This project has hosted webinars since 2012 to promote learning, information sharing and to stimulate conversation on topics that we hope are relevant to your practice. Many of the archived webinars are part of the former project, the Refugee Mental Health Project. Since September 2017, webinars have encompassed the expanded scope of newly-arrived immigrants and/or refugees.

Our webinars are one-hour sessions that include a 30-minute presentation by professionals in the settlement, social or health services sectors followed by a 30-minute question and answer session where we encourage you to ask questions, pose scenarios and to generally discuss your practice with these experts in the field.

With Debra Stein, MD, FRCPC, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

December 3, 2025

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Description:

Drawing on principles of Attachment-Based and Developmental Dyadic Psychotherapies, this webinar will outline an approach to families coping with the effects of trauma and migration; the specific focus will be on guiding and supporting parents and caregivers.

Topics to be covered include:

• a brief overview of theories of attachment and developmental trauma
• assessing family context and parental concerns.
• exploring current parenting practices and parental personal histories
• fostering parent and child self-regulation and connection
• teaching positive discipline

It is hoped that by the end of the session, attendees will appreciate parent guidance as an important component of treatment for traumatized children and youth.

About the presenter
Dr. Debra Stein is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Garry Hurvitz Sickkids Centre for Community Mental Health, with a clinical focus on newcomer children, youth and families. Dr. Stein has more than 20 years of experience working with the refugee population in Toronto, formerly with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and now as part of her role at CCMH, where she provides consultation on concerns of resettlement and acculturation. She is also a consultant to the Children’s Refugee Centre, and provides mental health support to their Anchor House shelter. An Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, she has lectured on various aspects of refugee mental health, to a wide range of audiences in the school, settlement and mental health sectors. She currently acts as a Subject Matter Expert for online courses offered by CAMH’s Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project.

Webinar recordings

Walking on Shifting Ground: Supporting Refugees Through Trauma and Transition

With Dr. Lisa Andermann, MPhil, MDCM, FRCPC and Norma Hannant, MSW RSW 
October 29, 2025

Description:

This practical webinar will equip service providers with tools to better understand and respond to the complex needs of immigrants and refugees who have experienced trauma. Using a trauma-informed lens and the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model, we will explore how trauma impacts the whole person—body, mind, relationships, and sense of meaning.

Participants will learn to:

• Recognize signs of trauma responses in refugee clients.
• Understand the Window of Tolerance and how to support clients in staying regulated during stress.
• Introduce simple distress tolerance skills that promote emotional stability.
• Appreciate the vital role of social connection and community in healing.
• Foster collaboration with health and mental health professionals to support holistic care.
• Apply culturally sensitive, strengths-based strategies to promote resilience and well-being.

This session offers concrete skills and frameworks to enhance your work and improve outcomes for immigrant and refugee clients navigating post-traumatic recovery. 

Archive:

Note that webinar recordings contain the presentation of the topic only; the question and answer session is not recorded.

• Specific populations and issues
  These webinars highlight strategies for supporting particular immigrant and refugee groups, or highlight specific issues in supporting immigrant and refugee mental health.
• Support and treatment considerations
  These webinars will focus on specific considerations for providing effective treatment to recent immigrants and refugees.
• Successful or promising practices
  These webinars outline innovative and unique approaches/programs for supporting the mental health of newly-arrived immigrants and refugees.