Role: Child and Youth Counsellor, Child and Adolescent Mental health
Joined SHN: 2000
Coming from: Trinidad
Healthcare experience: Over 25 years
Loves outside of work: Going to the cottage, creative expressions like painting and scrapbooking, baking desserts, and spending time with my family.
“Community anchors my work in respect. It’s what makes my job feel like home.”
I was born on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and moved to Canada at age 18 seeking better opportunities and to go to university. With a psychology degree but no clear career path, I pursued rehabilitation services education while working in community homes. In 2000, SHN hired me for the Adult Mental Health program and by 2002, I transitioned to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Department, where I have been ever since.
My primary responsibility is to lead SHN’s Child and Adolescent Day Hospital program. It is 10-week program for adolescents in grades 9 to 12 who are struggling with a psychiatric condition with a moderate/severe impact on school performance. We run a hybrid model of education (facilitated by the Toronto District School Board) and therapy-based groups for youths with psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, depression, or psychosis. Our program works to equip youths with coping strategies to navigate their world by teaching skills like resilience, mindfulness and character strengths. Together, we work as a team to transition youth back to their home or alternative school with community support services.
I consider myself a strong, independent woman of colour, and I feel like my childhood experiences in Trinidad help me relate with some of Scarborough’s marginalized youth. I know what it is like to be an immigrant. I know what it is like to be poor. So, when someone is sharing a particular experience, I find it easier to make a connection. I can relate to many of the struggles experienced by youth that come from marginalized communities in Scarborough.
When people ask me why I do so much, I tell them I have lived in Scarborough for 25 years and proud to celebrate both my community and my health network. My daughter was born here, my husband works here, and my son and I have both received care here. This is the hospital I come to if something happens. So why wouldn’t I want to help my own hospital now?