About Me
Credentials
Registered Social Worker (RSW) - Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers - 810688
Ontario Association of Social Work Member (OASW) - 41533
PhD - University of Windsor, School of Social Work, Windsor, Ontario
An Exploration of the Relationship between Social Support and Healthcare Utilization Among Adult Immigrants to Canada.
Masters of Social Work - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Interpersonal Practice, Community and Social Services and Non Profit Management
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
Sociology, Equity, Aboriginal (Indigenous) Studies
I strive to live a life of radical authenticity in everything I do. Usually, this is a strength, but it also makes writing these sorts of things more awkward.
Naomi Ruth Counselling was born after over twenty years of community work. Highlights included international development projects in Haiti, addiction and methadone counselling in Detroit, and spearheading a newcomer mental wellness program- the first of it’s kind in Southern Ontario. Alongside these experiences, I have taught at a variety of post secondary institutions.
Throughout my professional career, I have been deeply embedded in a variety of community initiatives, ran Take Back the Night and have been a member (and chair) of a variety of boards of directors for local non profits.I believe that community requires commitment, and effort and I have worked for many years to contribute where I can.
My work is at the heart of my identity, and it happens in quiet conversations, moments of stillness and moments of movement. It is a balance between deep presence and (sometimes frantic) facilitations for groups large and small.
As a profession, social work is wide and diverse, as is my background, and approach. Please see my Linkedin profile for a more thorough understanding of my professional background.
Sometimes, education comes in un’traditional’ forms, and many of my greatest teachers have been outside the classroom.
My approach to counselling is grounded in my lived experiences, as well as my formal and informal training.
I am supported by individual mentorship and peer supervision, as well as through my own therapy process. This includes a counsellor of my own, prayer, time with the sky, and with those I love.
Selected Trainings, Workshops and Certificates
Response Based Practice Certificate Level 1 (Ongoing) - Center for Dignity, Kamloops, British Columbia
Certificate in Decolonizing Education - Center for Indigegogy, Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo, ON
(plenty) more to come…