Training & Event Schedule

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• BCAPOP's Perinatal Substance Use 101 Certificate Training (Live/Online)

  • Start
    December 03, 2024
  •  
  • End
    December 04, 2024
  •  
  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    Zoom
  • Spaces left
    13

  Register

  
  

  BCAPOP’s Executive Director, Heather Cameron RN, BScN, will use both her professional and personal lived experience combined with up-to-date best practices, research and resources to offer professionals and peers the knowledge and know-how to support pregnant, postpartum and newly parenting people who use substances. This training workshop will provide you with the insight, evidence-based information, increased confidence and comfort to implement useful tools, approaches and strategies to help you engage, support and maintain the supportive relationships necessary to offer gold standard care to your clients, participants or patients.

  This 2-day training workshop is limited to 30 participants to foster an intimate, engaging and safe place to reflect, share and grow in your professional practice in meaningful ways. All participants will receive printed resources to help build their own best practice toolkit.

  These sessions will not be recorded to ensure the privacy of attendees.

  Registration Fees:

  BCAPOP Members: $350.00/registrant

  Non-Members: $425.00/registrant

  Group of 4 or more? Contact us to access a savings of $25/registrant. Simply email admin@bcapop.ca to access this discount. 

  Registration is non-refundable; however, name transfers are allowed.  

  
  

  Day 1 Overview:

  -Opening roundtable introductions

  -A basic introduction to:

  • • Language matters
    • The effects of substance use in pregnancy
    • Withdrawal management in pregnancy
    • Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) in pregnancy
    • Chest/breastfeeding, substance use & harm reduction

   

  Day 2 Overview:

  -A basic introduction to:

  • • The importance of wrap-around support and building a village
    • Approaches and tools to provide best practice support that aims to be trauma-informed and culturally safe
    • Supporting through transitions in and out of acute care, institutions and through engagement with child welfare
    • Province-wide resources for professionals and pregnant, postpartum and newly parenting people

  -Closing roundtable sharing
  

  Facilitator: Heather Cameron, RN, BScN 

  

  Heather Cameron is honoured to work, play and live on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Secwepemc Nation.  Heather is a Registered Nurse with a Perinatal Specialty Certificate who has been working with pregnant people in a variety of settings since 2005.  Her experience includes program planning, public speaking, and spearheading community development events. As a Registered Nurse, Heather has worked in several fields including withdrawal management, labour & delivery, and maternity.  

  Heather has a proven track record of being able to bring communities together with her experience organizing conferences, creating grass-roots programs, and influencing system changes at the local, regional, and provincial levels.  Two projects that Heather is most proud of include a peer-based recovery support group for birth parents affected by substance use, Mothers for Recovery, and the Healthy Care Pregnancy Program that supports perinatal people who use substances.  Heather may be most well-known for her Perinatal Substance Use Training that she created and has been presenting since 2007 throughout BC, Canada and beyond.  Her volunteer involvement on a variety of committees including Foundry Kamloops, Make Children First, Perinatal Connections, Raise-a Reader, and S.W.A.T. (Sex Workers Accessing Treatment) has influenced Heather’s knowledge base and ability to create impactful change within communities.  Heather’s experience, passion and credentials all contribute to her drive to guide BCAPOP as Executive Director. 

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• BCAPOP Member-Only Perinatal Community of Practice: What is Sexual Health? Going Beyond Taboos to Support Perinatal Clients

  • When
    December 18, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Sexual health is often misunderstood and highly stigmatized. However, at its core, it is about understanding our health and having the skills, knowledge, and behaviours to maintain good sexual, reproductive, and overall health across the lifespan.                               

  In this presentation, we will explore what sexual health is, and why it continues to be important to practice when working with clients who are pregnant, or recently postpartum. This presentation will cover a range of topics including contraception, maternity care, and violence prevention and how perinatal professionals can use key approaches like trauma-informed practice and harm reduction to support the wellbeing of clients.

  The learning objectives for this presentation are:

  • To develop a greater understanding of what sexual health and its impacts on physical, emotional, and relational health and wellbeing;
  • To increase perinatal professional confidence in discussing sexual health with clients in the perinatal period; and,
  • To apply existing strategies, like trauma-informed practice and harm reduction, in the provision of sexual health.

  Presenter: Lindsay Wolfson, MPH (she/her)

  Lindsay Wolfson is a public health researcher, sexual health educator, and consultant. She is the Research Manager at the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health and holds a Master of Public Health, Social Inequities and Health, from Simon Fraser University. Lindsay has worked in Canada and internationally on a broad range of women’s health issues. She has over 10 years of experience working in anti-violence, anti-trafficking, substance use, chronic pain, sexual health, and women’s health policy and practice. Lindsay lives with chronic pain and is pursuing a Master of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University, with the hopes of working with clients who live with pain after she graduates.

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• EXPRESSION OF INTEREST: Next Steps Project Community Consultation (Live/In-Person/Kamloops/Spring 2025)

  • Start
    March 01, 2025
  • End
    April 30, 2025
  • Location
    In-Person Kamloops BC

  Register

  

  
  

  BCAPOP was awarded $100,000 from the Community Prosperity Fund to increase its capacity between September 2024 and August 2026 in preparation to operate a bed-based program in Kamloops for perinatal people who have used substances and their infants. This bed-based program will ensure Kamloops participants remain in the community, strengthen the parent-baby attachment, and stabilize the dyad with proven evidence-based, best practice approaches. The outcomes will be reduced child removals that result from a lack of access to a safe and supervised bed-based program, increased capacity of parents to safely care for their children while simultaneously addressing their substance use.

  If you are a local professional, helping peer, community member or person with lived/living experience with perinatal substance use and you are interested in finding out more about the Next Steps Project, then please complete this expression of interest to attend one of our community consultations in the spring of 2025.  Once the event details are solidified, you will receive an invite to register.  This expression of interest does not signify a commitment to engage or attend this event.    

  Our Board of Directors and team could not be more grateful to the Community Prosperity Fund, BC Interior Community Foundation and the Province of British Columbia for investing in our organization, our community and most importantly, their investment in improving the outcomes for perinatal people and their infants.

  
  

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• BCAPOP's 26th Annual Perinatal Conference (Live/In-Person/Richmond)

  • Start
    May 12, 2025
  •  
  • End
    May 14, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    3 sessions
  • Location
    Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport in Richmond, BC
  • Spaces left
    164

  Register

  
  

  BCAPOP’S 26^th ANNUAL PERINATAL CONFERENCE MAY 12^th–14^th, 2025

  
  

  LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
  

  We respectfully acknowledge that our conference is held on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

  
  

  ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

  This annual event draws more than 185 perinatal professionals and helping peers from BC and features three full days of opportunities, including a pre-conference session, Networking Reception and a two-day main conference.  Attendees will experience a program full of inspiring speakers, best practice updates, skill building sessions, and the strengthening of a provincial network that drives perinatal professionals and helping peers to improve outcomes for perinatal people and their families. 

  
  

  CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
  

  KEYNOTE SPEAKER | ADITI LOVERIGDE

  CREATING INCLUSIVE, INTENTIONAL AND SUPPORTIVE DIALOGUE THROUGH PERINATAL LOSS

   Aditi Loveridge (she/her) has over 10 years of personal and professional experience in perinatal loss. Having lived through and supported thousands of families through loss, a frequent thread of frustration is how common words and phrases that are intended to support, often cause unintentional harm. Words are one of the simplest and underutilized tools that can make the difference between people feeling supported vs unsupported, included vs excluded.

  In this candid and honest Keynote session, Aditi will debunk common misconceptions around perinatal loss and discuss how words are a powerful tool so that every loss experience can be affirmed.

  
  

  PRE-CONFERENCE | LEADING & MANAGING CHANGE

  MONDAY MAY 12^th 1:00–4:00PM | HEATHER JOHNSON

  ADDITIONAL FEE | LIMITED TO 30 PARTICIPANTS

  This workshop will empower you to shift from responding to change, to leading and inspiring change. This workshop will provide you with a strong foundation for implementing change leadership practices. Learn practical tools to embrace the human dynamics that lead to success or failure in implementing change.

  Participants will gain an understanding of the difference between change and transition and identify concrete steps to build their organizational capacity to lead, implement and manage change.

  Learn the principles of change leadership to:

  • Understand the emotional phases all people experience during the change process
  • Provide the necessary support to smooth the emotional journey
  • Minimize disruptions and get through the change sooner

  
  

  By the end of this session, you will begin to:

  • Differentiate between leading and managing change
  • Describe how people respond to change
  • Identify the key steps in managing change
  • Support your team through a change

  
  

  The workshop will cover the following topics in an interactive, discussion-filled format:

  • Managing vs Leading change
  • The psychological reactions to change
  • Keys for effective change leadership
  • The change management process

  
  

  NETWORKING RECEPTION | OPEN TO ALL

  MONDAY MAY 12^th 4:30–6:30PM 

  With Perinatal Services BC's (PSBC) gracious sponsorship, we are excited to present our second-ever Networking Reception the afternoon before BCAPOP ‘s 26th Annual Perinatal Conference launch on Monday, May 12th, 2025, from 4:30 – 6:30pmPT. Conference attendees are invited to join us anytime during the reception for an assortment of delicious canapes and to try our signature alcohol-free refresher beverage that will be served in the Airport Ballroom Lobby. The PSBC team will be on-site with exciting resources, updates, and a chance to hear about their latest projects. In the tradition of all BCAPOP events, there will also be fantastic prizes to be won!

  Pre-registration for the conference will be available during the reception, so it’s the perfect opportunity to pick up your conference package, reconnect with previous acquaintances, and meet new attendees. We cannot wait to see you there! We are pleased to offer a safe space for everyone by offering this alcohol-free event. All attendees will be offered a list of local harm reduction resources for those who wish to access them.

  FULL CONFERENCE PROGRAM
  

  
  

  EXHIBITORS

  • Perinatal Services BC
  • Doulas for Aboriginal Families Grant Program
  • Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre
  • Child Health BC
  • BC Women’s Mental Health and Substance Use Programs + Initiatives
  • Douglas College
  • Pacific Postpartum Support Society
  • The Pregnancy HUB
  • Health Canada- Environmental Health Program
  • Provincial SCC Perinatal Community of Practice
    

  TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION

  The conference will be held at the Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport in Richmond, BC. You are responsible for your own travel expenses and/or hotel accommodations, which are not included in your conference registration fee.  The Westin Wall Centre is offering a limited room block rate of $269.00/night plus taxes & parking for BCAPOP conference attendees. Rooms are available until sold out or April 12, 2025, whichever comes first. 

  BOOK NOW
  

  Alternatively, reservations can also be requested over the phone and by email at reservations@wallcentre.com or by calling 604-303-6565 or 1-888-627-7058 (toll-free). Please quote that it is for the BCAPOP 2025 Conference. 

  SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES

  BCAPOP realizes that every dollar matters and that organizations are seeking out opportunities that create reciprocal relationships and are mutually beneficial to both them and conference attendees. BCAPOP has developed several packages to meet the varying needs and budgets of organizations who align with our vision and are working towards better outcomes for perinatal people and their families across BC. Through these opportunities organizations can further their purpose and increase their exposure to a targeted group of over 185 perinatal professional and helping peers who support perinatal people in BC.

  LEARN MORE

  GROUP RATES

  Please email admin@bcapop.ca for group rates of 4 or more registrants. 

  REGISTRATION IS NON-REFUNDABLE 

  Substitutions are permitted, please email admin@bcapop.ca for any substitutions. Registration is not complete until payment is received.

  PAYMENT DEADLINES
  

  Payment on pending registrations must be received within 30 days of registration, otherwise registration will be cancelled. For registrations made within 30 days prior to the event, payment is due immediately. 

  Reminder: Only individuals listed under a member profile are eligible to receive member pricing. You must be logged into your BCAPOP account BEFORE REGISTERING for a paid event to receive discounted member pricing, as pricing cannot be adjusted after registration. 

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• Exhibitor Table at BCAPOP's 26th Annual Perinatal Conference

  • Start
    May 13, 2025
  •  
  • End
    May 14, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport, 3099 Corvette Way, Richmond, BC (In-Person)
  • Spaces left
    2

  Register

  LAND ACKNOWLEDEMENT
  

  We respectfully acknowledge that our conference is held on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

  ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

  This annual event draws more than 185 perinatal professionals and helping peers from BC and features three full days of opportunities, including a pre-conference session, Networking Reception and a two-day main conference.  Attendees will experience a program full of inspiring speakers, best practice updates, skill building sessions, and the strengthening of a provincial network that drives perinatal professionals and helping peers to improve outcomes for perinatal people and their families. 

  Conference Attendees (2024) breakdown:

  12% Acute Care Leadership                                 
  26% Pregnancy Outreach Workers                        
  17% Community Agency Leadership                     
  15% Community/Public Health RN                        
  11% Acute RN/RSW/Patient Navigator                 
  6% Clinical Nurse Educators                                    
  5% AIEDP/IDP/ECE                                                      
  5% Unspecified                                                             
  4% Person with Lived Experience                         
  2% Primary Care Providers (MD/RM/NP)           
  2% Doula                                                                       

  EXHIBITOR TABLE PACKAGE

  $2078.00 | 10 AVAILABLE

  • Exhibitor table in ballroom lobby on May 13th & 14th, 2025 for the main conference.
  • Two main conference & Networking Reception registrations included. Additional table hosts are required to register for the conference.
  • Logo inclusion in print, digital, and on-site promotional materials including on the Exhibitor Passport, encouraging attendees to interact with your exhibitor table.
  • One 10-minute organizational overview presentation to the entire conference audience of 185+ perinatal professionals and helping peers from across BC.

  
  

  TRAVEL & ACCOMODATIONS
  

  The Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport in Richmond, BC. 

  The Westin Wall Centre is offering a limited room block rate of $269/night plus taxes & parking for BCAPOP conference attendees. Rooms are available until sold out or April 12, 2025, whichever comes first. 

  BOOK NOW

  Alternatively, reservations can also be requested over the phone and by email. Email: reservations@wallcentre.com 
  Phone number: 604-303-6565 or toll free at 1-888-627-7058. Please quote that it is for the BCAPOP 2025 Conference.  

  You are responsible for your own travel expenses and/or hotel accommodations, which are not included in your ticket price. 

  PAYMENT INFORMATION

  Payment is due within 30 days of invoice. No refunds or cancellations, however substitutions are permitted. Please email jenna@bcapop.ca for substitution requests. 

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• BCAPOP Members Only Speakers Series: Decolonizing the Binary within Birthing (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025

  Register

  
  

  
  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until July 31 2025. 

  
  

  Through this recorded presentation we will cover Two-Spirit history, challenge the binary, and work together to create pathways to support a non- binary birthing experience.

  Presenter:  

  Jessy Dame (He/Him) -  RN(c), MSN, Two-Spirit Program Manager

  

   is a very proud Two-Spirit, Métis, Certified Registered Nurse. Jessy’s family is from Treaty 1 and 2 territory, which is known today as Winnipeg and St Rose-du-lac. Jessy has worked within Neonatal/Postnatal health. He currently works casually within a queer sexual health clinic in downtown Vancouver. Jessy is the Indigenous Sex and Gender Leader within the Indigenous Wellness team and the Two-Spirit Program Manager with the Community Based Research Centre. Through these roles Jessy is able to work with and for the Two-Spirit community to create resources and advocate for services.

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• BCAPOP Members Only Speakers Series: Determinants of Postpartum Depression in Primiparous Mothers (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025

  Register

  
  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until July 31 2025. 

  Through this recorded presentation we will cover Discrepancies between prenatal social support expectations and experiences could lead to a high risk of postpartum depression in primiparous women. Assessment and implementation of support system during pregnancy is crucial in supporting mothers mental health and physical wellbeing. Postpartum depression has been undermined for years which resulted in creating more barriers for pregnancy and parenting women. Our support system plays a vital role in influencing positive environment for the nourishment of the baby and mothers health. This presentation will highlight the challenges faced by primiparous women leading to postpartum depression and significance of social support to enhance mental health and well being of mothers.

  Presenter:  

  Ammy Kaur, Maternal Child Health Worker

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• BCAPOP Members Only Speakers Series: Adoption in BC (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025

  Register

  
  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.
  

  This recorded video will be available until July 31 2025. 

  This recorded video will focus on adoption options in BC, as well as the support services the Adoption Centre of BC provides to birth parents considering adoption. This webinar will also include information regarding the process of adoption, the birth parents' rights and how other professionals can help support birth parents who are considering adoption as an option.

  Presenter:

  Linette Sandor, BA, BSW, RSW

  is the Birth Parent Coordinator with the Adoption Centre of BC, where she has worked since 2011. Linette has been a social worker since 1998. She spent the first ten years of her career in Alberta working in child protection and then worked for a number of years with Child and Youth Mental Health after moving to BC. Linette has a strong passion for working with birth parents across the province who are considering adoption.
  

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• BCAPOP Members Only Speakers Series: Talk to Me, Play with Me, Carry me (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025

  Register

  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until July 31, 2025. 

  This recorded video will focus on how technology entered our lives so quickly that we did not have a chance to prepare for how to balance our time on screens with our time with children. This campaign was designed to highlight the importance of everyday interactions while drawing attention to the impact that parental screen use and overuse of baby equipment can have on children's development. Learn how a community came together with an innovative approach to respond to the growing concerns seen in playgrounds, coffee shops and homes everywhere!

  Presenter:  Cora Boecker -  Supervisor, Langley Infant Development Programme

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• BCAPOP Members Only Speakers Series: SmartMom: Teaching Prenatal Education by Texting (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025

  Register

  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until July 31 2025.

   This recorded video will focus on SmartMom, which is a prenatal education program delivered by text messaging.  Women receive three text messages per week, linked to their gestational age to ensure that the messages are timely and relevant. Each message has a link to online or local information, including links to videos, quizzes and other interactive modalities.

  
  

  Presenter:

  Patricia Janssen, Professor, UBC School of Population and Public Health
  

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• BCAPOP Member-Only Perinatal Community of Practice Perinatal Nutrition Essentials for Professionals (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025

  Register

  
  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until  July 31 2025. 

  Explore the latest, evidence-based insights in perinatal nutrition with our nutrition experts.

  This recorded video offers a deep dive into the nutritional needs during pregnancy, chest/breastfeeding, and the postpartum period, focusing on evidence-based best practices. We'll cover key topics such as macro and micronutrient balance, managing special conditions like gestational diabetes, and infant nutrition basics. Attendees will be engaged with case studies and further resources to support their participants, clients or patients. Designed for perinatal professionals and helping peers, this webinar offers an up-to-date and inclusive approach to offer best-practice perinatal nutrition support. 

  • An In-depth Overview of Nutrition's Role in the Perinatal Period
  • Exploring the Role of Dietitians in Perinatal Care
  • Comprehensive Guide to Nutritional Needs Before, During, and After Pregnancy
  • Addressing Special Dietary Considerations: Morning Sickness, Gestational Diabetes, Food Allergies and Intolerances, Plant-Based Diets
  • Consideration and Selection of Nutritional Supplements
  • Essentials of Infant Nutrition: Chest/Breastfeeding and Formula, Managing Allergies and Intolerances, Introduction to Solids
  • Navigating Food Accessibility Challenges: Considerations for Infant Formula, Baby Food, and Supplements
  • Case Studies: Real-World Applications and Outcomes
  • Concluding Remarks and Additional Resources

  Amy Chow (She/Her), Registered Dietitian, Founder of Chow Down Nutrition & Find BC Dietitians Inc.
  

  

  Amy is a Registered Dietitian with a focus on pediatric nutrition, food allergy management, and eating disorder recovery. She respectfully acknowledges her practice on the traditional lands of the q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), Máthxwi (Matsqui), and Se'mya'me (Semiahmoo) First Nations. Practicing as a dietitian in British Columbia since 2011, she has honed her skills in diverse clinical settings, including BC Children's Hospital and Healthlink BC.  As a SOS trained feeding therapist and a mother to an adventurous 8-year-old, Amy brings a unique blend of professional knowledge and real-life experience. Her passion lies in empowering families with confidence in nutrition and reinstating the joy of eating.  As the founder of Find BC Dietitians, she is committed to connect individuals with nutrition experts and to promote evidence-based and harm reduction nutrition messaging across healthcare professionals.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Lillian Yin (She/Her), Registered Dietitian, MPH Candidate, Health Promoter, Certified Diabetes Educator

  Lillian is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, health promoter, food advocate and a humble settler on the lands of the Coast Salish Peoples including the lands of the  kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. She is currently working towards a Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. In her practice at Vancouver Coastal Health’s Youth Pregnancy and Parenting Program for the previous four years and now in her private practice, she takes a client-led approach, focusing on strengths, identifying barriers, cultural safety, and trauma-informed, compassionate support. She is grateful to walk alongside so many transformative perinatal journeys. 

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• BCAPOP Member-Only Perinatal Community of Practice: Child Welfare as an Ally (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025
  • Location
    Recorded Video

  Register

  
  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until July 31, 2025. 

  This recorded video is a conversation with MCFD about the improving approaches to supporting people, including a better understanding of the supportive, trauma and violence informed approach/practice that the MCFD is embracing. Increased collaboration with community partners helps us achieve better outcomes for pregnant people, infants, children, youth and families.

  Presenter:

  Kerry Shinners, Director of Practice, MCFD

  

  Originally from Montreal, Kerry completed two undergraduate degrees at the University of Ottawa and started her career “aiding children” at the Hastings County Children Aid Society in Ontario in 1992, with no knowledge of the world of child protection.  In 1996 following the Gove Inquiry, Kerry headed west, to Quesnel and has worked in the North ever since. Earning a BSW from University of Victoria in 1997 and working in various MCFD positions and offices across the North has supported a well-rounded experience and continued passion for her work. Kerry values collaboration and partnership in this hard and heart work.

  
  

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• BCAPOP Member-Only Perinatal Community of Practice: Healthcare Ethics in the Context of Perinatal Substance Use (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025

  Register

  
  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until July 31, 2025. 

  This recorded video will use case examples to illustrate how diverse approaches to ethics (feminist, intersectional, narrative and relational approaches) can help in supporting patients at the intersection of perinatal care and substance use care to help advance justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.

  Learning objectives, by the end of this session we will:

  • Expand our understanding of what ethics means and why it is important in our practice.
  • Identify key ethical considerations related to perinatal substance use services and care.
  • Increase our ability to apply an anti-oppression ethics lens to our practice.

  Presenter: 
  

  Alexandra Olmos Pérez, LL.B, MSc, PhD (she/her)  Ethicist, PHSA Ethics Service 

  

  Ale is a healthcare ethicists at PHSA, where she provides consultation for teams, patients and families. She is originally from Mexico City, where she completed her education. She has a Law Degree, a Master's degree in Science, specifically in the area of Bioethics, and a PhD also in Bioethics from the National University of Mexico, UNAM. Ale is passionate about anti-oppression work and education, and tries to incorporate that lens into her daily practice. Before coming to Canada, Ale worked for the National Human Rights Commission in Mexico and the National Bioethics Commission. She also taught Bioethics, Law and Human Rights theory in various private and public academic institutions.

  
  

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• BCAPOP Member-Only Perinatal Community of Practice: Navigating Birth Trauma, Perinatal Loss, and Vicarious Trauma within the Care Team and System (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025

  Register

  
  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until July 31, 2025. 

  Learning objectives, by the end of this session we will:

  • To recognize the risks and signs of birth trauma and secondary trauma and assess options for support.
  • To identify and appraise supports for pregnancy and infant loss.
  • To offer suggestions to members of the care team for communication with clients around trauma and loss
  • To direct members of the perinatal care team to resources around reducing vicarious trauma and to provide some skills for trauma-aware debriefing and case review. 

  Presenter: 
  

  Sarah Hilbert-West, Registered Midwife, MEd - Counselling 

  
  

  Sarah Hilbert-West is a registered midwife and counsellor practicing in Prince George, BC.  Born and raised in northern bc, she is passionate about compassionate, comprehensive, client centered care, delivered close to home.  Her interest in maternal mental health is focused around reproductive trauma, perinatal loss and secondary trauma in health care, as well as general reproductive mental health.    

  
  

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• BCAPOP Member-Only Perinatal Community of Practice: Perinatal Mental Illness: Recognizing and Responding (Recorded Video)

  • When
    July 31, 2025
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  

  You will have access to the video as soon as you register.

  This recorded video will be available until July 31, 2025. 

  In this session, participants will learn about, or deepen their understanding of, perinatal depression and postpartum psychosis and how to support birthing people experiencing them. The session will begin with descriptions of what it is like to experience perinatal depression and postpartum psychosis. We will then discuss how to recognize these illnesses, including options for informal and formal screening. Finally, we will cover ways to support families who are experiencing these illnesses.

  Learning objectives:

  - To  describe the signs and symptoms of perinatal depression and postpartum psychosis.

  - To outline options for screening for perinatal mental illness, including considerations for implementation and limitations.

  - To summarize management strategies for perinatal mental illnesses, including attention to support for a shared decision-making process.

  Presenter: 
  

  Catriona Hippman, PhD, CGC (she/her)

  Dr. Catriona Hippman, PhD, CGC, is a postdoctoral research fellow with the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the BC Women's Reproductive Mental Health Program, and the University of Calgary Faculty of Nursing. Her fellowship is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Michael Smith Health Research BC, the Killam Trusts, the University of Calgary Eyes High Program, and the BC Women's Health Foundation, and her research work is additionally supported by generous gifts from an anonymous donor and iA Financial Group. She was recently honored to receive the 2023 WHRI Early Career Researcher Award in Women’s Mental Health. Her fellowship work aims to elucidate strategies best suited to the Canadian context for the care of women experiencing acute postpartum mental illness, through parallel lines of both qualitative and quantitative inquiry into Canadian and international experiences. 

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