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Meet our Team

Welcome to a safe space to learn, grow and feel supported.
Our team of professionals look beyond the labels and work with you as an individual; supporting mind, body and soul.

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Jennifer Avery

Family Support Counsellor

and Founder

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Allison Lavigne

Clinical Social Worker

(MSW, RSW)

Weʼre excited to be adding a Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor to our

team in the coming weeks, check back later for more info on these members as they join our team

OUR TEAM IS GROWING

COMING SOON:

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Charlie

Therapy Dog in training

 (joining the team in 2022)

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Yoga Instructor

Helping you re-connect with your body, mind and soul

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Nutritionist

Helping you make choices that promote total health

More about our professionals

Who you choose to work with matters. Our team of professionals have years of experience and unique perspectives that help our clients feel at ease.

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Jennifer LeClair Avery

Founder | Family Support Counsellor

“My specialty is the prevention and maintenance of addictions, behavioural disorders, and issues related to self-esteem in families and young adults.”

Hello I’m Jen, I have been a consultant and educator in the field of personal development for over 25 years. I’ve had the honour of working with youth, young adults and parents in both individual and group settings for the majority of my career; supporting them through the challenging effects of low self-esteem and ongoing behavioural problems that have left them and their families feeling otherwise isolated, frustrated, scared and without options.

 

My life’s work has always been about empowering and building confidence in others, it’s a job I take seriously both as a professional and as a full-time single mom. Many of the parents I work with appreciate my ability to empathize with what we lovingly call “controlled chaos” in our respective family systems. It’s this first-hand experience learned as a mother that allows me to foster the same kind of compassionate, supportive and non-judgemental communication styles in our work together. I can relate with the complexity, the fatigue and the occasional feelings of powerlessness that come with being part of a family navigating challenges together. I’ve walked this journey from ‘episodes, binges and outbursts’ to ‘coping, managing and preventing’–you are not alone here.

 

As a Family Support Counsellor I “hold space” for others while guiding them towards adopting new ways of managing setbacks, overcoming obstacles and rebuilding their self-worth. I’m fortunate to say that over the course of my career as a consultant, educator and recent member of the Canadian Addictions Counsellor Certification Federation (CACCF) I’ve also had the opportunity to lead teams towards developing new curriculums, support programs and updated strategies designed specifically for parents, young women, at-risk-youth. This multidisciplinary (and expert-backed) approach allows us to work through the tough stuff together –affording you and those you love a new sense of control, healthier options and entirely new trajectories in life.

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Allison Lavigne

Clinical Social Worker (MSW, RSW)

Allison is a keystone member of our team who focuses on helping move our clients through the effects of trauma and has been an active voice for advocacy in underserved communities.

Allison is a licensed, registered Clinical Social Worker who counsels individuals(+18yrs) and couples.  From a relational and humanitarian perspective, she has varied experience with interpersonal relationship issues, identity crisis, grief and loss, trauma, addictions, meaning-making, and psychiatric illnesses.

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Over the years, as an avid client-centred and strengths-based practitioner, Allison has worked extensively in the field of advocacy, harm reduction and community health development. For the last decade, she has gained extensive knowledge of counselling at an international level in Burundi and Rwanda, and at a national level in the Downtown East Side of Vancouver and Ottawa. Allison has conducted her private practice while working out of the Centre for Childhood Sexual Abuse and Trauma and the Centre for Interpersonal Relationships in Ottawa over the past five years.

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Allison supports Healthy Routes initiatives, like the girlsCHAT program, as a proactive approach to improving life skills that can soften the ‘crashes’ that youth might face during their turbulent transition into adulthood.  A strong foundation in mental self-care, resiliency and communication developed in a supportive environment can encourage habits that mediate the uncertainty of the future.

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For these reasons, Allison has seen the value in volunteering her time to review and contribute to the direction of the programming from the beginning and will continue to offer suggestions and revisions as the program continues to grow.

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Jen Avery
Allison Lavigne
Recruitment

Our team is growing; do you have something to add? 

If you are a specialist, coach or advisor in an area that our clients (youth, young adults, parents and families) can benefit from having access to please contact us and tell us why you’d like to see your services added to our curriculums or offerings. 

ETHICS & DISCLAIMER: 

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All members of our team take privacy, confidentially and your well being very seriously. At any point during our treatment if we feel your needs extend those that our team members are able to provide safely we may recommend seeking additional/alternative solutions; some of which can be found on our Resources page.  For more information on practice limitations please visit our Privacy & Disclaimer page.

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