MASTERCLASSES
Our masterclasses are led by invited subject matter experts who share practical tools, insights, and strategies to support youth mental health and well-being.
Guided by Pine River Institute’s youth-focused, familycentred approach, these sessions bring additional expertise and perspective to topics that matter to families, educators, and professionals supporting youth.
These resources support prevention by equipping adults with knowledge and tools to respond earlier and more effectively to the needs of youth and families.
For more than 20 years, Pine River Institute has supported youth ages 13–19 with addictive behaviours and other mental health challenges, working closely with their families as part of our integrated approach to care. Through Masterclasses, we partner with trusted experts to extend this knowledge to communities across Canada.
Upcoming
Adressing cannabis use with your teen: A guide for parents and caregivers | Dr. Toula Kourgiantakis
Tuesday, October 20th, 2026 | 7pm – 8pm
What are the potential risks and harms of cannabis use during adolescence? Dr. Toula Kourgiantakis will host our next masterclass to support parents and caregivers, including ways to reduce risk and signs of emerging concerns.
Dr. Kourgiantakis will help parents and caregivers understand how to have conversations about cannabis with young people, whether they have never used it, are experimenting with it, or are experiencing cannabis-related difficulties. Participants will learn how to support a young person who is using cannabis while maintaining connection, reducing conflict, and seeking additional support when needed.
Dr. Toula Kourgiantakis is a social worker and family therapist with more than 30 years of experience working with children, youth, couples, and families across a range of settings, including child welfare, schools, hospitals, community agencies, and private practice.
Every absence has a story: Understanding the many faces of school absenteeism | Dr. Jess Whitley
School absenteeism is a growing concern in Canada and beyond. Absenteeism is linked to academic achievement and mental health and can have a major impact on students, families, and educators. In this masterclass, Dr. Jess Whitley explores different stories of absenteeism that highlights the complexity and diversity of students’ experiences. She shares some of the research that she and her colleagues have conducted in the area and delves into some of the approaches that have shown promise in supporting students and improving attendance.
ADHD and Families: How Attention, Emotion and Regulation Interact | Dr. Marcy Caldwell
In this masterclass, Dr. Marcy Caldwell explores how ADHD shapes family dynamics, emotional regulation, and everyday interactions between children, caregivers, and loved ones. Marcy Caldwell is a psychologist and ADHD specialist and provides an insightful masterclass exploring how ADHD shapes family dynamics.
ADHD rarely exists in just one person; it often runs in families. When both children and caregivers share similar patterns of attention, organization, and emotional regulation, everyday interactions can quickly become overwhelming or reactive.
This session introduces the ADHD Triad model to help participants understand how practical challenges, emotional intensity, and regulation difficulties interact beneath the surface.
Behaviour as language: Why our children behave the way they do | Dr. Sarah Hallet
Rather than viewing challenging or self-destructive behaviours as “problems,” Sarah invites parents and educators to understand behaviour as language, a signal of unmet needs, emotional distress, or difficulty with regulation and connection. Drawing on traumainformed, family-centred, and integrative clinical approaches, Dr. Hallett will help participants build empathy, deepen understanding, and respond more effectively to difficult behaviours.
Smart Strategies for Managing Screentime: Reclaiming Childhood | Katherine Martinko
Packed with practical strategies for fostering independent play, building healthier tech habits (for both kids and parents alike), and redefining safety in the digital age, Katherine’s talks challenge everyone to think critically about our collective responsibility in raising a generation that does not rely on the Internet for a sense of identity and belonging, and has an opportunity to develop human
skills that set them apart from machines.
Using AI to Support Executive Function Skills for Diverse Learners | Dr. Todd Cunningham
In this masterclass, we brought back clinical and school Psychologist, Dr. Todd Cunningham. He shares how to confidently use AI as a tool to help students, parents, and educators.
Dr. Cunningham leads the Bright Lights Psychology Team. He is a school and clinical psychologist registered in Ontario. He also is an Associate Professor [Teaching Stream] at the University of Toronto OISE and is Chair of the School and Clinical Child Psychology program.
Empowering Neurodivergent Children and Teens for Success in School and Life | Dr. Sharon Saline
This masterclass will help you gain a deeper understanding of complex ADHD, teaching you how to nurture cognitive strengths, improve socialemotional behaviours, and build resilience.
Dr. Sharon Saline has decades of experience as a clinical psychologist, educator, and consultant who helps families and adults. She is the author of ‘What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life’ and ‘The ADHD Solution Card Deck’. She specializes in supporting children, teens, young adults, and families living with ADHD, learning disabilities, twice exceptionality, and mental health challenges.
Detecting Autism Among the Ever-Broadening Spectrum | Dr. Celine Saulnier
In this masterclass, Dr. Celine Saulnier will explain the variability across the autism spectrum based on levels of cognition and language, sex and gender differences, emotional/behavioural regulation, and racial/ethnic differences. Common diagnostic differentials and co-occurring conditions will also be discussed.
The prevalence of ASD is currently 1 in 36 school-age children in North America. The breadth of the spectrum is now so heterogeneous that it becomes challenging to identify autism from other conditions let alone neurotypical development.
Navigating the Intersection of Mental Health and learning | Dr. Todd Cunningham
In this masterclass, Dr. Todd Cunningham explores the intricate relationship between mental health and learning, focusing on how emotional well-being impacts students’ academic performance and overall development. Dr. Todd Cunningham will dive into strategies to recognize, support, and foster resilience in students facing mental health challenges. By understanding the underlying systems of behaviour and stress, we can create environments that promote both emotional and academic growth.
Mastering the Game: Navigating Gaming Trends and Healthy Play | Karen Hladly and Tracy Tsui
In this masterclass, Karen Hlady, a member of the Canadian Problem Gambling Certification Board, and Tracy Tsui, a registered clinical counsellor, explore the world of gaming, including the latest trends and online platforms. They will also discuss the reasons why people play games, the neurobiology behind gaming, and the benefits and risks of gaming. Additionally, they will provide resources and strategies for healthy play.
Meeting the Challenges of Blended Families | Dr. Patricia Papernow
In this masterclass, Dr. Patricia Papernow will teach strategies for creating a successful stepfamily. Stepfamilies have the potential to be happy and thriving, just like any other type of family. Nevertheless, creating a strong stepfamily requires a different approach than forming a first-time family. Fortunately, evidence-based tools and strategies have been developed over the last four decades through extensive research and clinical experience. With these resources, you can effectively handle discipline, assist children in transitioning smoothly, establish a strong couple relationship, form a stepparent role, create a new family culture, and manage relationships with ex-spouses. By adopting research-based practical tips and effective strategies, you can collectively build a successful and fulfilling stepfamily.
Parenting Resilient Children | Dr Brad Reedy
Dr. Reedy presents a formula for increasing resiliency in our children. Using attachment theory, we learn how a parent’s self-awareness and psychological work increase their ability to provide children with a secure base and Self-image. This base is the foundation for the development of a healthy Self. Dr. Reedy says parents must change the goal from raising “good” and “successful” children to raising healthy Selves. Dr. Reedy outlines how parents’ exploration of their own childhood and traumas can impact future generations. Topics include parental anxiety, definitions of Self for parents and children, and how common myths in parenting need to be reconsidered.
The Power of Showing Up | Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
Dr. Bryson demonstrates that when a caregiver cares for a child predictably (not perfectly), that child will enjoy the best outcomes, even in the face of significant adversity. To help our kids succeed and feel at home in the world, our children need to feel what Bryson and Dr. Dan Siegal call “the Four S’s”.
Transforming the ‘Living Legacy’ of Trauma | Dr. Janina Fisher
Participants will learn how to assess and make sense of trauma-based symptoms, such as dysregulated autonomic arousal, overwhelming emotions, and sensations, intrusive images, numbing, and disconnection. They will discover how to use psychoeducation to help clients manage these overwhelming symptoms and change their relationship to the traumatic events. In addition, participants are taught how to integrate neurobiologically–informed treatment techniques into psychotherapy which help resolve the traumatic past and finally put it to rest.
Mindfulness, MWe & Our Interconnected Reality | Dr. Dan Siegel
Dr. Dan Siegel focuses on mindfulness, MWe, and our interconnected reality. Who you are is both an internal (Me) and an interconnected (We) self that shapes your identity and sense of belonging. But how can you be both within the body and between the body and in relationship to people and the planet? In this masterclass, Dr. Dan Siegal will explores how you can combine an inner “Me” and an inter “We” to become a whole integrated self – a MWe!
Raising Healthy Kids and Teens | Dr Brad Reedy
Dr. Brad Reedy discusses healthy ways to raise our youth. Dr. Reedy is the Co-founder and Clinical Director for Evoke Therapy Programs.He is the author of The Audacity To Be You and The Journey of the Heroic Parent.
Anti-Sex Trafficking | Julie Neubauer
Julie provides clarity on the issue of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. This discussion dispels some of the myths that surround this crime and provides parents, caregivers and those supporting young people a fact-based understanding of the issue, while exploring strategies to identify risk, plan for interventions and seek community and family-based solutions.
The Impact of Trauma & Implementing Trauma informed Practices | Tom Hierck
Author and educator Tom Hierck, shares how to confidently and meaningfully support young people who have been impacted by trauma.
Rewriting the Parent-Child Script | Krissy Pozatek
In this talk, Krissy Pozatek WSW, will be discussing these enmeshed patterns in the parent-child relationship and how parents can re-write the parent-child script. When a teen is struggling, the parent-child relationship is frequently also stuck in negative patterns and dynamics. A teen may act out through power-struggles, negotiations, manipulation, drama and games in the home, defiance or simply shutting down. Underlying these patterns is typically enmeshment in the parent-child relationship.
Other Resources
Webinars
We offer webinars and workshops for schools, communities, and workplaces that are designed to help adults better understand and support youth mental health.
Clinical Training
Our clinical training is grounded in our evidence-based knowledge that shows that integrating families into youth addiction and mental health treatment leads to better outcomes.