SICKKIDS CENTRE FOR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH - Key Persons
Alice is a "retired" early childhood and adult educator who has had a lifelong fascination for why people do what they do and a belief that social and emotional awareness ( Mental Health) influences every part of our lives, including our physical health. This fascination led her to the Demartini Human Research and Education Institute where she studied the connections between mind, body, spirit and human growth and development.Alice sees Handle with Care as a way to continue her long time commitment to children and families through honoring each person for who they are, as they are; connecting at a deep level and working together building strong, healthy families who have the capacity to build strong, supportive communities where all can flourish.She has worked extensively with the Early Childhood Development Association of PEI whose Board of Directors and Executive Director have been champions in promoting the messages of Handle with Care to Educators, parents and caregivers they serve.
Job Titles:
- Co - Investigator of the Handle With Care Project
Bonnie Pape is the Co-Investigator of the Handle with Care Project. For Bonnie Pape, the Handle with Care Mental Health Promotion Consultant, Handle with Care combines the two key directions of her education and career. After starting as a teacher in pre-school and primary school, she became a specialist in theory and implementation of mental health policy and programs. As Director of Programs and Research at the National Office of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Bonnie worked for 19 years on national projects with a mental health promotion perspective. She partnered with Nancy Cohen in 2002 to design and develop the Handle with Care for early childhood educators and has continued to help shape the growth and evolution of Handle with Care to the present day. Bonnie holds master's degrees in both Education and Environmental Studies (Mental Health Policy).
Brian Kelly is a longtime resident of Woodstock, New Brunswick. Most of his career has focussed on inclusion and diversity within the education system. His earliest work was helping to close children institutions in Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the years he has worked with Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL), G. Allan Roeher Institute and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) to make our schools more inviting and responsive for all students. Recently he has taken a position as Student Services Coordinator for First Nations Education Initiative Incorporated (FNEII). Previously to that, Brian was the Director of Students Services for NB Department of E ducation and Early Childhood Development (EECD) for 10 years. Presently, he sits on several Assembly of First Nation (AFN) committees looking to reform education program and services for FN communities in Canada. Over the years Brian as a volunteer has been the chairman of a number of local community services such as Early Intervention and Community Residential Living Boards.
Donna Wiltshire has been with the WRHA Mental Health Promotion Team since 2012. She has a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Manitoba and a Masters Certificate of Project Management from the University of Winnipeg. Prior to this she worked for the River East Transcona School Division as a Community Programming Coordinator, Special Projects as the Project Manager of the Community Schools Partnership Initiative. She has extensive training and experience in the fields of early childhood, family support and engagement, community development and mental health promotion. Donna is also a Handle with Care Master Trainer.
Job Titles:
- Member of the National Team
- Co - Principal Investigator of the Handle With Care Project
Dr. Fataneh Farnia is the Co-Principal Investigator of the Handle with Care Project, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and one of the developers of the Handle with Care program designed to promote the mental health of infants and young children. Farnia is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, and an Adjunct lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. She has over two decades of experience conducting longitudinal research to investigate the early risk factors and adverse childhood experiences that may relate to later poor cognitive, language, social-emotional, and mental health outcomes. Her work focuses mainly on marginalized populations who live in socially and geographically isolated, hard-to-reach communities. Farnia is committed to evidence-based trauma-informed practices, quality improvement processes, and multi-disciplinary, interprofessional team efforts and collaborations. She is also a Registered Psychotherapist and sees children and youth (birth to 18-years-old), and their families.
Job Titles:
- Member of the National Team
- Co - Principal Investigator of the Handle With Care Project
Dr. Nancy Cohen is the Co-Principal Investigator of the Handle with Care Project and Director of Research at the SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health (formerly known as Hincks-Dellcrest Institute). She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Cohen is a researcher, clinician, and teacher who has written and spoken in areas related to child, adolescent and family mental health, attachment, language impairment, child and adolescent psychopathology and domestic and international adoption. She is one of the developers of the three Handle with Care programs designed to promote the mental health of infants and young children. Cohen has spoken and led workshops about children's mental health for parents, educators, frontline caregivers and mental health professionals. She has a part-time private practice where she sees children, adolescents and their families.
Eileen Conway-Martin lives in O'Leary, a rural area of Prince Edward Island. She has worked and studied in the areas of Counseling, Community Development, and Education, earning her Counseling Certification from Boston City Hospital and an M.Ed from Mount St. Vincent University. Initially, having begun in the area of Addictions, Eileen's counseling involved working with Women and their Families within the Boston area. In time she came to Prince Edward Island where her passion for Family and Early Childhood Development developed. In the mid 80's, an opportunity arose to work with the Mi'Kmaq Communities of PEI as a Counselor and Community Educator. Beginning with Lennox Island, over the last 30 years, Eileen has had the pleasure of working in partnership with all PEI Aboriginal Organizations. Now as a Facilitator with Handle with Care, Eileen continues to pursue her passion of hope, healing, and resiliency with children, families, and communities.
Julie Burdon is the Manger of the Prevention and Early Intervention Programs at the SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health, formerly the Hincks Dellcrest Centre. She has been a Manager with the Prevention Programs for over 20 years. Julie is a Registered Early Childhood Educator guiding a team of staff to provide innovative and meaningful programs to families and children in at risk neighbourhoods. Julie also manages an Ontario Early Years Centre and the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director With the Exploits Valley Community Coalition
Karen Kelly Beresford has been the Executive Director with the Exploits Valley Community Coalition (EVCC) in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland for the past 17 years. EVCC offers Family Resource Centres and Healthy Baby Clubs across the Exploits region of Newfoundland. She is also responsible for the day-to-day operations of a federally funded project that focuses on children and families through supportive programing and services by Community Action Program for Children and the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program.
Karen has a strong understanding of the determinants of health; the importance of community development; as well as trauma informed practices. Through her efforts in partnership development, she has steered EVCC to step ‘outside the box' and in many positive directions including social enterprise activities, research, mental health practices, parenting programs, training and prevention campaigns for FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) and the development of the Central Regional Housing Program for her community. She has held positions on committees locally, provincially and nationally.
Karen is a graduate from the Nova Scotia's teacher's college and has over 30 years experience in licensed preschool programs and child development services. She enjoys photography in her spare time and is always available to share in a good belly laugh.
Laura King lives in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia with her husband, their young son and chocolate lab. She is an Inclusion Coordinator at Allegro Childcare Centre, where she started her career in early childhood education in 2008. Laura has always had an interest in Mental Health and a passion to help others. She believes that a strong foundation and a support system are the best gifts we can give to children and families. Upon learning about Handle with Care, Laura felt the need to dive in, learn more and share with the province; Handle with Care has re-ignited her passion to support families and she feels privileged to be a part of this experience.
Laurie McPherson RPN MSc currently works as a private consultant in the areas of mental health promotion and well-being with a focus on supporting family well-being. Laurie's professional experiences include managing the Mental Health Promotion Program for the Winnipeg Health Region as well as several other roles within the Canadian Mental Health Association. Laurie is passionate about building capacity and creating opportunities for promoting positive mental health and well-being across multiple settings and in every stage of life. She is a Master Trainer for Handle with Care and is one of the original developers of the program. Laurie is especially rewarded by hearing how parents of young children benefit from developing a strong connection to their child through simple everyday interactions.
Leona Corniere is a Registered Psychologist in Whitehorse, Yukon. She works at the Child Development Centre, an early intervention program for preschool children and their families and has a private practice that includes school age children. Leona is currently on the Infant Mental Health Promotion Steering Committee and was a board member on the Northwest FASD Research Network, Yukon Council on Disabilities, Yukon Child Care Board, and Autism Yukon.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Director of ECDSS
Line is the founder and Director of ECDSS. She has a degree in Psychology and Sociology, a Masters in Family Ecology and Practice, and certification in Indigenous Early Childhood Development Leadership and Management. Line has over 30 years of teaching and facilitation experience and brings passion and energy to the field of early childhood. She sits on the Alberta Early Learning and Care Leader's Caucus, is a board member for Alberta Child Care Association, as well as Change for Children. Line has worked in the field of early childhood for the last 15 years and recently completed a 5 year research project aimed at creating a provincial baseline for how Alberta's young children were doing. (www.ecmap.ca) Fluent in French, she also provides workshops to the Francophone community and has done several keynote presentations across Canada.
Marcia Nickerson resides in Sackville, NS with her husband Anthony, her sons Kaelam and Aidan and her dog Piper. Marcia has been in the childcare field for over 25 years and has been the owner/operator of Allegro Child Care Centre Ltd since 1997. She has built a successful business by balancing her philosophies with solid business practices and childcare education. She has a passion and drives for providing quality care to all. Today she is excited to be introducing Nova Scotia to a new social and emotional program for the early years - Handle with Care.
Sherri has been involved with Handle with Care since it first began and was fortunate to be a contributor to the program for parents and caregivers. She has enjoyed creating activities and then seeing those activities inspiring parents and caregivers. She learned a great deal from seeing this project from the initial idea to rolling out across Canada. Sherri is a former Yukon team member who worked at the Child Development Centre and Yukon College who is now located just east of Edmonton. She is eager to see Handle with Care adopted by organizations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Sherri loves leading Facilitator Training sessions. Currently, Sherri is a consultant for a mental health project as well as a photographer. Sherri is loving her life with donkeys, goats and pets on her land.