strain comes from the needs of the family to be involved in the care of the suicidal person.  The law is not clear about a practitioner’s duty when faced with a critical situation.  In exploring these issues, we will ask whether any or all of the moral imperatives apply to the situation experienced by those staffing the phones in Crisis Centres.  

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session the participant will: 

1.   Understand the ethical rationale of confidentiality

      2.   Be clear about the implications of PHIPA

      3.   Understand the place of ethics in any intervention

 Keynote Speaker: Rex Roman, Ph.D.

Rex Roman recently completed a Fellowship in Mental Health and Ethics with the Department of Psychiatry at Women’s College Hospital.  Prior to that, he worked for the Mississauga Halton LHIN leading a demographic study of mental health resource allocation.  He has also been a Fellow with the Joint Centre for Bioethics.  For a number of years he worked for the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Chief Justice’s office.  He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Toronto.

9:45 am       Refreshments

10:00 am     “One Call Away”                                         

Distress Line Promotion and Volunteer Recruitment Campaign Launch

The province wide distress line promotion campaign tools will be previewed, the program will be launched and members of the volunteer management committee will be discussing how you can use the toolkit to support your volunteer recruitment efforts.

Doug MacMillan; MacMillan Marketing + DCO Volunteer Management Committee

11:00 am   SIOM Project                                                

Project Protocols and Data Collection Schema

All DCO member centres have been providing information on their data collection methodologies and the SIOM committee coordinated this information in support of developing a DCO province wide statistics, information and outcome measures reporting system.  This project update will include provincial protocols, the suggested schema for reporting and the timeline review. 

Neil McKechnie, iCarol + DCO SIOM committee

12 noon     Luncheon

Web access to training & educators from anywhere in the province

The distress line movement has long discussed how to offer high quality in-service training to all volunteers throughout the province.  The launch of the DCO Learning Forums website will provide all volunteers and staff of DCO member centres the opportunity to view 20 – 35 minute video vignettes on a variety of educational topics from either their centres or their homes.  The launch of this program will include suggestions from the DCO Education Committee on how to integrate this program into your centre’s in-service offerings.

Liz Fisk, DCO + DCO Education committee

2:00 pm    Refreshments

2:15 pm    Accreditation & Best Practices                 

As the DCO association membership moves towards accreditation, the need to develop solid best practices in the service and program delivery area intensifies.  After a brief update and education session on making accreditation work in your centre, there will be a working table top session where the membership will provide input on the development of several sector-wide best practices.  We look forward to your ideas and input.

DCO Accreditation Committee

3:30 pm     Closing Remarks