Physical and Psychological Safety When Working With Highly Elevated Risk Individuals Engaged With Extremism
Webinar event date: 
sep 28, 2026 1:00 pm EDT
Webinar Presenters: 
David O’Brien

CYW, CYC, MACP, RP, MBA

David O’Brien is the Director of Mental Health at Yorktown Family Services. He has spent over 25 years working in the field of mental health within various settings, including hospitals, shelters, and residential treatment centres. David has held different frontline and managerial positions along with co-developing several system access networks and services for people seeking mental and social health supports, including; What’s up walk-in, Canada’s first 6-day-a-week mental health walk-in clinic, HIPS (Human, Trafficking Prevention Strategy), youth wellness hubs, and recently Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) a program that uses an interdisciplinary behavioral health approach to redirect people away from hate groups and acts of terrorism. David is also a media resource for some of Canada’s major media networks, including CBC, CTV, Global News, amongst others.

Rob Bowyer

Rob Bowyer is a retired RCMP officer with over 35 years of experience in law enforcement, national security, crisis negotiation, and behavioural threat management. During his tenure in Canada's National Security program, he founded the Specialized Interview and Intervention Team (SIIT), an innovative initiative focused on prevention, early intervention, and risk reduction for individuals exhibiting concerning behaviours. Rob has extensive experience building partnerships between law enforcement, social services, and community organizations to address complex behavioural and security-related challenges. He currently serves as a Security Consultant with Yorktown Family Services, supporting multidisciplinary approaches to public safety, threat management, and community resilience.

Description

Hate motivated and extremist violence has increased across Canada over the last 10 years. Given the prevalence and more young people engaging with violent extremist networks, health professionals and Social Workers are part of systems that can move people away from potential violence. In doing so, programs such as Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) have developed practices, policies, and processes to keep environments and people safe. This webinar will provide insights into radicalization, threat assessment and implementation of practices, processes, and policies that keep people safe.

Webinar Key Objectives: 

Frontline social workers will learn:

  • How to engage people who are engaged with violent extremism
  • How to create a safer and therapeutic atmosphere for Social Workers and Staff
  • Strategies and practical safety tips for staff
  • Boundaries, limitations, and processes to create safe environments

Supervisors will:

  • Learn the polices, processes, and procedures required to engage and treat people involved with violent extremist activities.