Heidi Dutton Email & Phone Number

Barrie, Ontario

Addictions Counsellor at Canadian Mental Health Association (Present)The individual counsellingprogram I work in is called Umbrellas which aims to support women in their goals towards harm reduction and help them to identify the options available to them in their recovery, so that they can choose the path that best fits their recovery needs.Often CAS is involved and I help the women in their communications and planning with CAS. I practice a very feminist based practice and… Show more Addictions Counsellor at Canadian Mental Health Association (Present)The individual counsellingprogram I work in is called Umbrellas which aims to support women in their goals towards harm reduction and help them to identify the options available to them in their recovery, so that they can choose the path that best fits their recovery needs.Often CAS is involved and I help the women in their communications and planning with CAS. I practice a very feminist based practice and strive to provide women with the ability to make informed choices in what they share with me. I am very clear with them what my duty to report is, so that it is clear to them when and how that call will be made. It is important that they are able to create a safe space in my office so that sessions can be meaningful without the worry of me calling CAS. I find that the women are able to be alarmingly open and honest about their experiences.Most of the women who I speak to have experienced some form of abuse in their lives. I am constanly upgrading my understanding of "Trauma Informed Practice" so that I am not creating triggers, fear, flashbacks or revictimizing them unknowingly. It is an extremely important part of this work.I also can complete the assessment tools that most residential treatment centres require for admission into their programs. These tools are scored and a tracking form is formed and sent to the treatment centre. I help the women to choose a treatment centre which caters their needs and specifications to increase their likelyhood of success.It is an amazing program and the women I speak to are courageous, resourceful, insightful, strong, and teach me things everyday. Helping these women to process their trauma, increase their self esteem and self efficacy, and to increase their options can lead to a better life for them and their children. I love this work; it challenges me and thrills me everyday. Show less

At Crisis we operated a 24 hours 7 days a week telephone counselling program, a mobile service and crisis beds. We worked in a team of 5 sharing the responsibilities of providing telephone support, mobile support, and supporting those accessing the bed program.We dealt with mental health issues, substance use issues, domestic violence issues, realtionship issues, housing; anything that a person struggled with and identified as a crisis.As a team member I was responsible for… Show more At Crisis we operated a 24 hours 7 days a week telephone counselling program, a mobile service and crisis beds. We worked in a team of 5 sharing the responsibilities of providing telephone support, mobile support, and supporting those accessing the bed program.We dealt with mental health issues, substance use issues, domestic violence issues, realtionship issues, housing; anything that a person struggled with and identified as a crisis.As a team member I was responsible for risk assessments done face to face as part of the bed admissions protocol. It was important to not add to tensions in the bed program and make sure that the individual requesting a bed would be getting the appropriate support needed. A lot of referrals came from the hospital for people who had experienced a mental health crisis and was able to leave the hosptial but still required some support before returning home.During a stay in the beds individuals were assisted in daily living activities and supported in further development of life skills. Show less

Social Service Worker, Social Work, Honours

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Sociology