Strong & Kind Certified Staff Workshops

These workshops can be purchased together (5 workshops + certifications for staff) OR purchased individually.  Each workshop is 30-45 minutes of content, and includes activities or reflections.

Workshop: Big Messy Feelings: Stop Sweeping Them Under the Rug

• Will help staff face homesickness, loneliness, grief, sorrow, and just “those campers” who cry all the time! 
• Kleenex Box-Toolbox model to help staff find a way to handle those feelings more effectively. 
• Emotional Validation tools – how to sit with big feelings so they can process.

Staff learning post workshop:

• Activity: Emotional Validation practice with co-workers & validating peers throughout the day.
• Reflection: Share feelings around validation and experiences.

Workshop: Happy Campers: A Proactive Approach for Those With Exceptionalities  

• Give some understanding to what many diagnoses mean – ADHD, ASD, ODD, Sensory Issues, Anxiety, and Depression and explore dysregulation (and why we see it with these challenges).
• Highlight high-issue areas/environments for campers with exceptionalities: Transitions, new experiences, busy/loud/demanding activities and environments, social cues, etc.
• Teach camp-specific tools to mitigate many of these issues for all types of campers: Mindfulness, movement, sensory-soothing tools, posting schedules, etc.

Staff learning post-workshop:

• Activity - Staff will work on their Mental Health Toolkit section on their own dysregulation experiences and tools.
• Reflection – Staff will share (if comfortable) with co-counsellors what tools they need when they start feeling overwhelmed.

Workshop: The Unexpected Outbursts: Handling Trauma & Triggers

• Create an understanding of ACES and the collective trauma of Covid-19.
• Go over 4 trauma responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) – brain and body reactivity
• Staff will learn simple ways to support a camper while they are triggered, and what to do to help them soothe their nervous system with simple body movements.  

Staff learning post-workshop:

• Activity: Staff will fill out their Mental Health toolkit Trauma section – their own triggers, responses, and soothing strategies
• Group Reflection: If comfortable, staff will share with their co-counsellors their triggers and what they need for support from their co-workers in those moments.

Workshop: Dealing with Differences: Third Way Conflict Management

• Staff will learn a simple Three Ways to Conflict Model to pinpoint issues as they arise and diagnose why they are continuing.
• We will dig into why some people create conflict, and how to help them.
• We will learn about how and why these conflicts can slip into harassment and bullying, and some strategies for when they do. 

Staff Learning Post-Workshop

• Finding their own Strong & Kind voice: Staff will explore their OWN responses to conflict and find an effective strong & kind voice to use with campers.
• Approachability Statement: Staff will fill out an approachability statement and share with co-workers how they would like to be approached in conflict.

Workshop: Healing the Feelings: Closing the Loop After Conflict

In this session staff will learn:

• A simple problem-solving method to help campers or staff find resolution apart from the other person. 
• Strategies on how to bring people in conflict together to have hard conversations.
• A framework to help their campers apologize deeply when harm has been done. 
• Why some campers won’t apologize, and what to do in these moments!

Staff Learning Post-Workshop:

• Activity: Staff will use the apology format to write an apology note to someone they didn’t apologize to (or, didn’t apologize deeply to). 
• Reflection: They will have a chance to explore the feelings that might be popping up (defensiveness, shame, relief, etc.)