The Halton Early Years Mental Health Committee (EYMHC) is a cross-sector collaboration of service providers who work with infants/young children and their families. Research has shown that significant mental health issues can and do exist in very young children and tend to manifest as serious social, emotional or behavioural problems (Zeenah, 2009). This session will highlight the importance that you, as professionals in early childhood settings, play in promoting the mental health and well-being of all young children and their families. A child’s well-being and healthy brain development is contingent upon infants/young children having healthy relationships with their caregivers. Other important factors to consider include developing a sense of belonging and valuing and respecting an individual or family’s culture and beliefs. The session will also increase your awareness of the Halton Early Years Mental Health Toolkit itself; where to find it; highlight the many resources which can help promote professional development and explore further opportunities for embedding this content
into practice.

The Halton Early Years Mental Health Committee (EYMHC) invites participants to join our virtual exhibit over lunch. The EYMHC will have resources promoting the Early Years Mental Health Toolkit and materials to support professional development and applying the toolkit into practice. We look forward to chatting with you!

Working with youth has a number of challenges on its own; adding in the complexities of youth exploring their sexual and gender identities can seem overwhelming. This webinar will review the developmental stages that children go through and how they relate to gender and sexuality. We will discuss the nuances of allowing children to explore versus enforcing societal norms, and the implications of these choices. Participants will learn how to work with families of children who are exploring or questioning their sexuality and gender, and how you can help them navigate these complicated topics. The workshop will involve a mix of educational information, handouts and take aways, and case application to ensure a well-rounded and robust learning experience.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the developmental process of developing gender and sexual identities in youth
2. Learn how to help youth navigate their gender and sexual identity exploration in healthy and meaningful ways
3. Learn how to help parents cope with and support children who are exploring their identities