Sheena Wishart

I am a qualified and dedicated Child and Youth Care Practitioner who is passionate about helping youth recognize their strengths and achieve success through a trauma informed lens. I have a proven ability to develop therapeutic relationships with youth and establish healing milieus. I have proven my skills at my college placement. This high school consists of students with a diverse range of complexities that include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, substance abuse, behavioural challenges, trauma and abuse, and self-harm. Within my months of working there I developed countless relationships with the students. Some of the teachers I learned from and worked alongside at this school still reach out to me to tell me how they students miss me; not many things give me more feelings of bittersweet joy than hearing this. After my placement, I spent the summer working with Girls Inc., where I was a camp counselor and facilitated and created many programs that promoted all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. My team at Girls Inc. would describe me as a high energy, involved, and creative leader with an innate talent of engaging youth through fun activities that are also pertinent to cognitive and physical development.  I was later hired within a school board, where I am currently employed as a Special Education Assistant in specific programming. I intervene in crisis on a day-to-day basis, provide emotion regulation to dysregulated students, track behaviours, file reports, and offer one-on-one support. I co-facilitate group programs that focus on mental health, mindfulness, and over-all well being, along with daily yoga and meditation to students. Many of the PowerPoint presentations, activities, and programs that we provide to our students are created by me. I have strong presentation and public speaking skills. Furthermore, I have a demonstrated ability to instinctively think of therapeutic activities designed to distract and regulate behaviours on the spot when needed. An asset of mine is that I have a lot of one-on-one experience with youth with autism spectrum disorder and have incorporated ABA techniques into my work with them daily. I have helped youth battle substance abuse and created multiple SMART goals-based cessation plans. I am recognized for my energy, compassion, strong communication skills, and willingness to go above and beyond every day. 

I have worked in one high school that was designed for students who struggle with learning disabilities and behavior management. I have also created and facilitated programming to a large and diverse group of young girls. I show strong leadership in all that I do. I currently am a special education assistant in specialized programming in a catholic school board. 

Child and Youth Care Advanced Diploma. Courses include: 

● Mental health ● Children and adolescent development ● Substance abuse ● Counseling ● Advanced interventions and family interventions ● Therapeutic programming and activities ● Group program design ● Introduction to psychology ● Trauma and abuse ● Professional issues and development ● Sexual health and development ● Diversity ● Youth in conflict with the law ● Outdoor activities