Clinical Therapist from our Newcomers’ Health and Well-Being Program
Jonathan’s advice/inspiration for others
If at first you don’t succeed, Try again. Keep trying, you can adjust whenever you have to, but never give up.
Jonathan’s favourite moment or accomplishment at CMHA
There are many, but hearing clients telling me how great they are now doing always give me butterflies. I remembered supporting some clients while they were at the worst of their time, being estranged from their families, feeling distraught, hopeless, and suicidal. And when they shared that they were able to use many of the mindfulness skills we discussed and were able to reconnect with their family using those skills, it brought me joy.
Another highlight of my time at CMHA has to be the development process of the Newcomers’ Health and Well-Being program. The meetings with the advisory group, the modifications we have to make on the fly due to the pandemic, the ups and downs we shared during our team huddles, and most importantly, the incredible feelings we have when the program was successfully launched.
Why Jonathan likes working at CMHA
One of the reasons I admire CMHA is the relentless pursuit of having equal access to mental health services for all, as well as the innovative ways of achieving this goal. I have a chance to help clients who may not be able to receive service in the more traditional counselling setting due to barriers (e.g. finance, languages, complexity, etc.). CMHA is not afraid to develop new programs to break down the barriers, and this is very inspiring for me.
How our Newcomers’ Health and Well-Being Program is making a difference in our community
The Newcomers’ Health and Well-Being program can support the newcomers’ community via our four pillars of services. Building capacity, general education and support, trauma-informed and trauma-specific services. We provide training to the settlement agencies so that they are more equipped in meeting the newcomers’ mental health needs. We provide psychoeducational workshops virtually or within the welcome centres so our clients can face their day-to-day challenges head-on. We provide counselling for clients who are in distress and need more intensive support. And lastly, we are also connected to the Cedar Centre so our clients who were affected by trauma can receive help in a timely manner.
