Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Specialized Course Work
Accomplishments
Citizenship
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Brittany Wagner

Edmonton,Canada

Overview

13
13
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Climbing Therapy for Kids with ADHD

Self-Employed
07.2023 - Current
  • Positive strengths-based therapeutic climbing sessions for neurodivergent adolescents
  • Support children and adolescents in building self-esteem, emotional regulation skills, focus, frustration tolerance, planning, prioritizing, maintaining friendships, motor skills and more! Established and manage a specialized program in collaboration with The Institute of Climbing Therapy located in Germany.

Teachers Pet Math Tutor

Val Spak
09.2020 - Current
  • Population: in-home private tutoring, teens involved in the forensic adolescent program within AHS and group homes.
  • Used variety of teaching methods, behavioral management and emotional regulation strategies to successfully help wide range of students.
  • Developed positive relationships with students and parents, fostering open communication about progress and areas for growth.
  • Build students confidence, self-esteem and emotional regulation strategies
  • Adapted instructional methods to address unique learning needs.
  • Evaluated student progress regularly through assessments, modifying instruction as needed to address gaps in understanding or mastery.
  • Supported students in development of critical thinking skills and perseverance to persist with challenging tasks.
  • Empowered students to take ownership of their learning by setting achievable goals and tracking progress over time.
  • Used positive reinforcement, repetition, and review to help students master challenging material.
  • Collaborated with teachers to align tutoring strategies with classroom instruction for seamless reinforcement of key concepts.
  • Analyze and maintain records of students’ progress to teach individual needs

Connelly Counselling Services Student Counsellor

Susan Connelly
10.2022 - 04.2023
  • Provided counseling services for families, youth and individuals.
  • Theoretical interventions implemented: play therapy, narrative therapy, ACT, and CBT.
  • Presenting Problems: self harm, anxiety, behavior management, depression, family dynamics.
  • Cultivated interpersonal skills by building positive relationships with others.
  • Used strong analytical and problem-solving skills to develop effective solutions for challenging situations.
  • Provided professional services and support in a dynamic work environment.
  • Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects.

Chrysalis Anti-Human Trafficking Network Support Line

Jacqui Linder
06.2021 - 11.2022
  • Crisis line service for people who have been trafficked for sexual or labour purposes.
  • Answer calls from individuals who are in distress, supporting them through crisis.
  • Stayed current on industry trends and best practices by attending conferences, workshops, and other professional development opportunities.
  • Demonstrated a high level of initiative and creativity while tackling difficult tasks.
  • Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions.

Special Needs Assistant

Private Client
09.2017 - 08.2020
  • Providing supervision to a 4 year old child with autism and a 7 year old.
  • Developing and implementing strategies to support healthy development.
  • Implement positive behavior and emotion regulation strategies to help facilitate the child in a healthy and balanced way.
  • Incorporating a variety of learning strategies to help educate the child.
  • Developed strong rapport with each child through empathy, patience, and understanding of their unique challenges and strengths.

Climbing Instructor

Vertically Inclined
03.2019 - 06.2020
  • Worked with groups of students teaching about safety and teamwork, while engaging with them in a fun and professional manner.
  • Provided supervision and leadership to large groups of individuals, noting safety concerns.
  • Exercised leadership capabilities by successfully motivating and inspiring others.
  • Ran semester programs, implemented and taught rock climbing skills to children and adults, portraying enthusiasm towards rock climbing.
  • Assisted students in developing self-advocacy and support skills.
  • Increased participant confidence levels by creating a supportive, inclusive environment where climbers could comfortably challenge themselves.
  • Attending to injuries, public relations.
  • Reduced incidents of injury through vigilant supervision during climbs, swift intervention when necessary, and thorough debriefing sessions for learning purposes.

Centre Director

Sylvan Learning Centre
01.2018 - 03.2019
  • Testing and enrolling new students
  • Meeting with parents to review student progress
  • Checking and updating educational programs
  • Writing progress reports
  • Contacting school representatives to discuss student progress
  • Recording and tracking centre performance statistics
  • Meeting monthly sale target goals
  • Scheduling students and teaching staff
  • Teaching students.
  • Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.
  • Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects.
  • Gained strong leadership skills by managing projects from start to finish.

Reading Coordinator

Frontier College
01.2016 - 06.2017
  • Coordinate and provide leadership to Frontier College and the reading program for five schools in consultation with Regional Coordinator.
  • Represent Frontier College at the five schools and act as a liaison between Frontier College and the schools.
  • Implement a high quality literacy program by supervising and managing a team of volunteers and interns to read with children.
  • Sustain, monitor and evaluate the reading program.
  • Implement volunteer management policies and practices.
  • Read one-on-one with children with an aim to improve their reading, comprehension and writing skills.
  • Conduct reading assessments and evaluations to determine and track learner progress.
  • Perform administrative tasks as required.
  • Manage attendance and expenses for the program.

Summer Camp Coordinator

Frontier College
07.2016 - 08.2016
  • Designed, developed and implemented literacy based programs of interests and themes that encourage positive interactions and friendships among campers and promote exploring their community to three different schools.
  • Main focus is on First Nation students.
  • Coordinate activities of the literacy camps in varying schools.
  • Implement activities on a day to day basis overseeing the performance of volunteers and junior camp counselors
  • Sustain, monitor and evaluate the reading and writing literacy component.
  • Implement volunteer management policies and practices
  • Supervise children within the camps.
  • Provided supervision and leadership for a group of campers from grades 2-6.
  • Worked with peers to lead campers in recreational, leisure and skill development activities.

Holistic Health Counselor

Self-employeed
01.2012 - 02.2014
  • Offered bio-energy medicine sessions: acupressure, heat therapy, body/organ alignment, stress management, counseling services, and emotional regulation strategies.
  • Created assessments for each client.
  • Created and maintained updated client history list.
  • Empowered individuals with chronic conditions by providing tailored support strategies designed to improve quality of life.
  • Championed mental well-being alongside physical health as a key component towards achieving optimal wellness.
  • Influenced positive behavior change among clients by utilizing motivational interviewing techniques during consultations.
  • Improved client outcomes by consistently monitoring progress and adjusting treatment plans accordingly.
  • Met with patients to discuss medical histories and current complaints.

Grade 7, 8, 9 Math and Grammar Teacher

Headway School
09.2010 - 06.2011
  • Designed and taught well-organized lessons to grade 7, 8, 9 in both grammar and math coordinating it with the current Alberta curriculum
  • Assisted in creating a safe and nurturing classroom environment that promoted emotional well-being and academic growth for all students.
  • Helped students explore concepts with engaging, learning-focused activities.
  • Increased educational expertise and knowledge by participating in instructor-oriented workshops.
  • Participated in parent teacher conference to discuss developments of students and increase support.
  • Kept students on-task with proactive behavior modification and positive reinforcement strategies.
  • Incorporated multiple types of teaching strategies into classroom.
  • Implemented behavior modification strategies, resulting in improved self-regulation and classroom participation among students.
  • Enhanced classroom engagement through the use of interactive teaching methods, such as group projects and hands-on activities.
  • Designed detailed learning plans for struggling students based on test, homework and assignment records.
  • Completed student progress reports mid-term to notify students and parents of strengths and areas of improvement.
  • Shifted between formal and informal methods of teaching to keep students engaged.
  • Scheduled conferences with parents to discuss students' progress and classroom behavior.
  • Enhanced learning experiences by incorporating specialized tools and resources tailored to the needs of special education students.

Education

Master of Counselling -

University of Seattle
01.2024

Bachelor of Education -

University of Alberta
01.2010

Bachelor of Science -

University of Lethbridge
01.2008

Skills

    ● More than five years of professional experience teaching, coaching, and leading youth

    ● Successful work with teens and adults in one-on-one and group settings

    ● Strong communication skills; effective listener

    ● Well-developed observational abilities, with demonstrated supportive counseling techniques

    ● Experience with diverse cultures including First Nation students

Specialized Course Work

  • CPC 510, Professional Ethics and Law, The professional practice of psychology and counselling centres on thinking, questioning, and decision-making. This course provides a comprehensive investigation of ethical, practice and legal codes and issues as they relate to the development of a professional identity. Areas of focus include multicultural issues, responsibilities and liabilities, confidentiality and its limits, duty to warn, and dual relationships. A differentiation will be made between the regulatory process that protects the public interest and the collegial association process that promotes self-interest and the profession.
  • CPC 511, Psychology of Loss and Grief, The Psychology of Loss and Grief course presents the holistic experience of loss, the varied presentations of the resulting grief and models of understanding and working with bereavement. Students will acquire knowledge, clinical skills and personal understanding of working with people who have experienced a loss, from the perspective of the individual, as well as the macrocosm of the family, culture, religion, etc. Prerequisites: Admission to the Master of Counselling program.
  • CPC 512, Family Systems Therapy, This course introduces systemic thinking and a variety of Family Therapy theories and interventions. Students explore the history of Family Therapy, the Feminist Critique, Post-Modern Theories, Neurobiological Research, and the new evidence based models of Family Therapy.
  • CPC 513, Brief Therapy Models, This course provides an overview of the common factors inherent in all effective psychotherapy, and provides skill development in how to plan treatment that is time-sensitive, pragmatic, and outcome-focused.
  • CPC 523, Psychology of Sexuality and Human Development, Developmental psychology describes emotional, cognitive, behavioral, relational, social, and cultural change as a function of age and the passage of time. Important aspects of psychological potential and psychological distress can be understood in the context of individual, family, community, and cultural development. This course reviews the dominant theories that have structured the psychology of human development. It enlarges the focus of inquiry to include class, culture, gender, age and sexuality. Students will explore how a developmental perspective informs clinical practice.
  • CPC 526, Counselling Psychology Theory, This course provides an orientation on how to approach and use theory in the practice of counselling psychology, reviews a number of current issues in counselling and psychotherapy, and introduces students to both classical and contemporary models of counselling and psychotherapy. Once students acquire these competencies, they will be able to form an initial, critically informed personal theory of counselling. Course delivery will be via lecture, demonstration (live and videotape), in- class skill practice, and feedback.
  • CPC 529, Psychology of Addictions, This course seeks to comprehend the phenomenon predominantly described as “addiction”, exploring and critically examining this phenomenon from multiple perspectives. This course places special emphasis on compassionate, collaborative, practices of engagement with what may be considered the clinically significant distress of others. This course explores, and critically evaluates, a range of frameworks, models, metaphors and theories seeking to make sense of the etiology of substance use, misuse and abuse within the context of the person’s life and relationships. This course critically examines predominant and conventional ways in which “addiction” is understood, proposing and examining alternative ways of understanding the meanings people attach to the phenomenon of the “addiction” experiences. The course presents a sociological overview of the history regarding the social construction of what makes a drug licit or illicit, and examines associated outcomes.
  • CPC 527, Group Counselling Psychology, This course provides an experiential group counselling laboratory in which students learn group process theory and skills by participating as both members and as leaders. Students will explore the application of various group approaches to specific client populations and clinical settings.
  • CPC 556, Assessment in Counselling Psychology, This course presents a survey of assessment techniques and instruments called upon in the practice of counselling psychology. These include testing for personality, intelligence, achievement, interest, aptitude. Students learn to incorporate test and interview results into written reports, conduct mental status examinations, perform assessment interviews, write detailed case conceptualization reports integrating quantitative and qualitative results, and engage in the practice of risk-assessments (i.e. self-harm and suicide).
  • CPC 600, Child and Adolescent Counselling, An intense exploration of approaches to working with children and adolescents in therapy, this course emphasizes methods of integrating and applying systemic, developmental, and individual theories. Topics include: behavior problems, violence, drug and alcohol problems, school problems, suicide assessment, and family issues.
  • CPC 606, Couples Counselling, This course exposes students to the dynamics of couple relationships, potential issues, treatment approaches, and counselling techniques.
  • CPC 695, Counselling Psychology – Research Project, This course builds on the students overall academic work and introduces the steps of producing a major scholarly document. It is designed to support students in demonstrating familiarity with theories, issues, and problems in counselling psychology research. The final scholarly research document will create the opportunity for the student to critically examine their philosophy of counselling, explore their sense of self as a therapist, research and critique a pertinent counselling issue or topic in depth, and propose and describe critical aspects of a research methodology appropriate for further research in this area. The course outcome is a research project (of 35+ pages that includes all aspects of the design, execution and analysis of research using accepted methodology).
  • CPC 633, Internship, Students will arrange clinical internships at local agencies or other approved settings, and deliver counselling services under the supervision of the internship site and the City U Internship Coordinator. This course serves as a vehicle for documentation of internship hours, intern evaluations, and supervisory evaluations. This course is repeated until all 250 required client contact hours and 50 site supervision hours are completed.
  • CPC 654, Practicum I: Case Conceptualization & Counselling Psychology Treatment, The Practicum courses provide clinical experience and professional supervision beyond the student’s internship setting. Students will have the opportunity to participate in group supervision, discuss internship issues, journal their client contact therapy work, and conduct professional clinical case presentations. Prerequisites: The student must have successfully completed Comprehensive Exams.
  • CPC 655, Practicum II: Ethical Issues in Counselling Psychology Practice, The Practicum courses provide clinical experience and professional supervision beyond the student’s internship setting. Students will have the opportunity to participate in group supervision, discuss internship issues, journal their client contact therapy work, and conduct professional clinical case presentations. Prerequisites: CPC 654.

Accomplishments

  • First Aid CPR Level C-AED
  • EDFX 490: Global Citizenship Field Experience in Ghana

Citizenship

Canadian

Certification

● Empowerment Now: 2010 - 2020

- Bio-Energy Medicine

- Sentient Arts Therapy

- Non-Verbal Communications Diploma

- Group Facilitation



Timeline

Climbing Therapy for Kids with ADHD

Self-Employed
07.2023 - Current

Connelly Counselling Services Student Counsellor

Susan Connelly
10.2022 - 04.2023

Chrysalis Anti-Human Trafficking Network Support Line

Jacqui Linder
06.2021 - 11.2022

Teachers Pet Math Tutor

Val Spak
09.2020 - Current

Climbing Instructor

Vertically Inclined
03.2019 - 06.2020

Centre Director

Sylvan Learning Centre
01.2018 - 03.2019

Special Needs Assistant

Private Client
09.2017 - 08.2020

Summer Camp Coordinator

Frontier College
07.2016 - 08.2016

Reading Coordinator

Frontier College
01.2016 - 06.2017

Holistic Health Counselor

Self-employeed
01.2012 - 02.2014

Grade 7, 8, 9 Math and Grammar Teacher

Headway School
09.2010 - 06.2011

Master of Counselling -

University of Seattle

Bachelor of Education -

University of Alberta

Bachelor of Science -

University of Lethbridge
Brittany Wagner