CTRI – Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute

The ability to thrive and manage life’s difficulties is greatly influenced by our mental wellbeing from an early age. Children and youth need supports in their lives to help navigate ... Read more

Clinical supervision is a complex role that requires multiple skill-sets. In this role, the essential skills for supporting supervisees to develop in their clinical work are sometimes overlooked. This workshop ... Read more

It is common for people to struggle and experience ambivalence when considering making a change or when others may be expecting them to make one. When those working in helping roles encounter this ambivalence in their clients, it is often interpreted as resistance and they may feel unable to respond in an effective way. By ... Read more

In order to be effective at helping others, there are key understandings and skills that are essential to providing helpful support. This introductory workshop is designed for those who are new to a helping role, or those wishing to enhance their general helping skills. Participants will learn about the process of counselling and how to ... Read more

Trauma is prevalent in our world and has an impact on many of the people we interact with, including those who engage with our organizations. Compassionate and trauma-informed care is essential to providing effective support and building sustainable services. Based on our book, A Little Book About Trauma-Informed Workplaces, this workshop explores five key principles ... Read more

Working with individuals who have autism can be a very meaningful experience, but it is not without its challenges. With recent reports indicating that an increasing number of individuals are on the autism spectrum, a greater number of care providers are encountering individuals with autism as part of their work and life. While every person ... Read more

Family violence occurs in every community and culture, and it has profound effects on every person involved. This workshop examines different forms of violence within family relationships, including psychological, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Assessment areas will be reviewed to help understand the impact of violence on individuals, relationships, and communities. Intervention strategies for working ... Read more

Trauma is a wound that injures us emotionally, psychologically, physically, and spiritually. As a result, the impact of trauma can be far-reaching and enduring. This workshop provides an overview of the way trauma affects a person through the brain and nervous system. A framework which describes different stages in the process of regulating and resolving ... Read more

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a brain injury caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. It is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, and there is a growing need for caregivers to gain new knowledge and practical skills for supporting children, adults, and families living with FASD. This workshop outlines six pathways for success when ... Read more

Many people who experience mental health concerns also live with an addiction. While working with multiple issues at the same time is complicated, recovery from both of these issues is possible with an integrated, person-centred, and trauma-informed approach. This workshop provides a framework for assisting people to move forward with healthy ways of coping. Participants ... Read more

Dementia is a growing concern, especially as the number of people who are affected by it increases. Given the changes and challenges people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia experience, caregivers and helpers can face uncertainty in how to provide care, and often need to adjust their communication and support strategies. This workshop focuses ... Read more

For those who work in a helping role, it can be very challenging when clients are vulnerable, stressed-out, or quick to engage in conflict. Complicating matters is that difficult dynamics in the relationship are often amplified by different styles of communicating. This workshop reviews what contributes to these challenges, including the intra-personal, inter-personal, and organizational ... Read more

Harm reduction is an approach to help people explore their relationship with substances and behaviours. It works to reduce and mitigate damage and pain, and offers strategies to increase and promote safety, choice, and control. Harm reduction moves away from traditional understandings of “addiction” as a disease, and responses that are based on assumed morality ... Read more

For those who work with youth, managing challenging behaviours that interfere with development, learning, or success can be both frustrating and exhausting. This workshop explores behaviours related to aggression, resistance, and connection-seeking, along with practical intervention strategies you can use in your own work with youth. You will have the opportunity to analyze your current ... Read more

Helpers regularly encounter stories and symptoms of trauma in their roles. There is growing evidence that the impact of directly supporting others through experiences of trauma goes beyond burnout or fatigue. The toll of witnessing intense human experiences and emotions can contribute to a negative transformation of a helper’s own sense of safety, and of ... Read more

For those who work in an environment where there is potential for violence, it is important to develop the skills needed to defuse dangerous situations. This workshop is designed to teach people to de-escalate potentially violent situations through assertiveness and interpersonal communication. The training will explore how anger and violence interplay, including opportunities for self-assessment ... Read more

Working with individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or impulses is challenging, which is why a broad and diverse approach is needed to prevent and respond to the issue. This workshop explores various insights related to suicide intervention, with a key emphasis on life promotion. Participants will practice the skills needed to identify and assist those at ... Read more

A restorative justice approach works to repair harm and strengthen communities where wrong has occurred. It seeks to meet the needs of those harmed, while also considering the causes of the wrongful behaviour in order to promote accountability and growth for the one who caused harm. This highly experiential workshop utilizes a trauma-informed approach, and ... Read more

It is very common for anyone working in the helping profession to encounter ethical dilemmas. Ethics are at the heart of competent and effective practice for anyone in the helping field, particularly when managing boundaries and relationships. This workshop is designed to give individuals and organizations an opportunity to review common principles and standards for ... Read more

Many of the challenges that we experience are based on irrational and unhelpful thought patterns that impact both our feelings and our behaviour. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a time-sensitive, structured, and present-oriented form of counselling that focuses on problem solving and teaching individuals how to modify these distorted patterns of thinking. CBT is also ... Read more