In this practical online workshop, senior clinical psychologist Heather Irvine-Rundle will translate Polyvagal Theory into an education context and explore how educators can recognise and respond to different nervous system states.
When a child or young person becomes overwhelmed, their behaviour can change quickly. They might become anxious, defensive or disruptive — or withdraw and shut down completely.
Understanding what may be happening beneath that behaviour can help educators respond differently.
Developed by neuroscientist Dr Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory provides a framework for understanding how the nervous system responds to safety, stress and perceived threat — and what this can mean for behaviour, emotional regulation and learning.
Understanding fight, flight and freeze
Polyvagal Theory describes how the autonomic nervous system responds to our environment and cues of safety or threat.
These responses can be understood through three broad states:
Safe and social
When a child or young person feels safe and connected, they are better able to communicate, engage with others, regulate their emotions and participate in learning.
Fight or flight
When the nervous system detects a threat, it can move into a heightened state of alert. In an education setting, this might look like anxiety, agitation, anger, defensiveness, restlessness or attempts to escape a situation.
Freeze or shutdown
When a situation feels overwhelming, the nervous system may move towards withdrawal or shutdown. A child or young person might become quiet, disconnected, unresponsive or appear to disengage completely.
Understanding these responses can help educators look beyond the behaviour they see and consider what may be happening for the child or young person underneath it.
About the online workshop
During this practical 90-minute workshop, Heather will help you:
- understand how the nervous system responds to stress and perceived threat
- recognise how fight, flight and freeze responses can present as behaviour in children and young people
- consider why some behaviours may be automatic responses to stress rather than deliberate choices
- understand how stress and dysregulation can affect a student’s ability to engage and learn
- recognise signs that a child or young person may be becoming dysregulated
- learn practical strategies to support co-regulation
- explore ways to create environments that help children and young people feel safe, connected and ready to learn.
You’ll leave with a different way of looking at distressed behaviour and practical approaches you can use with the children and young people you support.
Why this matters for educators
Behaviour tells us something.
A child who becomes disruptive, defensive, anxious, withdrawn or disconnected may be responding to stress in ways they cannot easily control.
Polyvagal Theory offers educators another way to understand these responses by considering what may be happening within the nervous system.
Rather than focusing only on the behaviour itself, this approach encourages educators to consider what a child or young person may need to feel safe, regulate and reconnect.
Heather will explore how your response as an educator can influence these interactions and introduce practical ways to support regulation, connection and engagement.
Who should attend?
This workshop is designed for professionals working with children and young people across early childhood, primary and secondary education, including:
- early childhood educators and teachers
- primary and secondary teachers
- school leaders
- wellbeing and learning support staff
- counsellors and other education professionals.
Details
Date: Wednesday, 4 November 2026.
Time: 6:30pm to 8pm (AEDT).
Location: Online webinar, attendees will receive their access details the week of the webinar.
Speaker: Heather Irvine-Rundle, senior clinical psychologist and director of The READ Clinic.
Ticket price: $65 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.
Professional accreditation
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
This presentation meets 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 speaker
Heather Irvine-Rundle
Senior clinical psychologist, Conjoint Professor of Practice, School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle 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.
Registration policy
Read our registration policy.