Workshop Section Details

Dr. Caroline Buzanko will be joining us virtually in the morning to share a message on:

Building the Capacity to Keep Going: Self-Regulation, Resilience, and the Science of Persistence
Why do some students recover from setbacks, tolerate frustration, and keep trying, while others shut down, avoid, or become overwhelmed when things get hard?
In this practical three-hour workshop, you will explore the developmental foundations of self-regulation, resilience, and persistence and how these capacities work together to help students manage challenge, uncertainty, mistakes, and failure.

Rather than focusing on compliance or motivation, we will examine the underlying mechanisms that make persistence possible. Participants will learn how stress and emotion influence attention, behaviour, and learning; why regulation must often come before problem-solving; and you can effectively provide enough support for students to stay engaged without unintentionally rescuing them from the very experiences that build competence. We will also explore the critical role of mistakes and productive struggle in developing confidence and resilience.  

Leave with practical ways to:

• Recognize when behaviour reflects dysregulation, avoidance, skill gaps, or difficulty tolerating challenge.
• Support regulation without removing appropriate expectations.
• Respond to mistakes and failure in ways that strengthen learning rather than shame or avoidance.
• Build students’ tolerance for frustration, uncertainty, and productive struggle.
• How to reinforce effort, flexibility, problem-solving, and recovery.
•  Help students develop a stronger internal message that they can recover from setbacks and keep going.

Dr. Caroline Buzanko is a psychologist. Mother. Professor. International Speaker. Yoda of Anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With nearly three decades of experience, she is a recognized expert in resilience and the social, emotional, and behavioural well-being of children and teens. In 2024, she was honoured as Alberta’s Psychologist of the Year for her exceptional contributions to the field.
Through her work, her mission is clear: to help every child unlock their potential, build confidence, and embrace resilience. Known for her dynamic, engaging style, Dr. Caroline has a knack for simplifying complex challenges and providing practical tools that make a real difference.

The afternoon will offer a collaborative environment for school counselors, school psychologists, and mental health therapists to network and share best practices. Participants will engage in interactive learning experiences and build supportive professional connections.

The section is open to everyone-administrators, teachers, counselors, school psychologists, mental health therapists, etc.