“They truly care about making a difference for the children and youth.”
“Throughout the duration of my time spent at The Sheltering Tree, I have had the opportunity to delve into various layers of who I am as a young woman entering the field as a Mental Health and Addictions Worker. Being a placement student with The Sheltering Tree, has provided me with the opportunity to gain skills, specific to their morals and values, which coincides with my own. There is nothing better than having the creative freedom of being able to contribute your own thoughts and ideas for upcoming events, presentations etc. During my time spent at The Sheltering Tree, I have had the privilege of being able to work with a wide-range of individuals who are evidently passionate about the work they do. This has been an interesting experience as everyone who I have worked with, has something different to contribute not only to the children and youth within our care, but to the staff, foster parents and placement students involved. Although I have only been affiliated with The Sheltering Tree for a short period of time, one of my proudest achievements would be building therapeutic relationships with the children and youth I have had the opportunity to work with. Coming to terms with the fact that I have the potential to change a young person’s life-while empowering the child/youth to do things to better themselves is a feeling that I can not put into words.
As previously mentioned, I have had the opportunity to work with a wide-range of the CYC’s within The Sheltering Tree. Through observation, I have been able to vicariously live out the expectations of each CYC and utilize different theoretical approaches they use, that work well for me. While working alongside with the CYC’s, it has been very insightful being able to see how they deal with certain obstacles while working 1:1 with the child/youth. This will allow me to develop my skills, which will inevitably make me a more knowledgeable candidate for the helping profession.
During my time spent at The Sheltering Tree, it was a lot different than what I expected. Due to the agency being relatively new to Peterborough and the surrounding area, I didn’t know much about it until I did my own research. I am very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to do my placement here. I believe this is a is a great opportunity to flourish, prepare and navigate different therapeutic approaches to use now and in future endeavours. I pride myself in the efforts I have made to better myself throughout this journey by asking questions, taking the initiative to research as well as utilizing observation skills.
I am grateful to say, I am just one of the many leaves of a rooted tree-The Sheltering Tree.”