Profile: Françoise Mathieu, MEd (1996)
Counselling Psychology
I am a certified mental health professional with a master's degree in counselling and a certification as a compassion fatigue specialist. My passion is working with health professionals who are seeking improved self-care and looking for new strategies to combat vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. I am the director of WHP, a consulting firm that specialises in offering workshops, consulting and counselling to helping professionals on topics related to self care, wellness and compassion fatigue.
After graduating from OISE, I worked as a crisis counsellor in a busy university counselling service for 7 years. It was a very challenging and demanding job and I learned a great deal about short term interventions and working with individuals who have suffered trauma. I also started organising professional development workshops in the community and training as a couples therapist. I opened a small private practice and worked at both private and university counselling services for a few years until my practice was busy enough for me to make the jump to full time self employment. I have a contract with Health Canada’s employee assistance program which offers counselling to military personnel and their spouses. I greatly enjoy working with military clients.
I now combine my busy practice with 3 days a week of Compassion Fatigue training to other helpers. I have found that the key to staying healthy in this challenging and rewarding field is to have a mix of direct client work and other pursuits such as teaching and designing training programs. For more information about myself, visit my website: www.compassionfatigue.ca