My Latest Posts
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- Respect Shows Up in Unexpected WaysSome relationships in this work are not linear. He moved quickly between liking and disliking me, depending on where he was in his psychosis. There were hours, sometimes days, when… Read more: Respect Shows Up in Unexpected Ways
- Showing Up AnywayLife has been busier than usual since getting back from holidays. It is the end of the school year, which means extra activities, projects due, and the usual chaos that… Read more: Showing Up Anyway
- The Peace That FollowedBack from holidays and feeling refreshed. I’m actually quite proud of myself for fully unplugging and not thinking about work at all until the day we travelled home. There was… Read more: The Peace That Followed
- Letting Go of What Was Never Mine to CarryAs I sit here in the Air Canada lounge with my husband and daughter, awaiting our flight to Mexico for a little rest and relaxation, I can’t help but think… Read more: Letting Go of What Was Never Mine to Carry
- He Had a VoiceSome days shift quietly, with a single sentence. I remember coming into work years ago and being told that one of our clients had died. Was it true, I wondered.… Read more: He Had a Voice
- When an Emergency Becomes RoutineIt’s been 10 years since the opioid crisis was declared a public health emergency. I remember when that language first started being used, emergency. It implied urgency. At the time,… Read more: When an Emergency Becomes Routine
- Why “Just Quit” Isn’t a Real Question“Why don’t they just quit?” It’s a question that comes up often, especially as the crisis on our streets becomes more visible and more severe. But it assumes something that… Read more: Why “Just Quit” Isn’t a Real Question
- Living as a Grief WalkerThere are parts of this work that are hard. People expect that. They imagine the difficulty in broad terms. What is harder to convey is the accumulation, the steady and… Read more: Living as a Grief Walker
- More Than Their Worst DaySome days don’t announce themselves as important. They start like any other. I pulled up to work and saw small groups of people scattered around the neighbourhood, clients gathering in… Read more: More Than Their Worst Day
- Good Intentions Are Not a Clinical SkillNo one overdoses because staff did not care enough. That is a hard truth, but an important one. Over the years, I have worked in a range of settings and… Read more: Good Intentions Are Not a Clinical Skill
- When Caring Crosses a LineSometimes the hardest part of this work is not the overdose.It is not the pneumonia. It is not even the withdrawal. It is the moment you realize you have stepped… Read more: When Caring Crosses a Line
- The Quiet Work of TrustThis has been a busy week at work. The kind of week where there are so many moving pieces it feels like you are constantly carrying them, trying to make… Read more: The Quiet Work of Trust
- Why Some of Us Stay: A Decade in Difficult WorkThis work is hard. There is no soft way to say that. It is clinically complex, emotionally heavy, and often done in systems that are under-resourced and strained. I feel… Read more: Why Some of Us Stay: A Decade in Difficult Work
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