January 24, 2019
On January 18th, members of our staff were honoured to attend the Kitchener Rangers game for a Bell Let’s Talk cheque presentation! As noted previously, we are currently in receipt of a $20,000 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant to help fund our attachment and trauma counselling including our Trusting, Loving Connections group.
January 3, 2019
Bell Let’s Talk is a program by Bell Canada to promote mental health education, research, awareness, and end social stigma. Most people will have heard of Bell Let’s Talk Day which happens early each year. Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health initiatives for each of various kinds of interactions that day.
December 13, 2018
The Astley Family Foundation has been a valued partner in the last decade, helping us to provide accessible mental health services and supports to youth in Waterloo Region.
November 22, 2018
November 2, 2018
October 23, 2018
KW Counselling Services has started using a secure, online platform called Greenspace to measure/learn about how people progress in their counselling. Research shows us that counselling outcomes are improved when clients measure their progress throughout the counselling process.
September 6, 2018
We are very grateful to be receiving a Seed Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to enhance our Newcomer Leadership Development program. We are receiving $73,100 over 12 months to develop the enhanced curriculum that will include practicum placements for participants at other local agencies and organizations. Participants will also be encouraged to apply for City of Kitchener Neighbourhood Grants, with our guidance.
Leading up to my departure from KW Counselling Services (KWCS), I’ve been clearing out the massive filling cabinets in my office. They are full, not only of memories of my time here, but also of documents dating back to 1950, created under three executive directors over the course of almost 70 years. This exercise offers fertile ground for reflection and meaning making, as I weigh in on which documents created by Alvis Stayt, Bernard Porlier, and myself are still worth keeping. This has given me a chance to reflect on our legacy and our place in history; which of our actions as leaders stands the test of time? When future executive directors are cleaning out the files from 2006-2018, decades from now, how will they view our efforts? Will they be struck by how much has remained the same? Will they be impressed by our clinical interventions, parenting education, and community development? Or will they be dismayed at our limited understanding of brain science, mental health treatment and inclusivity? What, if anything, will inspire and give them a sense of purpose?
