Emotional Mastery & Understanding: Navigating Self-Regulation

Emotional Mastery & Understanding: Navigating Self-RegulationFriday, February 13, 20268:30 AM – 1:30 PM at The Churchill School & Center  
Join Dr. Mark Bertin, Dr. Roberto Olivardia, and Dr. Chris Willard at The Churchill School and Center to gain a deeper understanding of how emotions work—and how they differ across common disorders. This workshop combines foundational skills in emotional awareness, self-management, mindfulness, and resilience with an exploration of the emotional experiences associated with various conditions. Perfect for educators, caregivers, and professionals seeking practical tools and a richer, more compassionate lens on emotional behavior.   General Admission: $150
Speakers & Sessions
Unlocking Emotional Mastery: Awareness, Self-Management, and Resilience with Dr. Mark Bertin
This talk delves into the art of acknowledging and managing emotions for greater well-being and personal growth. Discover how emotional regulation starts with awareness, recognizing your feelings, thoughts, and sensations, while learning to respond to them with intention instead of out of habit. Learn practical strategies to build your child’s emotional toolbox, from cultivating an emotional vocabulary to breathing exercises and cognitive behavioral techniques. Explore how mindfulness and self-compassion empower you and your child to navigate stress, foster resilience, and create space for skillful choices in everyday life. Relationships, environment, and compassion all play a role in cultivating emotional strength. Simple but not always easy, these tools help any child or adult thrive through life’s ups and downs with clarity and purpose.   Dr. Bertin is a developmental pediatrician and author of How Children Thrive, Mindful Parenting for ADHD, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Teen ADHD, and The Family ADHD Solution, all of which integrate mindfulness into evidence-based pediatric care, and is a contributing author for the book Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens. Dr. Bertin is a faculty member at New York Medical College and the Windward Teacher Training Institute and has served on advisory boards for APSARD, Additude Magazine, The Screen Time Action Network, Common Sense Media, and Reach Out and Read. His blog is available through Psychology Today and elsewhere. For more information, please visit his website at www.developmentaldoctor.com.  
The Emotional Experience of Various Disorders with Dr. Roberto Olivardia
Individuals with different psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders often experience emotions with distinct patterns of intensity, regulation, and processing, which can significantly shape their daily functioning and clinical needs. For example, depression is frequently characterized by blunted affect, persistent sadness, and difficulty accessing positive emotions, while anxiety disorders often involve heightened physiological arousal and chronic anticipation of threat. Understanding these disorder-specific emotional patterns is essential for tailoring therapeutic approaches, as effective treatment often hinges on improving emotional awareness, regulation, and resilience across these diverse populations.   Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He maintains a private practice in Lexington, MA, where he specializes in the treatment of ADHD, executive functioning issues, and issues that face students with learning differences. He is a recognized expert in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He is on the Professional Advisory Boards for Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD) and The Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA), and sits on the Scientific Advisory Board for ADDitude and the Expert Network for Understood. He has appeared in publications such as Time, GQ, and Rolling Stone, and has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, and CNN. He conducts advocacy work for Decoding Dyslexia-Massachusetts. He also has lived experience as someone with ADHD and learning differences and a parent of two young adults with ADHD and Dyslexia.
Mindfulness, Resilience and Regulation – Practical and Fun Strategies for all Ages with Dr. Chris Willard
More kids than ever are struggling with self-regulation and focus. In this workshop, we will be learning the science of self-regulation, the neuroscience of mindfulness, and a number of practical strategies for teachers, therapists, and others looking for creative ways to share mindfulness through awareness, movement, games, play, and creative activities for all ages. Learning differences, cultural differences, developmental differences, and more all affect how children learn best, and this workshop explores ways to adapt techniques, rather than approach with a one-size-fits-all approach. We will discuss tailoring techniques to a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, executive function challenges, trauma, and stress. Different practices will engage different learning styles through arts, sports, games, music, technology, and more, for attention spans ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes.   Dr. Christopher Willard (Psy. D.) is a clinical psychologist, author, and consultant based in Massachusetts. He has spoken in forty-one countries and has presented at two TEDx events. He is the author of twenty books, including Alphabreaths (2019), Growing Up Mindful (2016), and Feelings are Like Farts (2024). His thoughts on mental health have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, mindful.org, CNN.com, and elsewhere. He teaches at Harvard Medical School.
Schedule:
8:30 — Check In 8:45-9:00 AM — Welcome 9:00-10:10 AM — Unlocking Emotional Mastery: Awareness, Self-Management, and Resilience with Dr. Mark Bertin 10:25 AM-11:35 AM — ADHD and Comorbid Disorders with Dr. Roberto Olivardia 11:50 AM-1:00 PM — Mindfulness, Resilience and Regulation – Practical and Fun Strategies for all Ages with Dr. Chris Willard 1:00-1:15 PM — Q & A