Blooming with Neuroscience

09/30/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CMvbKeSiG/

🟠 Today, on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (or Orange Shirt Day), we honour Residential School Survivors, their families, and those who never returned home.
📖 Why the orange shirt? Phyllis Webstad, from the Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band), was sent to the St. Joseph Mission Indian residential school for one year in 1973, at just six years old. On Phyllis's first day at school, her orange shirt was taken away from her. In addition to stripping Indigenous children of their personal possessions, residential schools also aimed to strip them of their culture, freedom, and self-esteem.
📆 This national day was established in response to Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which called on the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, to recognize Survivors, their families, and communities while ensuring the history and legacy of residential schools are publicly remembered.
To learn more about Phyllis's story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zk5qHqD82Q

~~

🟠 Aujourd’hui, à l’occasion de la Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation (ou Journée du chandail orange), nous rendons hommage aux survivants des pensionnats autochtones, à leurs familles et à ceux qui ne sont jamais rentrés chez eux.
📖 Pourquoi le chandail orange? Phyllis Webstad, de la Première Nation Stswecem’c Xget’tem (bande indienne de Canoe Creek), a été envoyée au pensionnat pour autochtones de la Mission Saint-Joseph pendant un an en 1973, alors qu’elle n’avait que six ans. Le premier jour de Phyllis à l’école, on lui a confisqué son chandail orange. En plus de dépouiller les enfants autochtones de leurs biens personnels, les pensionnats visaient également à les priver de leur culture, de leur liberté et de leur estime de soi.
📆 Cette journée nationale a été instaurée en réponse à l’appel à l’action n° 80 de la Commission de la vérité et de la réconciliation, qui demandait au gouvernement fédéral, en collaboration avec les peuples autochtones, de reconnaître les survivants, leurs familles et leurs communautés, tout en veillant à ce que l’histoire et l’héritage des pensionnats soient commémorés publiquement.
Pour en savoir plus sur l’histoire de Phyllis : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zk5qHqD82Q

09/22/2026

There’s a FASD and education virtual conference happening next month!

Hosted by our affiliate member, Provincial Outreach Program for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, EFIC 2026 is a free, one-day conference bringing together educators, researchers, practitioners, and advocates to share practical approaches for supporting students with FASD.

You’ll also see some familiar faces from CanFASD, with Dr. Katy Flannigan, Dr. Kelly D. Harding, and Dr. Jacqueline Pei among the presenters.

Register now: https://efic.ca/2026/

09/15/2026

J'ai très hâte de présenter à cette conférence en Novembre! :)

✨Nous avons le plaisir de vous annoncer le 1er Colloque Français sur la Résistance Non Violente et la Nouvelle Autorité qui se tiendra les vendredi 6 et samedi 7 novembre 2026 à l'Université de Tours (37)
🍀Organisé par l’association R.E.A.C.T. en partenariat avec l'INAF et l’unité de recherche PAVéA à l’Université de Tours, le colloque réunira des intervenants de référence dans ce domaine, tant au niveau national qu’international.
👉En organisant ce colloque, nous avons pour objectifs de :
🗣Favoriser la diffusion et la mise en œuvre de la Résistance non Violente et la Nouvelle Autorité en France ;
👥Réunir les professionnel·les intéressé·es par cette thématique ;
👩‍⚕️Renforcer la coopération entre le monde académique (chercheurs, enseignants, étudiants…) et les acteurs des secteurs sanitaire, médico-social, social et pédagogique.

🆕 Modalités de participation :
🔹️Colloque à destination des professionnels de la santé, du social, du médico-social, de l'éducation et de la justice
🔹️La participation au colloque est possible uniquement en présentiel

Nous vous attendons nombreux.

ℹ️Toutes les informations sur ce colloque sont disponibles sur le site internet du Colloque : https://colloque-rnv-france.s2.yapla.com/fr/

09/03/2026

I think there is sometimes a misconception about my approach to aggression.

Because I speak openly about caregiver safety, sibling well-being, and the impact of aggression on the whole family, some people assume I am “all about the parents” or that I don’t believe we should attend to the child’s nervous system. That could not be further from the truth. 💛🧠🌱

I am an attachment and trauma therapist for children and youth, and I have been doing this work for a very long time. I believe children who use aggression often have differently wired brains and that we must adapt the environment around them. I strongly support occupational therapy, nervous-system regulation, understanding brain-based triggers, adjusting expectations, reducing unnecessary demands, and finding accommodations that help children succeed. 🧠✨

We need to understand the child beneath the behaviour.
AND I also believe we can adapt to a child’s brain without allowing everyone else in the family to become lost. 🌿 That is the heart of my approach.
Even with excellent interventions and thoughtful accommodations, some families continue to live with situations that are extremely challenging and sometimes dangerous. Caregivers may become exhausted, frightened, and depleted. Siblings may feel invisible or learn that their safety and needs must always come second. The whole family can begin organizing itself around preventing the next crisis. 💔

That is why discovering Nonviolent Resistance felt so powerful to me. It offered a way to restore balance not by dismissing the child’s needs, but by recognizing that every family member has needs, limits, and a nervous system that deserves care. ⚖️🫶 I have adapted NVR based on what I know about childhood trauma, attachment injuries, and prenatal exposure to alcohol and other substances.

This is personal for me too. I am the mother of five children, three of whom came to me through adoption. 👩‍👧‍👦💕 I have lived the complexity of understanding a child’s brain and honouring their history while ensuring that no one else in the family disappears.

My approach is not about choosing caregivers over children. It is about understanding the child’s brain while protecting the well-being of the whole family. It is compassion without ignoring harm, adaptation without disappearance, and support for one child without sacrificing everyone else. 🧠💛🛡️

The child matters. The caregivers matter. The siblings matter. Everyone’s nervous system matters. Everyone’s safety matters. 🌈🫶🏡

08/07/2026

🌿 Hopeful Friday 💙

One of the greatest gifts neuroscience has given me isn't simply understanding the brain.

It's understanding hope. 🧠✨

For a long time, hope was treated as a feeling—something you either had or didn't have.

But neuroscience has taught me something different.
💙 Hope is grounded in biology.
Our brains and nervous systems are constantly adapting. They are shaped by our experiences, our relationships, and the moments of safety we encounter along the way. Change is rarely immediate, but our nervous systems are not fixed. They are capable of learning, healing, and growing throughout our lives. 🌱
As caregivers and professionals supporting children with dysregulated nervous systems, we often spend so much energy helping others find safety that we forget what it costs our own nervous system. ❤️‍🩹
When we live in chronic stress, vigilance, or uncertainty, our nervous system needs care too.
Sometimes that care looks like something big.
More often, it looks like something surprisingly small. ✨
☕ A quiet cup of coffee before the house wakes up.
🌳 Five minutes outside.
☀️ The warmth of the sun on your face.
🚶 A slow walk.
💙 A conversation with someone who truly understands.
🌊 A moment where your body remembers what calm feels like.

The photo I'm sharing today is from my vacation last week. 📸⛵
It isn't about the boat or the beautiful view. It's about what that moment represented for my nervous system.
After a season filled with supporting others, teaching, writing, and holding space for families, I realized that what my nervous system needed wasn't to do more, it needed moments of stillness. Watching the water. Slowing down. Letting my body remember what calm feels like. 🌊💙

Your version of that moment may look completely different and that's okay.
Maybe you can't take a vacation right now.
Maybe you can't sit beside a lake.
But what is one small, achievable thing that could help your nervous system feel just a little bit safer today? 🤍
Healing doesn't always begin with dramatic change.
Sometimes it begins with one tiny moment of safety that gently tells our nervous system:
💙 "You're okay. You don't have to stay on high alert forever."
That's what with Neuroscience means to me.
🧠 Understanding the brain.
🌱 Creating opportunities for healing.
💙 Remembering that hope isn't wishful thinking.

Hope is grounded in biology.
✨ Happy Hopeful Friday!
💬 I'd love to hear from you: What has helped your nervous system feel just a little bit safer this week?

08/07/2026

08/04/2026

🚨 Have you been wondering what Nonviolent Resistance (NVR) training actually looks like?

I hear this question all the time:

💭 *What are the training videos like?*
💭 *Is the content practical?*
💭 *Will I be able to apply it with the families I support?*

So, instead of simply telling you about it, I’m giving you a real preview! 🎥👇

This video is taken directly from the nine hours of training content included in our NVR programs for clinicians and peer support workers.

▶️ Watch it here: [https://youtu.be/N3DUpFeR-Nw](https://youtu.be/N3DUpFeR-Nw)

These programs are designed for professionals supporting families affected by neurodevelopmental disabilities, emotional dysregulation, aggression, and other complex or harmful behaviours. 🧠🌱

You’ll learn practical, brain-based strategies to:

✨ Reduce escalation
✨ Strengthen caregiver presence
✨ Respond to harmful behaviours without increasing shame or conflict
✨ Support safety, connection, and sustainable change
✨ Adapt NVR to the realities of neurodevelopmental disabilities and complex family needs

📣 Our next NVR certification cohort for clinicians begins in September!

An online training pathway is also available for peer support workers who want to strengthen their skills while staying within the scope of their role. 🤝

Interested in joining us—or bringing this training to your clinic or organization?

Comment **INFO** below or send me a private message! I’ll be happy to share all the details. 💬🚀

08/03/2026

✨ Do you want to learn more about aggression in the context of FASD? It’s free, online, and available to watch anytime!

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of joining Hub UK for a webinar exploring aggression and harmful behaviours through a brain-based and FASD-informed lens. 🧠

We discussed why these behaviours happen, the importance of looking beyond what we see on the surface, and how we can better support individuals with FASD and their families.

🎥 Watch the free webinar here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UBaQSVRQZE
Feel free to watch, share, and let me know what resonates with you! 💛

Decoding Aggression, Complex Behaviours and Brain Based Disabilities

07/24/2026

🌿 Hopeful Friday 🌿

I took this photo in Hoi An, Vietnam.

There is a beautiful tradition there: people release small lanterns onto the water while making a wish for the future.

As I stood there watching hundreds of glowing lanterns drift away, I realized something.

Hope is universal.

No matter where we come from, what language we speak, or what challenges we carry, we all seem to share this quiet desire for tomorrow to be a little brighter than today.

There is something deeply human about that.

Hope doesn't mean believing life will be perfect.
It doesn't erase grief, uncertainty, or hardship.
It simply reminds us that the future hasn't been written yet.
Every act of kindness, every difficult conversation, every small step forward, every decision to keep going is, in its own way, an act of hope.

Maybe that's why traditions like this exist all over the world.
We all need something that reminds us to look toward the future with an open heart.
Whatever you're hoping for today, I hope you keep that little light alive.

💚 Wishing you a Hopeful Friday.