Geri Dornford
Counselor Advocate
Mississauga ,ON
Summary
Dedicated Counselor/Advocate with broad range of experience delivering comprehensive case management to residents in long-term facilities and social services programs. Highly accomplished in fostering meaningful relationships and developing effective short-term and long-term plans to achieve client goals. Complete understanding of complex considerations governing assessment and treatment.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Counselor Advocate
Embrave Agency to End Violence
Mississauga, ON
09.2013 - Current
- Assisted clients in developing healthy coping skills that could be used during times of stress or difficulty.
- Coached clients on how to manage emotions effectively while also teaching them how to recognize warning signs of distress before it becomes overwhelming.
- Provided individual and group counseling sessions for clients.
- Conducted mental health assessments with clients in order to determine appropriate interventions.
- Monitored clients' daily activities and responded appropriately when needed.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams, including psychiatrists, social workers, physicians, and other professionals.
- Participated in regular team meetings to discuss case management issues and plan services for clients.
- Provided individual and group counseling to guide clients in areas of social and emotional needs.
- Documented patient progress through counseling and interaction.
- Provided supervision and in-house activities to support program participants.
- Documented meetings, interventions and contacts with clients to optimize care.
- Identified clinical or case management needs to promote quality of care.
- Responded to crisis situations when severe mental health and behavioral issues arose.
- Listened to personal stories, asked probing questions and offered knowledgeable advice for different situations.
- Coordinated resources to support clients and help each achieve targets.
- Collaborated to set goals and outline steps to achieve objectives.
- Assisted clients with developing relevant skills to improve functionality in social, educational and vocational situations.
- Met with clients to understand individual needs and develop personalized counseling plans.
- Referred individuals to outside resources and services for additional support.
- Followed a feminist, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, disability justice, harm reduction framework to deliver optimum counseling meeting individual needs.
- Researched best practices in the field of counseling in order to stay current on evidence based treatments.
- Utilized creative approaches such as art therapy or music therapy when working with clients who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally.
- Cultivated interpersonal skills by building positive relationships with others.
- Exercised leadership capabilities by successfully motivating and inspiring others.
- Participated in team projects, demonstrating an ability to work collaboratively and effectively.
- Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions.
Early Childhood Educator Assistant
Rosethorn Elementary School
Etobicoke, ON
08.2018 - 09.2020
- Assisted teachers with documenting student progress using established assessment tools.
- Developed lesson plans that incorporate age-appropriate activities for pre-school aged children.
- Ensured compliance with all relevant regulations pertaining to health, safety, nutrition, and hygiene standards.
- Collaborated with parents and guardians regarding students' progress or behavioral issues.
- Provided feedback on student performance or behavior as requested by lead teacher.
- Assisted in maintaining accurate records of attendance, developmental milestones.
- Maintained safe, clean and constantly supervised play environment.
- Maintained clean, well-kept classroom to encourage children to create, explore and play with confidence.
- Assisted with or led story time by reading books to children.
- Assisted with implementation of approved lesson plans and daily classroom schedule.
- Supervised students outside classroom during recess, lunch and breaks.
- Created and assembled classroom displays and decorations.
- Attended in-services, workshops and seminars.
- Took class attendance and recorded absences.
- Assisted in preparing lesson materials and bulletin board displays.
- Kept track of teaching materials and regularly stocked school supplies.
- Supervised students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, gymnasiums and field trips.
- Organized and labeled student materials when setting up classrooms.
- Instructed students on usage and care of equipment to prevent injuries.
- Read stories, sang songs, played games, and assisted in crafts with groups of children.
- Supervised and monitored the safety of children in the classroom environment.
- Assisted teachers in preparing materials for classroom activities.
Business Manager
Geoponics Inc
Mississauga, ON
04.2004 - 09.2013
- Managed a team of staff members, providing guidance and direction to ensure successful completion of projects.
- Developed and implemented policies and procedures to improve operational efficiency.
- Conducted research on current industry trends to identify potential areas for improvement in business operations.
- Created presentations to present findings from market research activities to senior management team.
- Designed strategies for improving the quality of services provided by the organization.
- Reviewed existing contracts with vendors and suppliers to ensure compliance with company standards.
- Assessed employee performance evaluations and recommended changes or improvements as needed.
- Recommended process improvements that would reduce costs while increasing productivity.
- Negotiated pricing agreements with vendors and suppliers based on organizational needs.
- Prepared monthly financial statements for review by executive leadership team.
- Developed marketing plans for new products or services offered by the company.
- Drove high performance by developing team members.
- Developed strong supplier relationships by obtaining alignment and delivering on mutually established goals.
- Used excellent verbal skills to engage customers in conversation and effectively determine needs and requirements.
- Delegated work to staff, setting priorities and goals.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Psychology
University of New York
Manhattan High School Diploma -
Christopher Columbus H.S.
Bronx, NYSkills
- Client Advocacy
- Client Records Management
- Counseling
- Behavior Monitoring
- Solution-Focused Counseling
- Safety Planning
- Crisis Intervention
- Peer Counseling
- Client Counseling
- Superior Communication Skills
- Exceptional Problem Solver
- Community Resources Specialist
- Crisis Response
- Suicide Precautions Expertise
- Crisis Intervention Techniques
- Client Needs Assessment
- Social Work
- Database Management
- Needs Assessment
- Problem-Solving
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Good Telephone Etiquette
- PPE Compliance
- Written Communication
- Excellent Communication
- Data Entry
- Dependable and Responsible
- Community advocate
- Self-Motivated
- Multitasking Abilities
- Decision-Making
Accomplishments
- Effectively managed caseloads of more than 5 clients/ families at any given time.
- Keynote speaker at the Interim Place's “Gala” in March 2017.
- Keynote speaker at the Royal Bank of Canada 's “United Way Seminar ” in August 2018
- Keynote speaker at the LCBO's “United Way Seminar ” in August 2018.
- Keynote speaker at the Edward Jones's “United Way Seminar ” in September 2018.
- Recognized as Volunteer of the Decade for outstanding performance and team contributions as Resource Captain for The Peel Children Centre-Peel WrapAround Process
Certification
- First Aid, St. John's Ambulance - 2022
- Police Check and Vulnerability Check, October 2013
- ASIST (Suicide First Aid)
- Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
- Information, Referral and Communication Skills Training
- WHIMS
- Workplace Accessibility Certificate
- Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), Bill 168
- Crisis Services CRMS software
- Employment Standards, Human Rights Code
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Quote
If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.
Steve Jobs
Timeline
Early Childhood Educator Assistant
Rosethorn Elementary School
08.2018 - 09.2020
Counselor Advocate
Embrave Agency to End Violence
09.2013 - Current
Business Manager
Geoponics Inc
04.2004 - 09.2013
Bachelor of Science - Psychology
University of New York
High School Diploma -
Christopher Columbus H.S.
- First Aid, St. John's Ambulance - 2022
- Police Check and Vulnerability Check, October 2013
- ASIST (Suicide First Aid)
- Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
- Information, Referral and Communication Skills Training
- WHIMS
- Workplace Accessibility Certificate
- Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), Bill 168
- Crisis Services CRMS software
- Employment Standards, Human Rights Code
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