Every behaviour has a story. The young people in your care who have experienced trauma or are suffering from a mental health condition, will often bring their distress and challenges into their educational environments.
Many of the children in your care will be carrying experiences of stress, mental health challenges, loss or trauma that affect:
- how they feel
- how they make others feels
- how they behave and connect with others.
For those who work with children, this can present in their educational environment as emotional dysregulation, distressed behaviour creating difficulties with learning and relationships. For the child it becomes normal and is their way of coping with overwhelming experiences and feelings.
About the conference
This conference brings together three highly regarded mental health specialists, including psychologists and trauma specialists, to support education professionals working with children aged 3 to 11 years.
The conference is designed to build understanding of how trauma and mental health impact children’s development, behaviour, emotional regulation and learning. Participants will explore how trauma affects the developing brain and why creating a sense of safety is foundational for learning and wellbeing.
Across the day, the speakers will share evidence‑informed strategies that educators and their teams can apply in their own settings to create safe, predictable and supportive environments where children feel seen, understood and supported.
Join us for an engaging and practical day focused on strengthening your confidence and capability to support children’s mental health and trauma responses, while promoting wellbeing, resilience and inclusion within educational environments.
Speakers and sessions
Heather Irvine-Rundle
Senior clinical psychologist, Conjoint Professor of Practice, School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle and director of The READ Clinic
Understanding the story and impact of trauma and mental health in the developing child.
- What are trauma and mental health conditions.
- How both affect the developing brain.
- Why safety is the foundation for learning.
Dr Nathan Beehag
PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Director at The READ Clinic
When behaviour is a message – a story we may not know yet.
- Behaviour as communication.
- Emotional regulation and stress responses.
- Why some children appear defiant, withdrawn or overwhelmed.
Dr Mary Jo McVeigh OAM
Social worker, director and founder of Cara House
Changing the ending: Supporting with informed strategies for classrooms.
- Co-regulation strategies.
- Predictable routines.
- Building safe relationships.
- Supporting resilience.
Learn more about the speakers further down the page.
Details
Date: Friday 23 October 2026.
Time: 9am to 2:30pm (AEDT).
Location: Club Macquarie
Address: 458 Lake Road, Argenton NSW 2284.
Ticket price: $330 per person (including GST).
Booking form: Download the booking form.
Purchase tickets: Purchase tickets
If you would like to purchase your ticket via bank transfer, please email (info@committedtochildcareconferences.com) the team and we will send you our banking details.
What else is included?
Meals and refreshments
Enjoy complimentary tea and coffee on arrival, along with morning tea and lunch. All attendees will be contacted before the event to confirm dietary requirements.
Certificate and presentation slides
All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance and a copy of the presentation slides following the conference.
Parking
Free on‑site parking.
Who should attend?
This professional development is designed for early childhood and primary school professionals who work with children aged 3 to 11 years. This includes teachers, educators, school leaders, SLSOs and other wellbeing professionals.
Professional accreditation
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
This professional learning may meet the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers:
- Standard 1 – Know students and how they learn.
- Standard 4 – Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.
- Standard 6 – Engage in professional learning.
About the speakers
Find out more about our speakers by selecting their name.
Heather Irvine-Rundle
Senior clinical psychologist and director of The READ Clinic.
Heather is a senior clinical psychologist and the director of The Read Clinic, which is one of the largest psychology practises in Australia. As well as practising in Australia, Heather has also spent three years in the UK working with some of the most deprived families in Liverpool and London. She also led a service providing advice and consultations on mental health to all the schools in the South London area.
As well as practicing for over two decades Heather has also found time to become a published author with her latest book Hello Baby. Heather speaks regularly on local ABC radio, has appeared on a number of television shows including 60 Minutes, and writes regular articles for print and digital media.
In 2019, Heather was appointed as Conjoint Professor of Practice in the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle, NSW.
Heathers’ presentation will guide you through the foundations of childhood trauma/mental health and how it impacts the developing child.
Dr Nathan Beehag
PhD, Clinical psychologist and director at The READ Clinic.
Dr Nathan Beehag, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist and Director at the READ Clinic.
Nathan is passionate about treating people who have experienced trauma, particularly those who have experienced trauma during childhood, including trauma that occurs within relationships.
Nathan has over 15 years of experience in clinical settings using evidence based treatments with children, adolescents and adults experiencing mild to severe psychological difficulties.Nathan is an experienced psychologist and casual psychology lecturer at Avondale University with a strong interest in the relationship between trauma, behaviour and mental health.
His work explores how trauma affects brain development, emotional regulation and learning.
In this presentation he will help us understand why some children struggle in the classroom and what their behaviour may be communicating.
Dr Mary Jo McVeigh OAM
Social worker, director and founder of Cara House.
Mary Jo is the founding CEO of Cara House, which is one of Sydney’s leading trauma consulting and training agencies. She has worked in the field of trauma and child protection for nearly 40 years in Belfast, London, Auckland and Sydney.
Mary Jo has a Masters in Social Work and is a trained trauma therapist. She is recognised as an expert in the field of child protection, trauma therapy and leadership coaching.
Mary Jo is a lecturer at the University of Sydney and most recently completed a research PhD in Social Work at the university, focusing on children’s rights and participatory values.
Her session will focus on practical strategies teachers can use to create safe, supportive classroom environments that promote healing, resilience and learning.
Registration policy
Read our registration policy.