A Presenter and an Educator

As a Presenter...

Tricia is also well known for her engaging presentations and workshops. Her workshops and presentations can be adapted to any number or venue. From conference presentations today long workshops, anything is possible.  

Her style is engaging, down to earth, encouraging and practical. She ensures content is research based, current and motivating. Tricia is used to presenting to a wide range of age groups and sectors, including professional groups, community groups and young people.  See endorsements here.

Tricia has presented to small teams, large groups, community hui, conferences in NZ and internationally, symposiums, young people, children, service groups, church groups and through video and television.

Her specialist topics:

  • Difficult change, loss, grief and trauma - understanding the nature of these, what research tells us, their effects on different ages and stages, strategies for dealing with them, practical tools and approaches to support those affected
     
  • Resilience - what it is, what research tells us about it, strategies and practical ways to build it up in children, youth, adults, families, communities and workplaces, and insightful international and NZ case studies
     
  • Suicide: its nature, prevention and postvention - understanding it, what research tells us, suicide bereavement, ways to support those impacted by suicide, and strategies for suicide's prevention
     
  • Compassion Fatigue  - what is is, dealing with it, strategies for its prevention
     
  • Professional Burnout - what is is, dealing with it, strategies for its prevention
     
  • Disaster Recovery - the psycho-social elements in play, effective psycho-social support approaches to aid recovery, for all age groups and special population groups.

 Contact her to discuss what you have in mind.

As an Educator...

Tricia is skilled in turning research into engaging educational media, tailored to a group's needs. Tricia originally trained and worked as a secondary school teacher, but later also worked as a primary teacher, a youth worker, a community worker, in adult education and for the respected specialist agency Skylight. She believes that facilitating effective education contributes to more resilient thinking and changed lives.

Tricia can liaise with you, and with those an educational project is being developed for, to devise successful education media for children, youth, adults or specialist groups, as required. She will work collaboratively throughout the process to achieve the best results. For example, she has previously developed themed activity sheets, workbooks, educational and therapeutic games, group activities, children's group programmes, information sheets/leaflets and information based web material.

Some examples of educational projects that Tricia has led:

  • The Getting Stronger Board Game with 9 specialist topic card sets for 8-14 year olds addressing: family break up, anger management, illness, bereavement, addiction, mental illness, disaster recovery, personal safety, domestic violence and bullying.
     
  • Along the Track, a 8 week programme for children impacted by domestic violence (Ministry of Justice approved)
     
  • A handbook for workplace leaders produced immediately after the 2011 Canterbury Earthquake, When Trauma and Grief Come to Work, winning a 2011 Safeguard Health and Safety Award
     
  • Managing Trauma, Loss and Grief in the Workplace, a full day training workshop for workplace leaders, and handbook
     
  • Skylight's youth support video series Getting Through Tough Times, used in schools
     
  • Something has Happened and When Tough Stuff Happens - Two therapeutic workbooks for children, used widely after trauma, disaster and loss in both Australia (Victoria Department of Education) and New Zealand (Ministry of Education).
     
  • Starship Children's Hospital Bereavement Service - Resources for bereaved parents and siblings, including creating memories activity sheets, a memory box, web based information and a parent book.
     
  • Common Ground Website and related services, a collaboration between Skylight, Youthline and the Mental Health Foundation - led Skylight's contribution of information content and services for parents, families, whanau and friends of young people whose mental health and well-being they are concerned about.
     
  • Rubys Dad, a partnership with NZ's Health Promotion Agency, involving the development of a children's story relating to what having a heavy drinker in the family is like, the production of the book and development of notes for parents/carers, and teachers.

For endorsements of her work, click here.

For a listing of completed publications Tricia has authored or co-authored, click here.