ABOUT OUR COURSES

Please note this important information about the structure of our courses:

COURSE STRUCTURE SUMMARY:

  • Immediate access to pre-recorded learning modules & resources for ONE YEAR from date of purchase (increased from 120 days)
  • Complimentary access to 1 x 60 Minute Zoom Q&A Session with Kim & Team as outlined below
  • 100% completion of course content + participation or viewing of Q&A session required for certificate
  • Ability to attend subsequent future Q&As on this topic for a small additional fee to continue to engage with Kim & Team
  • Financial support and group discounts are available via application links below

    COURSE STRUCTURE DETAILS:

  • 11 Total Hours (including Q&A).

    This course is a regularly-delivered series available for ongoing enrolment. Upon registration here, participants receive immediate access to the pre-recorded learning modules, handouts and resources. Access to this content expires in one year from the date that you purchase your registration.

    In addition to the immediately available pre-recorded content, this course includes one complimentary live on Zoom 60-minute Q&A session with Kim & the Relationship Matters Team. The event calendar date currently displayed reflects the date of the next upcoming Q&A session. You will be automatically assigned the next upcoming Q&A date for your complimentary session, based on the date of your registration.

    These Q&A sessions are scheduled to take place approximately every 6-8 months, with the recording of this session made available. Course certificates are available upon request in the form provided in the course after the live Q&A session has taken place – live participation or viewing of the Q&A recording is required for your certificate (if this is an issue for you due to funding or other deadlines, please contact us here to discuss options). Registrants are encouraged to submit questions in advance and ask them live. Even if registrants are unable to make the Q&A date and time, they will still be able to see the Q&A’s recording. Upon completion of the pre-recorded lessons as well as their complimentary Q&A, registrants then meet the prerequisite of attending any future Q&A for a small fee ($30 CDN) should they wish to further engage with Kim & the team or have new questions on this topic.

    As always, financial support and group discounts are available. Please find links to apply for these below.

    If you have any questions about our courses, please contact our team here.

    We look forward to supporting you in your learning journey.

    • Course Content

    Participants will have repeated access via live streaming for 365 days from the date they register. Additionally, there will be a live, online and interactive Q&A for 60 minutes held on July 17, 2025 at 4:00 pm pm Pacific Time.

    There is always a reason for the behaviour!

    Based on Kim Barthel, OTR’s most prolific and well-attended workshop in her career, this live, online and interactive 11 hour workshop (now fully revised) will provide a deeper understanding of why people do what they do. The focus will be on complex and challenging behaviour, and using clinical reasoning to look well beyond the surface actions we observe. From developmental disabilities to emotional/relational challenges, and from attachment strategies to the integrated neurobiology of sensory processing and cognitive influences, a holistic and integrated mindset is required. Participants will be invited to forevermore become behavioural detectives, using evidence-informed best practices to shape individualized interventions across the lifespan. By seeking to understand why people do the things we do, from a myriad of perspectives, we allow compassion into the equation. Fundamentally, the mindset of clinical curiosity and the science-based information in this workshop series supports practical intervention strategies that are relevant at home, at school, at work, and in all levels of relationships.

  • Recordings will be accessible to each participant for 365 days
  • Each participant will be able to join one live online Q&A, and the next one will be on January 9, 2025 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time
  • The recording of the Q&A will also be accessible for 365 days.
  • BONUS access to a PRIVATE podcast feed of the pre-recorded modules for 365 days

  • Any questions? Please reach out to [email protected]

    • Course Objectives

    Participants will be able to:

    • Identify the neurobiology of “challenging" behaviour

    • Describe the sensory contributions and interventions for complex behaviour

    • Explain the impacts of developmental trauma and adaptive attachment patterns

    • Recognize the life-long value of co-regulation through relationship

    • Define challenges and interventions related to executive functions

    • Recognize the dynamics surrounding self-harm and aggression

    • Examine a mindset of curiosity that supports more healthy, respectful and connected relationships

    Financial Support & Group Discounts

    • GROUP DISCOUNTS

      Group discounts are available (not to be combined with scholarships) for groups of 3-5 @ 15% off, groups of 6-19 at 25% off and groups of 20+ @ 40% off.

      TO APPLY FOR THE GROUP DISCOUNT, please submit the application form: Group Discount Application Form

    • FINANCIAL SUPPORT

      Some financial support available (upon request) from people in developing countries (Countries at Category B @ 50% off, Category C @ 55% off, Category D @ 60% off). Financial assistance is also possible for individual registrants from Category A countries @ 25% off when truly needed.

      TO APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP, please submit the application form: Financial Assistance Application Form

    Instructor

    Kim Barthel

    Hi, I’m Kim – I’m humbled by your interest in what I’m up to, and inspired by the work that countless people are doing to support others – and yourselves. If this kind of thing were easy, it would be a different world we live in. Which tells me we need to nurture our relationships through attunement, compassion, humour, and mindfulness. Remember, when it works it’s treatment, and when it doesn’t it’s assessment. This means we aren’t expected to get it right the first time. I’ve been doing my best at this for over 35 years, and still learning and repairing every day. For anyone who doesn’t know what I especially like to study and teach, the hot topics that I wake up thinking about are understanding complex behaviour, neurobiology, sensory-processing, movement, trauma informed practice, attachment theory, mental health, and anything that will support people in being their best selves. Thank you for being part of the great momentum globally towards understanding, interdependence, and compassion. Please connect with our team at Relationship Matters if that’s an interest for you, and importantly, thank you for doing whatever it is that you do to help others. We may never know the fruit of the seeds we plant through our smallest gestures, but just by caring we are more connected than we know. I feel great hope.