About this level 2 certificate program
Dates: February 12, 26, March 5, 12, 26, and April 8, 2026
Please note: The new date for module 2: CBT for depression in youth is April 8, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
Facilitators: Kathryn Walker, PhD., C.Psych, and Daniel Chorney, PhD.
CE hours: 30
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals: psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers.
- Medical Professionals: nurses, psychiatrists, pediatricians, family doctors.
- Direct Service Workers: drop in workers, shelter and hostel workers, child and youth workers, youth justice workers.
Client age category: For professionals who work with children, youth and families.
Client age group: 0 - 6 years, 6 - 12 years, 12 years to adulthood.
Prerequisite: A foundational knowledge of CBT is recommended either the Certificate in CBT for children level 1 from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute or equivalent working knowledge/training.
Level of training: Advanced.
Please note: This program is offered as an open module series, allowing the flexibility to register for any of the five individual modules or the entire series, depending on your learning objectives. Whether you choose to join one module or all five, this series aims to provide valuable insights and practical tools for professionals looking to support a diverse spectrum of mental health challenges and cases. To receive the Certificate in CBT for children level 2, participants must attend all five modules.
Description: This 5-day advanced training program is designed for professionals seeking to deepen their expertise in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for children and adolescents. The series focuses on practical, clinically relevant applications, equipping participants with the advanced skills needed to address a range of complex issues faced by children and youth today. Clinicians will learn variable, evidence-based techniques that can be immediately applied in their practice.
Covering topics such as anxiety, depression, OCD, and school avoidance, this program provides a comprehensive skillset to tackle various mental health challenges in children and adolescents. Whether you're looking to expand your current practice or specialize in these areas, this certificate program offers the tools and frameworks needed to deliver effective, evidence-based care.
Individual module overview:
February 12, 2026: Using inhibitory learning and exposure-based approaches for child anxiety. Learn advanced exposure-based techniques to effectively treat child anxiety. This module focuses on inhibitory learning to build resilience and improve functioning in children with anxiety disorders.
April 8, 2026: Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for depression in youth. Gain practical tools for treating adolescent depression using CBT. Focus on reversing the "downward cycle" of depression and empowering teens with strategies to break negative thought patterns.
March 5, 2026: Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention for paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Master exposure and response prevention (ERP) techniques for treating pediatric OCD. Learn how to create effective exposure hierarchies and manage complex OCD presentations in children and teens.
March 12, 2026: Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for children with pain, somatization, or medical concerns. Explore CBT strategies for children dealing with chronic pain or medical issues. Learn how to apply the TFB cycle and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) principles to improve mental and physical well-being.
March 26, 2026: Emotionally-based school avoidance: A multi-systemic cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) approach to problematic attendance. Tackle emotionally-based school avoidance with a multi-systemic approach. Learn to assess the four core functions of school avoidance, help children who are starting to refuse school, and methods to help prevent school refusal behaviors using evidence-based CBT strategies tailored to individual needs.
Individual module overview
Module 1: Using inhibitory learning and exposure-based approaches for child anxiety with Daniel Chorney, PhD.
February 12, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals
- Medical Professionals
- Direct Service Workers
Client age category: For professionals who work with children, youth and families.
Prerequisite: A foundational knowledge of CBT is recommended either the Certificate in CBT for children level 1 from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute or equivalent working knowledge/training.
This webinar is an advanced training designed for clinicians working with children and adolescents experiencing anxiety disorders. Building upon foundational cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles, this session provides an in-depth exploration of exposure-based interventions, which are among the most effective treatments for paediatric anxiety.
By the end of the training, participants will have an enhanced understanding of exposure-based interventions and practical tools to apply in their clinical work that can help with a variety of anxiety presentations in children.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the foundations of exposure therapy.
- Define exposure-based treatments and explain their role in anxiety management.
- Differentiate between in-vivo, interoceptive, and imaginal exposures.
- Integrate flexible approaches to CBT.
- Recognize when exposure therapy is appropriate or contraindicated.
- Adapt exposure techniques based on individual cases and comorbid conditions.
- Address ethical considerations in exposure therapy.
- Addressing symptom exacerbation, attrition rates, and safety issues.
- Learn research-supported strategies to minimize risks while maintaining effectiveness.
- Apply advanced exposure strategies.
- Implement inhibitory learning models to help children build resilience.
- Use techniques like expectancy violation, deepened extinction, and variability to optimize learning.
- Develop and implement exposure hierarchies.
- Construct effective step-by-step fear ladders tailored to individual children.
Upon completion of this webinar participants will have 6 hours of continuing education recognized by the Canadian Psychological Association.
Module 2: Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for depression in youth with Kathryn Walker, PhD., C.Psych.
New date April 8, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals
- Medical Professionals
- Direct Service Workers
Client age category: For professionals who work with youth clients (populations).
Prerequisite: A foundational knowledge of CBT is recommended either the Certificate in CBT for children level 1 from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute or equivalent working knowledge/training.
This webinar is designed for professionals aiming to deepen their understanding and application of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with adolescents who experience depression. Participants will explore the application of the TFB (Thought-Feeling-Behaviour) cycle to the 'downward cycle' of depression, with a focus on strategies and skills to stop and reverse the cycle.
The training will cover evidence-based practical behavioural strategies for helping adolescents to become more active and social even when they experience low mood (behavioural activation). Cognitive strategies will also be introduced and practiced to empower adolescent clients to arrive at more balanced and fair thinking about life events they have experienced.
Learning objectives:
- Identify common triggers for onset of depression in adolescence.
- Understand and practice key cognitive, emotional and behavioural strategies to draw on when clients describe depression, to support them to break their TFB cycles.
- Examine strategies to help parents/caregivers to support their youth who experience depression, and to avoid unhelpful reinforcement patterns.
- Examine strategies to build resilience and prevent relapse of depression for adolescents.
Upon completion of this webinar participants will have 6 hours of continuing education recognized by the Canadian Psychological Association.
Module 3: Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention for paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with Daniel Chorney, PhD.
March 5, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals
- Medical Professionals
- Direct Service Workers
Client age category: For professionals who work with children, youth and families.
Prerequisite: A foundational knowledge of CBT is recommended either the Certificate in CBT for children level 1 from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute or equivalent working knowledge/training.
This webinar provides an in-depth exploration of evidence-based approaches for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents. This training is designed for clinicians seeking to enhance their knowledge and clinical skills in exposure and response prevention (ERP), the gold-standard treatment for paediatric OCD. Through a combination of didactic teaching, case discussions, and Q&A, participants will learn how to effectively assess, conceptualize, and treat paediatric OCD using flexible, evidence-based strategies.
Learning objectives:
- Comprehend the core features and assessment of paediatric OCD.
- Define OCD and distinguish it from other anxiety-related disorders.
- Recognize the primary symptom clusters and how they manifest in children.
- Effectively apply exposure and response prevention (ERP).
- Design individualized exposure hierarchies based on specific OCD symptoms.
- Implement strategies to optimize inhibitory learning, focusing on distress tolerance rather than habituation.
- Address common challenges in paediatric OCD treatment.
- Identify and manage family accommodation when problematic.
- Navigate treatment resistance, including motivational strategies to engage children.
- Address ethical concerns surrounding distress tolerance and exposure therapy.
- Manage varieties of OCD presentations.
- Develop targeted interventions for scrupulosity, pedophilia-themed OCD, harm-related obsessions, and contamination fears.
- Apply creative, developmentally appropriate strategies to help children externalize and reframe intrusive thoughts.
- Enhance treatment outcomes and prevent relapse.
- Teach children and families how to recognize and manage OCD setbacks.
- Using booster sessions and exposure generalization strategies.
Upon completion of this webinar participants will have 6 hours of continuing education recognized by the Canadian Psychological Association.
Module 4: Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for children and adolescents with pain, somatization or medical concerns with Kathryn Walker, PhD., C.Psych.
March 12, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals
- Medical Professionals
- Direct Service Workers
Client age category: For professionals who work with children, youth and families.
Prerequisite: A foundational knowledge of CBT is recommended either the Certificate in CBT for children level 1 from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute or equivalent working knowledge/training.
This webinar is designed for mental health professionals aiming to deepen their understanding and application of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with children and adolescents related to physical health symptoms. Participants will explore the application of the thought-feeling-behaviour (TFB) cycle to examine the mind-body interplay as it relates to symptoms like pain, headaches, or other medical symptoms. Concepts of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) will also be introduced to augment therapeutic effectiveness when medical symptoms will be ongoing, or chronic.
The training will cover practical strategies for helping children and adolescents to live their best lives with physical symptoms and learn strategies of how to soothe these symptoms (when applicable) and take care of their health rather than resisting or avoiding.
Learning objectives:
- Identify when physical health and mental health symptoms may be presenting and cycling for children and adolescents.
- Learn key cognitive, emotional and behavioural strategies to draw on when clients describe pain or other physical/medical symptoms, to support them to break their TFB cycles.
- Learn when acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) strategies may be particularly helpful for certain medical presentations.
- Apply key ACT strategies with their clients to support them to live well even when chronic pain or medical symptoms will be ongoing.
Upon completion of this webinar participants will have 6 hours of continuing education recognized by the Canadian Psychological Association.
Module 5: Emotionally-based school avoidance: A multi-systemic cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) approach to problematic attendance with Daniel Chorney, PhD.
March 26, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals
- Medical Professionals
- Direct Service Workers
Client age category: For professionals who work with children, youth and families.
Prerequisite: A foundational knowledge of CBT is recommended either the Certificate in CBT for children level 1 from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute or equivalent working knowledge/training.
The 'emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA): A multi-systemic and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)-based approach to problematic attendance' webinar provides a comprehensive and practical framework for understanding, assessing, and treating school avoidance behaviours and attendance-related challenges in children and adolescents.
School avoidance is a complex, multi-faceted issue that requires an integrated approach addressing mental health, family dynamics, educational systems, and broader social factors. This workshop explores the four primary functions of school avoidance (anxiety-based, social/evaluative distress, attention-seeking, and tangible rewards) and introduces a tiered intervention model to support students at various levels of absenteeism severity.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the complexities of emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA)
- Define EBSA and distinguish it from truancy and other attendance issues.
- Explore the four key functions of school avoidance and their behavioural patterns.
- Examine post-pandemic trends in school absenteeism and their implications.
- Assess and identify the underlying causes of school refusal
- Utilize structured assessment tools (e.g., school refusal assessment scale – revised).
- Differentiate between anxiety-driven school refusal and oppositional behaviour.
- Recognize systemic and family-based factors contributing to avoidance.
- Implement effective, evidence-based interventions
- Apply CBT strategies for anxiety-driven avoidance.
- Develop exposure-based hierarchies to gradually reintegrate students into school.
- Use motivational and values-based approaches to enhance student engagement.
- Develop and apply a multi-tiered model of support
- Implement Tier 1 universal interventions for school-wide prevention.
- Apply Tier 2 targeted interventions for students at risk of chronic absenteeism.
- Use Tier 3 intensive interventions for students with severe school avoidance.
- Engage parents and school staff in a collaborative process
- Address family accommodation behaviours that reinforce avoidance.
- Guide parents in building distress tolerance and school readiness at home.
- Train educators on creating a supportive and structured school environment.
Upon completion of this webinar participants will have 6 hours of continuing education recognized by the Canadian Psychological Association.
Continuing Education (CE) Information: SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) to offer continuing education (CE) hours. Full-day programs equal six CE hours; half-day programs equal three CE hours; for less than half-day programs, one hour of programming equals one CE hour. SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute maintains responsibility for the programs.
Other licensing boards and professional organizations will grant continuing education credits for attendance at their own discretion; participants will need to submit the course outline and Certificate of Participation for their consideration.
CACBT - Aligned Continuing Education Hours:
Upon successful completion of this program, the continuing education hours earned may be applied toward the 50 hours of formal CBT training required for certification with the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (CACBT). For full details on the CACBT certification process and eligibility, please visit: https://www.cacbt.ca/certification-process
Accessibility
We strive to ensure our online learning programs are easy for everyone, everywhere. If you have any accessibility requirements (closed-captioning, ASL interpreters, advanced access to program materials), please email Mary Anne Van Rooyen at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca to let us know how we can best support your learning experience.
Photography is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the content is a model, except where indicated.
If registration has closed and you're still interested in joining this course, please contact Mary Anne at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca