Shalem’s psychotherapy clinic has much to be proud of in terms of our service delivery by our skilled and dedicated staff.
The number of in-person session as well as the overall demand for service have increased. Many clients also continue to enjoy the convenience of virtual service.
Training
For the second year in a row, Shalem offered the Clinical Supervision Course. For this 5-day hybrid in-person and virtual format, from October 24 to November 5, 2022, I was privileged to join two talented facilitators Susan Winter Fledderus and Brenda Bolliger. The course was attended by therapists and social workers who wanted to develop their skills as systemic supervisors and meet the supervisory requirements of the Canadian Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (CAMFT) and College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
On April 3, 2023, Shalem offered a presentation for CAP providers on issues around clinical best practice and assessing for client needs. 81 CAP Service Providers attended and the video was circulated to another 22 practitioners.
On June 22 – 28, 2023 Betty Brouwer, Director of Attachment Services along with Kim Goldberg will host a DDP Train the Trainers program. This will equip participants to deliver groups to parents and caregivers who are parenting children who live away from their birth parents .
We are in the process of saying goodbye to another cohort of students who have been with us since Fall 2022. Aimee and Brianne are ending their placements, while Binnie and Lesley will continue with us until the summer. A big thank you to the students for their stellar contributions to client care and to Susan Winter Fledderus, the Student Placement Coordinator
We are grateful to Amelia Rana, Shawn Groen and Stephen Doucet Campbell who delivered workshops and seminars to organizations, schools and churches across the province on a range of topics including burnout, stress, trauma, maintaining mental wellness, and senior’s mental health.
Staff Updates
We welcomed James Apers who joined November 2022 and Phil Morgan in March 2023. Both are providing therapy on a part-time basis. We are pleased to welcome Aimee Berends who is joining the clinical team upon completion of her placement.
Several staff made internal transitions: Glen Wilkinson reduced hours to 1 day per week and Emma Silverthorne will follow suit in June. We are grateful to still have the benefit of part of their time.
We are sad about saying goodbye to Amelia Rana in June, after 6 years at the agency. Amelia has been a true gift to Shalem and we wish her all the best in her new ventures.
As always, I am inspired by the resilience of our clients and the skills and dedication of our therapy team.
Jennifer Myrie is the Clinical Director at Shalem Mental Health Network.