THE health and wellness of community members is at the forefront of three upcoming local conferences.
Community members are invited to Restorative Justice and Adults at Risk of Abuse and Neglect: Exploring the Issues, a free one-day conference being held in North Vancouver Monday, April 23 at the TsleilWaututh Nation Community Centre, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Timed with the seventh annual National Victims of Crime Awareness Week, the event is being presented by members of the North Shore Adults at Risk Support Network and North Shore Restorative Justice Society. Speakers will share their practical experience and research findings in relation to the issues surrounding holistic, safe, and restorative responses to elder abuse.
According to a written statement, those leading sessions include Mark Haden, who supervises the addictions staff at the Pacific Spirit Community Health Centre at Vancouver Coastal Health. His session is entitled Restorative Justice and Addictions through the Lens of Attachment Theory: Supporting Family Members of Adult Children with Addictions. Also set to speak is Arlene Groh, whose session is entitled Looking Back; Looking Forward: Waterloo's Restorative Justice Approach to Elder Abuse Project.
To register or for more information, contact Alana Abramson, executive director of the North Shore Restorative Justice Society at [email protected].
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A social skills training workshop for kids with autism spectrum disorders, intended to help people with autism as well as parents, teachers, health practitioners and the people who work with them, is being held Thursday, April 19 in Vancouver.
All Kids Can Succeed: Handling Challenging Behaviors and Teaching Social Skills is intended to help participants understand challenging behaviors in social communication disorders with an overview of behavior management techniques. Attendees will learn how to prevent and manage meltdowns or tantrums, strategies to teach verbal and non-verbal students, develop an effective behavior plan, become a facilitator to help create peer acceptance and gain skills in teaching peers to be more tolerant and supportive.
The workshop will be led by clinical psychologist Jed Baker. A behavioral consultant for several New Jersey school systems, Baker provides social skills training for students with pervasive developmental disorders and learning disabilities. An award-winning author, his work has also been featured on ABC World News, Nightline, the CBS Early Show, and the Discovery Health Channel.
The workshop will be held at the Norman Rothstein Theatre, 950 West 41st Ave., Vancouver from 8 a.m. to 4: 45 p.m. Cost: $99 for parents/$129 for professionals. For more information, visit: autismvancouver. org.
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Vancouver will play host to CHFA West at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building, April 19-22. Organized by the Canadian Health Food Association, it's the largest gathering of natural health and organic products in Western Canada. B.C. retailers who attend this industry-only event will meet hundreds of natural health manufacturers, distributors and brokers.
Guest speakers include Brenda Watson, founder of Renew Life (www.renewlife. ca). She has her own PBS show, The Road to Perfect Health, is a regular on the Dr. Oz radio show, and has been on The View. She is also the health professional cited in many of Suzanne Somers' books and is the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including The Detox Strategy and The Fiber35 Diet. Watson will speak Friday April 20 at 2: 05 p.m. at a session entitled Treating The Five Most Common Digestive Ailments.
For more information, visit www.chfa.ca.
