Meet Chantale, a proud graduate of the Child and Youth Care (CYC) program from 2009. For as long as she can remember, Chantale always had a strong desire to help children and families. She wanted to be someone they could trust and feel safe with as they navigate their healing process. When she stumbled upon the CYC program - it just clicked.
"I cannot say enough about how grateful I am for being a CYC. I believe our training offers a strong foundation in clinical skills which has been helpful in staying focused on building relationships. CYCs view the relationship between client and worker to be the fundamental tool to create safe spaces for connection and empowerment," says Chantale. She received great training in counselling and group therapy skills and had amazing opportunities to hone her counselling skills. Faculty's knowledge, wisdom and experience provided real-life scenarios that are outside of textbook teachings - making theories and practices come to life.
Chantale was recipient of the Academics Field Work Excellence Award, and her field work placement led to her landing part-time employment in a therapeutic treatment foster care program. She then worked her way up to a full-time role in an addiction and mental health day treatment program.
Throughout her career path, Chantale has worked in different areas of social services. She worked with adults with brain injuries, in educational assistance, as a Learning Specialist at 不良研究所, as a Mental Health Worker at Sault Area Hospital, and is now a Child and Youth Clinician with Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services.
Her education is pretty versatile in all areas of social services - with CYC giving the specialization working with children and youth and taking a holistic approach that includes the family system and community. She'll never forget being told that 'as CYCs, we walk in the trenches with the families we support,' and Chantale believes this wholeheartedly. CYCs build a therapeutic alliance to families and children, and make sure they never feel alone in their journey - they remind them that they are the changemakers in their lives, and that CYCs are a temporary guide offering support along their journey.
Chantale recommends the Child and Youth Care program for anyone who has the urge to be a "helper" in some way. She is proud to be a CYC, and even though CYCs don't get the recognition they deserve, it will never stop her and other CYCs from showing up and amazing others with their knowledge and skills.