About this webinar
Date: January 16, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. to noon ET
Facilitator: Kyle T. Ganson, PhD, MSW.
CE hours: 3
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals: psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers.
- Medical Professionals: nurses, psychiatrists, pediatricians, family doctors.
Client category: Professionals who work with individuals 12 years to adulthood.
Level of training: Introductory
Trigger Warning: Participating in our programming may evoke powerful feelings and can trigger participants who have experienced personal trauma.
Description: This interactive training will explore the growing use of appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs and substances (APEDS), such as whey protein, creatine monohydrate, and anabolic-androgenic steroids, among adolescents and young adults, particularly boys and young men.
APEDS are frequently used to promote muscular development, strength, and physical performance, often in pursuit of the idealized muscular body. Despite perceptions that legal dietary supplements like protein supplements are safe, research reveals significant physical and psychosocial harms associated with their use. These include medical complications, body image distress, and problematic substance use patterns.
The largely unregulated landscape in Canada, alongside widespread promotion on social media, further elevates the risks for young users. Additionally, recent trends indicate that the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids is more common than perceived, with users often experiencing uninformed clinicians and stigma in healthcare settings. This leads to unmonitored use, which may result in impacts on health and well-being that could be avoided with appropriate harm reduction interventions.
The training aims to enhance participants’ knowledge of APEDS use, including prevalence trends, motivations, risk factors, and adverse outcomes. Participants will also explore multidisciplinary screening and treatment approaches, grounded in harm reduction principles. Interactive learning will be emphasized throughout the session.
Learning objectives:
- Participants will be able to define at least 5 types of APEDS and accurately describe their intended purposes in the context of muscular development, strength enhancement, and recovery.
- Participants will be able to identify 3-5 psychosocial and environmental risk factors that contribute to APEDS use among adolescents and young adults, as well as identify 3-5 adverse physical, psychological, and social effects associated with APEDS use.
- Participants will be able to integrate medical, mental health, and substance use perspectives to create assessment and treatment protocols for their practice that support adolescents and young adults who use APEDS, focusing on holistic health, well-being, and harm reduction.
Agenda
9-9:15 a.m. Introduction, activity (e.g., testing knowledge)
9:15-9:45 a.m. Review of commonly used APEDS (i.e., names, descriptions, purposes)
9:45-10:15 a.m. Overview of recent knowledge on APEDS (e.g., physical and psychosocial effects of use)
10:15-10:30 a.m. Break
10:30-11 a.m. Assessment, engagement, and intervention strategies
11-11:40 a.m. Breakout room case study discussion
11:40 a.m. - noon Q&A and closing
Audio/visual recording disclaimer: Please note that this training will be recorded. We kindly ask that you please review the audio/visual consent form.
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.
Registration closes
If registration has closed and you're still interested in joining this course, please contact Mary Anne at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca
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.