Layna Aschenmeier
Edmonton,AB
Summary
- Layna is a Métis woman of Nehiyaw, Michif, and settler ancestry. She holds a Master's Degree in Social Work, specializing in Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency, and is a Registered Social Worker in the province of Alberta.
- She has over twenty four years of professional experience working in a variety of settings.
- She centres anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and decolonizing approaches in her professional practice and is a strong advocate for systemic change to support increased health equity and optimized health outcomes for all populations.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Clinical Practice Lead
Alberta Health Services, Royal Alexandra Hospital
05.2024 - Current
- Assist in the comprehensive assessment of complex patient circumstances, supporting frontline and managerial staff in the development of disposition plans to help facilitate patient flow and optimize patient outcomes
- Facilitate and support collaborative conversations with multi-sectoral healthcare providers and community partners to support the mobilization of resources and safe disposition planning for patients with complex health and social needs
- As part of a leadership team contribute to strategic planning that supports broader policy and systemic change that addresses gaps in care for vulnerable patient populations
- Support the mentorship of a large team of Social Work staff at a fast-paced acute-care site, providing practice advise regarding standards of practice and guidance on best practices that aligns with trends and changes within the Social Work field at the zone and provincial levels
Social Worker II
Alberta Health Services
02.2007 - Current
- I currently hold a permanent, part-time position at the University of Alberta Emergency Department.
- Throughout this period of employment I have supported a wide variety of programs within healthcare, inclusive of pediatric, Home Care and outpatient settings.
- My role often involves addressing complex family dynamics and supporting families to make very difficult, life-altering decisions.
- My practice focuses extensively on supporting patients in the areas of addictions, mental health and sectors that experience disadvantaged social determinants of health, specializing in supports for houseless patients in an inner-city setting.
- Core competencies in this role include: advanced resource counselling and problem-solving skills, systems navigation skills and strong communication skills.
President
Larry Tourangeau Healing Society
01.2021 - Current
- This Society was formed by a group of helping professionals and cultural mentors in response to observations of continued systemic barriers faced by the Indigenous community of Amiskwaciwâskahikan.
- Our goal is to develop meaningful programming to help eradicate the continued oppression and colonial violence faced by Indigenous communities.
- Current projects include: Reclaiming Slate: Shifting the Perspective on MMIR and the Legacy of Residential Schools, which is a community-involved, expressive-arts project that teaches about the intersectionality between the difficult history and realities of Residential Schools and the ongoing genocide of Indigenous persons.
- Past projects of the Society, include the program: Coming Together: Building and Maintaining Cultural Connections, which focused on promoting and sharing cultural activities that featured Indigenous traditional art-making and musical practices with urban and rural populations that have barriers to accessing support.
Manager of Operations
Edmonton Heyoka Healing Society
09.2020 - Current
- My responsibilities with this Society is to assist as a ᐅᐢᑳᐯᐃᐧᐢ oskâpêwis/Elder's helper with the management and administration of large projects and core programming that aims to ameliorate and extinguish disadvantaged determinants of health for Indigenous persons in Amiskwaciwâskahikan and surrounding areas.
- These responsibilities include the overseeing of payroll, grant administration and bookkeeping.
- I also directly supervise the helping professionals that work within the programs.
- This role often involves coordinating and leading key stakeholder meetings with government officials and program leadership at municipal, provincial, and federal levels of engagement, inclusive of healthcare administration, the MMIW Secretariat, Indigenous Services Canada, and the Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) department.
- I have a focus and passion for delivering programs, in particular, that target the ongoing factors that contribute to the genocide of Indigenous womenfolk.
- Past projects include the delivery of the first film festival devoted entirely to honouring and elevating the stories of Indigenous community members that have been impacted by the MMIWG2S+ crisis, entitled Silent No More Film Festival, held in May 2024 at the Edmonton Public Library.
Mental Health Counsellor (Contract)
Enoch Health Centre
06.2020 - Current
- In my role as an Indigenous wellness counsellor I provide trauma-focused supports to community members from the Enoch Cree Nation.
Mental Health Counsellor
Layna Aschenmeier Counselling Services
01.2014 - Current
- In my part-time private practice I provide therapeutic services to both adults and children, focusing on the application of body-centred therapies, utilizing neurodevelopmental and somatic lenses.
- I prioritize services for Indigenous peoples and strive to provide culturally sensitive interventions that are supported by my own spiritual values and cultural practices as a Métis woman.
- I specialize in assisting individuals who have been negatively impacted by intergenerational trauma, including sexual, domestic, and colonial violence.
- As part of my private practice I provide counselling services to Indigenous students and staff at the University of Alberta as part of the employee and family assistance program through Homewood Health.
Counsellor, Group Facilitator
Aboriginal Counseling
09.2013 - 02.2021
- I helped facilitate a psychoeducational group that aimed to assist women to lead a violence-free life.
- In addition, at this agency I provided supportive counselling to children who have experienced trauma, as part of an early intervention program, and a 13-week, neurodevelopmental screening program.
- Within this role I worked primarily with Indigenous children, residing in foster and adoptive care, both on-reserve and in urban placements.
Family Services Worker
FACS (Family and Children Services) Niagara
09.2009 - 08.2010
- My focus as a Child Protection Worker was to assist families utilizing a strength-based approach to address risk factors that impacted the safety of their children.
- Necessitating significant engagement and assessment skills, problem-solving and case-planning was an integral part of my work, as well as extensive collaboration with community agencies.
Child Protection Worker
Department of Child and Family Services
11.2000 - 02.2007
- Employed as a Child Protection Worker my role focused on assisting families to address factors that placed their children's health and safety at risk.
- Services provided focused on conflict resolution and mediation, connecting families to community resources, skill development, counselling support, crisis management and education
- As part of my time with this department, I worked within the Native Services Multi-Services Team in Calgary, AB and was involved in repatriation work with various First Nations communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to support the return of Indigenous children that had been removed from their home communities.
Community Support Worker
Canadian Mental Health
01.2000 - 11.2000
- My area of focus in this role was to assist individuals with an identified mental health condition to successfully live independently in the community.
- In this role, I assisted in managing a transition house for men and women that were discharged from the hospital.
Family Support Worker
Family Ties
01.2000 - 11.2000
- I worked as a Family Support Worker and a Youth Worker, with the goal of improving family and individual functioning in at-risk environments.
Personal Care Aide
We Care
01.2000 - 11.2000
- In this role, I supported seniors in their home with their healthcare needs.
Personal Care Aide
The Good Samaritan Society
09.1999 - 09.2000
- I was employed supporting individuals with an identified developmental delay and provided in-home support to assist with their daily living.
- I worked in a variety of group home settings, supporting many different individuals who required individualized behavioural and medical support.
Personal Care Aide
Blue Heron Support Services
06.1997 - 09.1997
- I was employed as a support worker for individuals with intellectual, physical, and developmental delays, working within their homes providing personal care and behavioural support.
Education
Master of Social Work (MSW) - Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON01-2018
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) -
University of Calgary
Calgary, AB01-2000
Bachelor of Arts Program - Political Science, English
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB01-1998
Skills
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Training and mentoring
- Engagement with diverse stakeholders
- Creativity and innovation
- Critical thinking and clinical reasoning
- Effective communication
- Strategic planning
- Advanced problem-solving skills
Additional Professional Education And Training
- Basic Life Support (BLS) - CPR Heart and Stroke Foundation
- Bodynamics Practitioner Training
- ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Suicide Training
- Rocky Mountain Play Therapy Institute: Foundation of Play Therapy
- Theraplay, Level 1 Certificate
- Rocky Mountain Play Therapy Institute: Certificate in Treatment of Trauma using Play Therapy Skills and Techniques
- Child Trauma Academy, Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics Certification Program
- Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Somatic Experiencing Training Program,
- DARe (Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning Experience) Training,
- Self-Regulation Therapy Foundation Training: CFTRE (Canadian Foundation for Trauma Research and Education)
Timeline
Clinical Practice Lead
Alberta Health Services, Royal Alexandra Hospital
05.2024 - Current
President
Larry Tourangeau Healing Society
01.2021 - Current
Manager of Operations
Edmonton Heyoka Healing Society
09.2020 - Current
Mental Health Counsellor (Contract)
Enoch Health Centre
06.2020 - Current
Mental Health Counsellor
Layna Aschenmeier Counselling Services
01.2014 - Current
Counsellor, Group Facilitator
Aboriginal Counseling
09.2013 - 02.2021
Family Services Worker
FACS (Family and Children Services) Niagara
09.2009 - 08.2010
Social Worker II
Alberta Health Services
02.2007 - Current
Child Protection Worker
Department of Child and Family Services
11.2000 - 02.2007
Community Support Worker
Canadian Mental Health
01.2000 - 11.2000
Family Support Worker
Family Ties
01.2000 - 11.2000
Personal Care Aide
We Care
01.2000 - 11.2000
Personal Care Aide
The Good Samaritan Society
09.1999 - 09.2000
Personal Care Aide
Blue Heron Support Services
06.1997 - 09.1997
Master of Social Work (MSW) - Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency
University of Toronto
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) -
University of Calgary
Bachelor of Arts Program - Political Science, English
University of Alberta