September 14th, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Announcing Tackling Trauma Conference – Saskatoon, SK November 2nd & 3rd 2022

76% Of Canadians Report Having Experienced A Traumatic Event During Their Lifetime

This conference will feature the impacts of trauma on communities, individuals, families, and the workplace. This will include presentations from mental health and professional counselling agencies, First Nations leaders and trauma experts that are addressing trauma and bringing awareness and education to mainstream society.

The Tackling Trauma Conference organizers, Treena Wynes and Sara Wheelwright have worked together on several important conferences to tackle big issues faced by Saskatchewan people. Most notably, 2017’s Ignite the Life, a Saskatchewan Youth Suicide Prevention Conference and the 2019 STOP Domestic Violence Conference. The team has complementary skills and brings decades of relevant experience.

Treena Wynes is a Registered Social Worker, published author and Director of a Child & Family Services agency. She has decades of experience dealing with the impacts of generational trauma through her child welfare work. She is also First Nation and understands the transmission of historical trauma. When asked why a conference on tackling trauma she explained,

“ The levels of trauma in society are at an all-time high, especially struggling through a pandemic.” Said Wynes, “We wanted to create a conference that provides much-needed tools and resources to those dealing firsthand with those suffering the effects of trauma. Our speaker lineup is world-class and includes a keynote by Chief Cadmus Delorme, who will be speaking on the subject of community trauma and the approaches First Nations people are taking to heal from its long-term effects.”

 

“ In the last number of years in Saskatchewan, we have witnessed several extremely traumatic events.”  explained Sara Wheelwright, Co-organizer of the Tackling Trauma Conference,
“ Community trauma was at the forefront of many of our minds,” she continued, “even before the most recent horrific events that took place in and around James Smith Cree Nation, due to the scale and extent of these tragedies it negatively affects entire communities for generations.”

Community trauma is defined as an aggregate of trauma experienced by community members or an event that impacts a few people but has structural and social traumatic consequences.

The conference is targeted at those currently providing direct service, and support roles as well as those assisting those dealing with trauma. The target audience includes emergency response workers, crisis workers, healthcare workers, addiction counsellors, front-line workers, social workers, family support workers, parent aides, clinicians and those working for not-for-profit community organizations, First Nations and child and family services.

For more details please see the event website: https://tacklingtrauma.ca

For comments, questions or to set up an interview please contact:

Sara Wheelwright
E: sara@trustedcanada.com