Conference Agenda

Welcome and 2021 Visionary Award Presentation

Lunch Break

Maria Malouf and Phil Herman – Trauma Informed Relational Practice

Break

Vaden Somers- Relational Practice in Greenhouse/Gardening Milieu

Break

Mackenzie Brown – Indigenous Drumming , Singing and Art as Relational Practice

2021 Child and Youth Care Counsellor Award
Closing Statements
Invitation to join AGM

Annual General Meeting

Bruce D. Perry MD., Ph.D.

Dr. Perry is the Principal of the Neurosequential Network, Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy and a Professor (Adjunct) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and the School of Allied Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria Australia.

Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs and policy across the world. Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered. Dr. Perry’s most recent book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, was released in 2021.

Dr. Perry served as the Medical Director for Provincial Programs in Children’s Mental Health for the Alberta Mental Health Board. He continues to consult with the government of Alberta on children’s issues and serves as a founding member of the Premier’s Council of Alberta’s Promise.

Dr. Perry has conducted both basic neuroscience and clinical research. His neuroscience research has examined the effects of prenatal drug exposure on brain development, the neurobiology of human neuropsychiatric disorders, the neurophysiology of traumatic life events and basic mechanisms related to the development of neurotransmitter receptors in the brain. His clinical research and practice has focused on high-risk children. This work has examined the cognitive, behavioral, emotional, social, and physiological effects of neglect and trauma in children, adolescents and adults. This work has been instrumental in describing how childhood experiences, including neglect and traumatic stress, change the biology of the brain – and, thereby, the health of the child.

His clinical research over the last twenty years has been focused on integrating emerging principles of developmental neuroscience into clinical practice. This work has resulted in the development of innovative clinical practices and programs working with maltreated and traumatized children, most prominently the Neurosequential Model©, a developmentally sensitive, neurobiology-informed approach to clinical work (NMT), education (NME) and caregiving (NMC). This approach to clinical problem solving has been integrated into programs at dozens of large public and non-profit organizations serving at-risk children and their families.

His experience as a clinician and a researcher with traumatized children has led many community and governmental agencies to consult Dr. Perry following high-profile incidents involving traumatized children and youth including the Branch Davidian siege in Waco (1993), the Oklahoma City bombing (1995), the Columbine school shootings (1999), the September 11th terrorist attacks (2001), Hurricane Katrina (2005), the FLDS polygamist sect (2008), the earthquake in Haiti (2010), the tsunami in Tohoku Japan (2011), the Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings (2012), and the Camp wildfire in California (2018) among many others.

Phil Herman MSW, RSW 

Phil has worked in the helping field for over 20 years. Phil currently works at Hull Services with Trauma Informed Services using the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT). Phil is a level II trainer in the NMT. Phil is responsible for assisting Hull’s various programs that serve traumatized youth and families, both community and therapeutic campus-based programs, in better understanding and integrating an understanding around a trauma informed approach. Phil has also worked in Children Services both as a Caseworker and as an Investigator. Phil holds his Masters in Social Work from Dalhousie University, where an anti-oppressive focus has had a significant impact on his work and life. Phil is also trained as a Family Therapist where he gets the pleasure to hear peoples stories and learns as equally from the people he works with as they hopefully do from him. Phil is a father of two young boys and a partner to his common law partner for over 20 years. Phil enjoys teaching his kids how to be males with emotions and recognizing their privileges in this world. Phil derives his energy from both being with people as well as being in nature.

Maria Malouf, M.C., Registered Provisional Psychologist 

Maria Malouf is a Clinician with the Trauma-Informed Services Department at Hull Services. She holds a Masters of Counselling and is a registered provisional psychologist. Maria is trained as a phase II trainer in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics as well as SFBT, TCI, and ASIST. Maria has been at Hull for fourteen years and has worked in TCBC and special education settings and as an agency trainer prior to her clinical role. She has been part of NMT implementation and certification at Hull Services since 2011 and has taken on several initiatives to further the implementation of trauma-informed practices within Hull Services and to external agencies.

Maria co-presented at the 2016 and 2018 Neurosequential Model Symposium on engaging youth through arts-based learning. She has supported research initiatives that explore the therapeutic value of alternative interventions such as art, music, and skateboarding.

Vaden Somers B.A. CYCAA

Vaden is the Industrial Arts Instructor at Hull School in Calgary, AB., and is currently designing and developing a 5 Acre Permaculture Demonstration site on Hull Services campus in South West Calgary. The site includes a half-acre Market Garden, 500sq/ft Passive Solar Greenhouse and an Outdoor Education Classroom Space. Closing out their 5th season in 2021, the site now provides food for the School Program and supports a group of families currently experiencing food scarcity issues due to rising food costs and accessibility.

Vaden is a passionate advocate for the development and maintenance of alternative milieus that provide opportunities to engage and inspire young people (and others). He understands the power of natural environments to regulate and restore mental health and believes the greatest story ever told is the connection of humans to their environments. Those same environments provide us with a template for deep relational connections through attunement and observation, and a powerful space to pursue the therapeutic relationship.

He loves Bees and dislikes Slugs but understands the ecosystem needs both.

Mackenzie Brown

Mackenzie Brown is a First Nations Cree woman from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, currently residing in Amiskwaciwaskahikan, Edmonton. She graduated with her Bachelor of Child and Youth Care from MacEwan University. Mackenzie is a performer, drummer, tourism entrepreneur, philanthropist and advocate for at-risk youth in the Edmonton area. Mackenzie and her mom perform as “Warrior Women”. They drum and teach around Alberta for the Northern Alberta Teachers Conference, the annual Jasper Dark Skies Festival, Youth Dream Catchers Conference, Canada Day, Aboriginal Day festivities, and more.

Along with drumming, Mackenzie is also an avid acrylic artist and traditional First Nations crafts artisan. Her art has been featured in the Pump House Gallery, the Edson Gallery Museum, and the Gray Gallery Grant MacEwan. It has also been recognized for the Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Award of 2017, as well as featured for the Alberta Business Competition 2017 and sold to people travelling world wide at Jasper Park Lodge. She is the recent recipient of the 2019 Esquao Award for Children’s Future, 2019 Indigenous Woman of the Year from the Alberta Assembly of First Nations, and Top 30 under 30 From Alberta Corporation for Global Cooperation 2020. Mackenzie was also recently highlighted as the only Indigenous and Albertan artist on the reality TV show Landscape Artist of the Year Canada where she placed in the top 3 finalists.