Social Work
What are the roles of social workers? They provide practical help to people facing difficult social issues such as family violence, grief, mental health, stress management, to name a few.
How do they do this? By enabling people to find their own solutions when they encounter these difficulties. The role of social workers is to accompany and help individuals resolve or prevent personal, family or social problems. They often work with the individual and their family, while collaborating with other professionals such as doctors, physiotherapists or occupational therapists.
Social workers are trained to understand the functioning and problems of society, as well as different human behaviors. Their strength lies in their ability to analyze complicated social situations and build adapted programs to help. They assist you identifying the source of stress or the origin of difficulties, strengthen your coping skills and find effective solutions to your problems.
Description from the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec.
What happens during an appointment?
Consultations are usually 50 minutes long and once a week, but can be bi-weekly. At an initial consultation, the professional will ask you questions about what brings you here and what you want to do next. Then, you explore the results you are looking for and how to know if there is improvement. Together, you choose one or a few elements to work on that are a priority for you. Some exercises to do at home may be recommended, or you may be guided to other resources in the community.
What is mental health?
Mental health is any health situation or condition that causes a person to experience psychological distress. Here are some examples: grief or loss of any kind, a separation, having to live with a precarious health diagnosis or a chronic illness, depressive or anxious symptoms, high stress, professional burnout, trauma, to name a few. All of these, and more, can affect our daily functioning and sometimes even give us dark thoughts. We must not stay alone with these difficulties. Support and concrete approaches are available to help you regain control of your life and stay on track.What is parent-adolescent conflict?
Parent-adolescent conflicts can occur within a family. These conflicts often arise from a breakdown in the positive bond or from communication difficulties. A social worker can analyze these dynamics and help family members rebuild positive ties.What is parental assistance?
Social workers can support parents in their parenting skills, in their relationship with their child, and in their hectic daily lives. The help social workers provide is designed to meet the needs of both child and parent in their social roles. After all, parents are essential pillars of a child’s development.What is a social role?
A social role is a role that comes with responsibilities to others or to society. For example, being an employee, being a student, being a parent, being a sibling, etc. These social roles can be difficult to carry and can weigh heavily on a person’s mental health. A social worker can help the person to juggle these social roles, so that he or she can better respond to them and create a balanced life.
Social workers qualities
Listening and communication skills to understand people’s problems and propose effective and concrete solutions.
Being open to others and respecting values. Part of their work is to examine social realities without judgement.
They are interested in defending human rights to better guide you.
Our professionnals
-
Nathalie LefebvreSocial Worker -
Mélanie RaymondSocial Worker, Psychotherapist -
Evgeni NedelchevSocial worker
Being also certified in trauma intervention as well as a few therapeutic approaches, she favors a solution-focused approach which highlights the strengths and tools people already have, but may not realize they have, to move through various life challenges. Seeing the capacity for people to rebound from difficult situations is ever inspiring.
In a society aimed at performance and consumption, social isolation is more present than ever, despite our many communication tools. Treating people with humanity and respect is her utmost priority, whatever the situation. Nathalie sees an adult clientele going through difficult situations such as losses/bereavement, symptoms of anxiety and depression, relationship difficulties, stress management and the capacity to adapt to changes. She supports people experiencing an acute period in their lives, so they may re-establish a balance and sense of control over their lives. Nathalie can also provide many community resources when needed.
To favor a better balance, she engages in activities with her dogs and other animal companions, practices meditation and gratitude, as well as enjoys walks in the forest.
Melanie’s clients include athletes of all levels, clients with persistent pain, people with depression, anxiety or relational issues and any person that is looking to make changes in the way they deal with life and difficulties in general.
In order to take care of her own mental and physical health, Melanie enjoys yoga and meditation daily. She also loves to read and even more to spend time with her family!
Evgeni Nedelchev
It comes as no surprise that Evgeni is passionate about intervention, helping relationships and mental health. He specializes in working with children/teenagers and their parents. His experience in the school system and with autistic clients gives him a gentle, comforting approach with children and teenagers. His work with complex traumas and behavioral disorders makes him highly versatile in his field of expertise. Social work enables him to help parents build solid pillars around their children.
As a hobby, Evgeni enjoys reading about various subjects such as giftedness, behavioral disorders and sexology. He also enjoys long walks and paddleboarding. He practices this sport on the region’s beautiful waterways.