~ A Parenting Workshop for the Holy Trinity School Community ~
Tuesday, May 26 th
, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m
. (Library) * 30 minute question/answer period)
Dr. McHolm received her B.A. (Honours) in Psychology from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and her
M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.
Objectives, Format, & Content:
• the objective of this training will be to provide a broad, working understanding of childhood anxiety in terms of its causes, the various forms it can take (i.e., everyday forms vs. clinically diagnosable), the varied ways that children/youth express their anxiety through behaviour, and basic parenting approaches to its management
• consideration of what keeps anxiety going after a cause or trigger (i.e., stressful event) is over (e.g., the way a child thinks and copes with fears, the way children and parents interact)
• a review of more common strategies used by parents to handle their children’s anxiety and a chance for participants’ to reflect on their own approaches
• overview of basic parenting strategies/approaches that can help manage a child’s anxiety
Since 2001, Dr. McHolm has worked within the McMaster Children’s Hospital system in various capacities. Between 2001 and 2009, she served as the Director of the Selective Mutism Service and consulting psychologist to the Emotional Problems Service (later named Child & Youth Mental Health Outpatient Service) at
McMaster Children’s Hospital. Since 2009, Dr. McHolm has worked with the Child Advocacy and Assessment
Program specializing in child maltreatment assessment and treatment. At McMaster Children’s Hospital, Dr.
McHolm has been involved in various clinical research projects (i.e., the study of youth with selective mutism; clinical outcome research) and the training of predoctoral clinical psychology interns, psychiatry residents, psychology students, and staff in a range of clinical skills.