Melissa Lindstrom

Experience

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  Children's Aid Society

  Sept 2013 - Feb 2014

  Child Protection Worker - Practicum

  -Attending client homes and completing risk assessments within the Child and Family Services Act-Case management skills-Facilitating referrals to supportive services

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  My Friends House Family and Children's Services

  Jan 2014 - Aug 2015

  Outreach Counsellor and Transitional Support - Practicum

  Student placement position at a Women and Children’s shelter. Worked under the supervision of the outreach worker and legal advocate. Position included attending Domestic Assault Review Team meetings, and Legal Advocate meetings. Attended court on a weekly basis to provide support for women. Also included co-facilitating psycho- educational groups for women, which included creating lesson plans and teaching women certain tools to help them through the recovery process. Contributed to a newsletter distributed by the Violence Against Women Coordinating Committee regarding technology safety, as well as a brochure that will be published and distributed at My Friend’s House. Second placement experience at My Friend’s House included working independently with women to provide support services. Support services included crisis counseling, completing affidavits and various legal forms, filling out criminal injuries compensation paperwork in a therapeutic manner. Time spent at this agency also involved creating presentations about domestic violence and shelter services, and then presenting to new mothers through the mother care program as well as medical professionals through the ROMP program. Show less

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  Family Services of Peel

  Oct 2015 - Nov 2016

  Social Worker-Partner Assault Response Team

  Position includes performing PAR program intakes and assessments. Attending court weekly as a PAR program representative, which includes working with the Victim Witness Assistant Program and Domestic Crown Attorneys. Includes occasionally working with aggressive behaviours and complex mental health diagnosis’. Position also entails doing short-term VAW counselling with the partners of the clients in the PAR program. VAW counselling includes safety planning, and helping women create an escape plan and putting supports in place through the use of community referrals. Involved co-facilitating the New Beginnings women's group for female survivors of violence. Position also includes doing monthly and quarterly statistics. Show less

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  IBI Behavioural Services

  Oct 2016 - Dec 2018

  Behaviour Therapist

  -Developed and implemented individual and group evidence-based cognitivebehavioural therapy treatment materials for children with dual diagnosis disorders.-Designed and implemented behavioural interventions to effectively reducechallenging behaviours.-Provided solution-focused support to families.-Worked within an interdisciplinary team to make treatment recommendations forchildren on the Autism Spectrum.

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  Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care

  Dec 2018 - now

  Registered Social Worker/CBT Therapist/Clinical Access Coordinator

  -Provide structured CBT based Psychotherapy to individuals dealing with moderate to severe mood disorders within the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy program-Provide evidence-based trauma treatment (Cognitive Processing Therapy) to individuals diagnosed with PTSD sub-type Criterion A. -Lead and develop resources and templates to better provide training and support tonew team members at Waypoint as well as to OSPP community partners.-Design new system processes to increase efficiency, efficacy, and standardization ofintake triage and clinical assessment processes to meet project needs as per ministrystandards.-Assess and triage using the Diagnostic ResearchAssessment Tool and other diagnostic specific tools, to provide a diagnostic impression.-Using diagnostic impressions to determine program suitability and provide clinicaltreatment recommendations in line with the long-term goal of a stepped to caremodel.-Increasing partnerships with community agencies such as counselling organizationsand hospitals in the North Simcoe Muskoka region-Reduced wait times by 85% to increase access to Waypoint Services bycollaboratively working with the clinical access coordination team.-Worked with an interdisciplinary team to coordinate treatment plans, recommendalternative treatment, and act as a resource to community providers to ensure that theclient is receiving the best level of care.-Implemented crisis management strategies and conflict resolution on an as neededbasis and continuously evaluating risk. Show less

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  Virtual CBT Psychotherapy

  Jan 2021 - now

  Co-Founder | Clinical Director | RSW Psychotherapist

  Providing structured psychotherapy to individuals struggling with symptoms of anxiety, depression, OCD, panic disorder, health anxiety, and phobias. Specializing in trauma therapy, certified provider for cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure for post-traumatic stress disorder. Additional services include supportive counselling, consultation, and training opportunities.www.virtualcbt.ca