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ACSW 2021 Virtual Conference Workshop Descriptions & Presenter Biographies Keynotes ‘Sanity’-Making Through Solidarity & Collective Care Vikki Reynolds, PhD, RCC Workers are responding to suffering, hardship and oppression in situations we couldn’t have imagined or planned for. We are immersed in a pandemic, which is obscuring the opioid catastrophe, and all this is situated on Indigenous territories where Canada has enacted genocide and where colonization, structural racism, and genocide continue to occur. The pandemic has disrupted much of our lives and ways of working bringing disconnection and fear. Resisting burnout in this moment means we need to go deeper than the “self-care” we are normally prescribed and foster solidarity, collective care and promote our collective mental wellness, considering cultural, spiritual, relational and community-based ways to collectively support ourselves and our communities. We respond to the ambient/ever-present hard and hateful politics we are swimming in with the connection and collective ethics of the Zone of Fabulousness… Vikki Reynolds, PhD, RCC Vikki Reynolds is an instructor and registered clinical counsellor from Vancouver. She has a deep commitment to social justice and her work is based on an anti-oppression and decolonization framework. She plays a leading role in building communities in a spirit of solidarity, putting ethics at the forefront. Her work addresses addiction, substance misuse, diversity, homelessness, trauma and violence. Vikki is informed by narrative and collaborative therapies. She provides individual and group clinical supervision to therapists and community workers. She facilitates workshops and delivers keynote speeches to audiences with an interest in transforming community work. Find more about Vikki at vikkireynolds.ca Moving Beyond Client-Centered Care Todd Leader, RPsych RSW Social workers and allied professions work with a wide variety of people including those with addiction and mental health challenges. However, they often feel a disconnect between their training/desire to provide client-centered care, and the restrictions imposed by policies, procedures, and structures of the system and organizational culture they work in. In this presentation, Social Worker and Psychologist Todd Leader will describe the difference between client- centered ‘care’ and client-centered ‘systems’. He will challenge us to view these concepts in a different way, and to identify how we can use that distinction to directly enhance the experience and well-being of the people we serve. Todd’s approach, based on real-life success transforming an addiction and mental health program, is documented in his book It’s Not About Us; The Secret to Transforming the Mental Health and Addiction System in Canada. This keynote address is sure to empower us to approach our work with a new sense of creativity and optimism. Todd Leader, RPsych RSW Todd Leader is a Registered Social Worker and a Registered Psychologist with a 29-year career as multiple-award- winning transformational leader in healthcare, including the areas of primary care, chronic disease management, addiction and mental health, health promotion, and community engagement. He has also been a multiple-award- winning member of the Faculty of Science at Saint Mary’s University since 1990. Todd has been the President of the Public Health Association of Nova Scotia, President of the Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia, a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Public Health Association, a member of the Nova Scotia Ministerial Advisory Panel on Innovation in Mental Health and Addictions and is currently Vice President of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers. Todd’s 2016 book “It’s Not About Us; The Secret to Transforming the Mental Health and Addiction System in Canada” continues to influence client-centered system change across the country. Find more information about Todd at leader-development.ca Feature Presentations Youth in Care Chronicles: Voices from former Youth in Care and Implications for Social Work Practice Megan Mierau, MSW, RSW Cody Murrell, BSW, RSW Patricia Ross, PCP, ACP This presentation will focus on the recently published book: Youth in Care Chronicles, the child welfare system, the lived experiences of youth in care and implications for social work practitioners. A highlight of this presentation will be the panel presentation with two former youth in care who will share their lived experiences and reflections. The presentation will include a live Q & A and an opportunity to connect with other conference delegates in break-out rooms. Most social workers have encountered youth in care whether you work for child welfare or a child welfare serving agency, in a school or hospital, a correctional facility, a mental health or addictions program or a drop-in centre. It is critical to have at least a general understanding of the experiences of youth in care. Megan Mierau, MSW, RSW Megan Mierau is employed as a Casework Supervisor with Alberta Children’s Services. She obtained a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Regina and spent time working abroad as a social worker in Australia. In 2015, Megan pursued a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Calgary and following the completion of her schooling, she was humbled to work on Treaty 7 Territory with children and youth in care. As a supervisor of a youth unit within Children’s Services, her passions now lie with promoting storytelling for Indigenous youth in care and ensuring youth maintain connections to their home communities. In addition to supervising, this year Megan began teaching for the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary and MacEwan University given her passion for education. Cody Murrell, BSW, RSW Cody Murrell is a Casework Supervisor with Alberta Children’s Services. He has been working with children and youth who are in care for the past seven years. Cody started his career working in the group care sector as a Youth Worker. He holds a Diploma of Social Work from Grant MacEwan University and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Calgary. Cody has extensive volunteer experience which includes volunteering as an Alberta College of Social Worker’s Council Member, worker at Amity House, and co-chair of Edmonton Youth Speak Out. Cody is an advocate for youth in care and speaks publicly about his experiences, most notably, at the High-Risk Youth Conference, University of Calgary, and Youth Power. His intense passion for the profession of Social Work and compassion for others stems from his own experience growing up in care. Patricia Ross, PCP, ACP Patricia Ross is an Advanced Care Paramedic student who is currently in the process of completing her final practicum. She had obtained her Primary Care Paramedic (EMT) licence prior and has been working as a youth worker for the past 4 and a half years. Patricia has volunteered with Youth Speak Out in her spare time over the past several years, sharing her story and mentoring youth in care. Patricia aspires to be a motivational speaker and to complete a TED talk that discusses how to overcome the challenges of growing up in foster care. On-demand Workshops Understanding Diversity – The Queer Experience and it’s Impact on Practice Gilbert Drapeau, BSW, RSW Christy Garland, Trans individual and community advocate LGTBQ2S+: a mouthful that has come to define an ever-expanding population of individuals to whom practitioners owe a holistic understanding. This presentation is an opportunity to build a better understanding of Queer terminology and to develop a greater understanding of the ongoing challenges faced by the Queer community. Gilbert Drapeau, BSW, RSW Gilbert Drapeau has worked in Children's Services for over twenty years working with abused and disabled children, their families and supports. Gilbert is also known as Lady Tenderflake, a drag performer known for her charitable work and performances reflecting social issues. Through both avenues, advocacy for the Queer community has been at the forefront of practice. Queer means so much more than LGBTQ2S+ as society allows for individuals to explore their true identities. Working in environments where 50 to 75% of youth have gender/sexual identity issues and are often dispossessed, informed practice is of the essence. Christy Garland, Trans individual and community advocate Christy Garland is a general contractor and business owner in Edmonton for over 15 years. She is also known as Christy Heely, a drag performer who has performed throughout the city for 6 years. Her primary focus is helping charities and raising awareness for trans folk. She is an active member of the ISCWR, an organization that raises money through drag shows. Christy believes that being our authentic selves whether as a transgender woman owning a renovation company or taking to the stage in drag is something that should be encouraged and embraced. Elder Abuse and Cross Cultural Practice Garima Khatri, MSW Clinical Specialization, RSW, CCW, CRS Emma Potter Michele Markham, SW Dip, RSW Detective Alfred Ma Listen and learn about elder abuse and how we are responding collaboratively across sectors. We will also discuss social injustices faced by ethnocultural communities. Garima Khatri works in the Community Geriatric Psychiatry program at Covenant Health. She obtained her Master of Social Work with Clinical Specialization from the University of Calgary and was recognized with two Recognition of Excellence Awards for her activities in the areas of family violence and elder abuse prevention and intervention, cross cultural practice, and geriatric psychiatry. She has varied clinical training including CBT, ACT, and is a Level 3 DBT- Linehan therapist. She has spoken at the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention Conference, Diverse Voices Family Violence Conference, and the FACE IT: Elder Abuse Happens Conference, and is a past Co-Chair of the provincial Taking Action Against Elder Abuse CCR Coordinator Network. Emma Potter Emma Potter is the Director of Crisis and Navigation Support Services with the Canadian Mental Health Association- Edmonton.

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