Hi everyone, my name is Rosalyn Kieft, and I’m the new Team Lead for Clinical Consultation & Wellness! I feel quite excited about these new positions, with a little dash of anxiety (imposter syndrome anyone?). My hope is that I can create opportunities for knowledge-sharing within and outside of the Centre, and help our team members stay mindful of their burnout and overall wellness.

Over the past ten years, I’ve had personal experiences with burnout and vicarious trauma, and attended a variety of trainings in this area for support and resources. I’m very passionate about providing both new and seasoned clinicians with education & resources to prevent and cope with burnout and vicarious trauma. We have the privilege of providing high-level treatment to folks who are experiencing very complex and challenging symptoms; with this privilege, there is also the risk of experiencing our own challenges with empathic strain, burnout, and vicarious trauma. I feel it’s so important that we as therapists also engage in our own therapy, and keep a close eye on our own emotional & mental health. I’m very excited to support my colleagues at a personal and organizational level to maintain wellness.

Heading up the team lead role for clinical consultation is also connected to the health of our team members. A wise supervisor once told me that taking a break/vacation or engaging in training provide similar relief from burnout, and so this opportunity allows for some balance in our clinicians’ schedules. In addition to individual and group therapy, we will be joining Dr. Federici and other team members in providing additional consultation and trainings both internally and externally to the Centre. With many therapeutic interventions becoming more accessible virtually, we also have the opportunity to now create an avenue for us to share our knowledge and expertise with our local and global communities. I feel strongly that it’s so important that we share our knowledge freely with other experts in the field, so that we can continue to help and support as many folks as possible. 

Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about therapist mental health, or how you can support your workplace to learn more about decreasing burnout!