Neurobiology of Trauma Workshop - An Introduction to the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics - THOMPSON, MANITOBA

This is two-day workshop for counsellors, school professionals and educators, service providers, early childhood educators, family service workers, and caregivers, and community (anyone with an interest).

This workshop provides a neurodevelopmentally-informed perspective on human development, focusing on the human stress response system and the impact of childhood adversity. Rather than framing these experiences solely in terms of trauma, we will emphasize how adversity and attachment dysregulation shape behavior and emotional responses. The goal is to help professionals in social and human services create relationally safe environments that support emotional regulation and well-being.

Participants will explore key concepts of brain development, the effects of childhood adversity, and attachment disruptions. Practical, brain-based strategies will be shared to promote emotional regulation, particularly for individuals who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), mental health challenges, or co-occurring disorders.

Objectives of this series include:

• Understanding the neurological, physiological, and emotional impacts of childhood adversity.
• Learning strategies to foster emotional regulation in individuals.
• Identifying strengths and vulnerabilities in clients and adopting a strengths-based approach.
• Creating relationally safe spaces that promote co-regulated, supportive relationships.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with practical tools to reduce stress, enhance emotional regulation, and foster supportive, safe environments for clients or individuals in their care. This training will help professionals create environments where individuals, especially those with histories of adversity, feel safe, understood, and capable of building resilience in the face of stress and emotional challenges.

• Registration Fee: $299 per person
• Max Capacity: 50 persons
• Length: 2 Days (7 hours each day) 
• Date(s): January 29th & 30th, 2025
• Venue: Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre
• Start Time: 9:00 a.m.
• Facilitators: Dawn Isaac & Sonya Warga

Dawn Isaac

Dawn Isaac is Anishinaabe-ikwe from Sagkeeng First Nation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human Ecology and a Masters degree in applied communications. She has several years of experience in research & training with a focus on intergenerational, developmental, and organizational trauma as well as Indigenous issues in both a historical and current context. She is passionate about promoting a wide-spread understanding of trauma-informed and trauma-responsive services as a best practice approach across multiple sectors. Dawn is also committed to advancing Indigenous knowledge(s), resilience, healing practices, and creating safe spaces, as well as fostering reconciliatory relationship building. Dawn spent more than a decade working as part of an intergenerational team (grandmother-mother-granddaughter) facilitating workshops and healing sessions on intergenerational trauma and resilience. Through this transfer of knowledge, she has been part of an interdisciplinary team developing a Reconciled Healing Model as an overarching clinical framework for organizations in the healing and helping profession. Dawn has also worked closely with Dr. Sandra Bloom, to pilot Creating Presence; a new and innovative clinical approach to transform organizations and foster trauma-resilient practices.

Sonya Warga

Sonya Warga is the Clinical Director at Marymound, where she has worked since 2016. She obtained her Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy from U of W and had planned to grow a private practice, but after joining Marymound, she discovered a passion for working with youth. Sonya is responsible for supporting the programs and clinicians who work at Marymound by troubleshooting, problem-solving, advocating, and planning the clinical framework of the organization. She believes that every interaction with youth should be therapeutic, whether it is through one-to-one meetings or maintaining a therapeutic environment in group homes. Sonya's work is focused on creating a continuity of approach to generate solidity in the organization.