Educators, mental health professionals, and parents from across the globe made their way to Trent University for the MEHRIT Centre’s third annual Self-Reg Summer Symposium on July 4-7.

The four-day event has been hosted at Trent University since the annual Symposium began in 2015. This year, the conference featured a combination of keynotes and master classes with leading self-regulation expert, Dr. Stuart Shanker.

Dr. Shanker’s method of self-regulation aims to understand stress and how to alleviate the negative impact it has on children and adults, specifically in the home and school environments. This year the Symposium focused on the theme of “bringing down the barriers” and how educators and parents can better support children by overcoming their personal cognitive blinders.

The conference also included a wide number of as well as a number of seminars, team breakout sessions, and self-regulation activities such as yoga, guided relaxation, Zumba and kayaking on the Otonabee River.

The final day of the Symposium was dedicated to the announcement of a new partnership between the MEHRIT Centre and Trent University with the launch of the Self-Regulation Institute. This new initiative will be a sister organization of the MEHRIT Centre that will be based at Trent University and will support, conduct, and fund applied and basic research on self-regulation.

“The launch of the Self Regulation Institute is the culmination of a couple of years of work and a great effort by many people,” says Dr. Brenda Smith-Chant, Trent Psychology professor and Self-Reg researcher. “The opportunity to engage in research on Self-Reg from a multi-disciplinary, applied focus fits with my Trent research mandate and promotes research that will benefit all.”