The incidence of traumatic experiences that young people face has shown to be on the rise. Complex trauma affects children in a variety of ways including learning and behavioral problems, school refusal, conduct disorder and substance abuse. Where children and young people are involved, the need to involves the surrounding systems including family and school becomes that much more important.

Working in this sector can be daunting, emotionally draining and can lead to burn out if professionals do not take care of themselves including being part of a community Network of professionals who share the same passion and goal of helping as many children and Young people as possible.

The emotional toll of trauma can wear on professionals as well as the children and families they serve. Some types of traumas affect a whole community, thus affecting the helping professional both directly and indirectly through their clients’ experiences. Self-care for professionals is important and includes watching for signs of burnout (e.g., exhaustion, numbing or distancing from others, over involvement with trauma survivors). Taking time to take care of yourself, limiting hours spent focusing on trauma, and seeking peer consultation can be effective ways to alleviate this type of stress.

The concept of the Mpower Conclave is to get professionals working in the space of Child and Adolescent Mental Health together to discuss cases and share their experience as well as expertise. The aim is to build the knowledge base towards an enriched community of mental health workers. The topic of the 2^nd edition of the Conclave is grief & bereavement in children and adolescents, and how to deal with this in your capacity as a Mental Healthcare professional. We hope to build a network of professionals who can come together and support each other in a professional capacity where we all learn something from each other

“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

Dr. Sapna Bangar, Psychiatrist & Head - Mpower - The Centre