Meet (and pledge!) Susie Trotter, Director of Child and Youth Mental Health, and Ryan McLuckie, Supervisor with Community and Addiction Mental Health Services.
Sponsored by Better You Counselling Services
Susie: CCH is the lead agency for Child and Youth Mental Health programs across SDG. We provide care from day one, partnering with Adult Mental Health for postpartum support, offering positive parenting and attachment programs for infants 0-3. Our counsellors help kids up to age 18. We go into schools, visit clients at home, offer individual and group therapy (we have satellite offices in Alexandria & Winchester), work at the Youth Hub, and collaborate closely with local service partners. Our team meets children, youth, and families at the stage and place they need us to be.
Ryan: I supervise our Admin team at the Community Addiction and Mental Health Centre and I’m a Nonviolent Crisis Intervention trainer at CCH. Our Admin team are the first staff people see when they come to our building. We work behind-the-scenes so frontline healthcare workers can focus on clients. I also manage data, privacy, and Ministry reporting. We need to demonstrate our results to the government and be accountable to our clients.
Susie: My team’s passionate about helping children, youth, and families. I’m proud of the clinical expertise we have here, and our efforts to support local clients. My team travels to South Mountain, Iroquois, Glen Robertson – anywhere in SDG if that’s what’s required. They’ll meet families after hours to make a difference. They inspire me.
Ryan: Working in mental health isn’t easy. The resiliency of our staff is the reason I show up every day. We know the system can be hard to navigate and we do our best to make it easier. We’re working hard to improve our waitlists – not just with children, but across our programs and community. We’ve adopted solution focussed therapy to identify the root of problems more quickly and deliver help faster.
What project are we dancing for?
We’re dancing for a project that supports our partners in the Emergency Department. Emergency is one of the first points of entry for individuals with mental health or substance health concerns. In tribute to their care, we’re dancing for two new heart monitors to help save lives.
Why pledge our team?
We’re the first mental health team to join Dancing with the CCH Stars! Some of our colleagues don’t even know we’re dancing yet, so we need all the support we can get! We want to raise awareness of what we do, have some fun, and support a great cause. Visit www.cornwallhospitalfoundation.ca to pledge us today!