Few MRSc learners and alumni have the opportunity to personally shape what their workplace position will look like after graduation, but Deb Watterworth did just that!
At the start of her MRSc, Deb was working in a management position for the Canadian Mental Health Association where she supervised crisis response teams, mental health and justice programs, and central intake. She initially felt nervous as entering the MRSc program symbolized a return to school after many years.
That was then. Today, Deb sees significant changes in herself both personally and professionally. She gained confidence and credibility through her academic contributions and voice. During her MRSc, Deb completed a directed study, Recovery Practices: Opportunities for Acute Mental Health: A Literature Review. Combined with information about her clinical program, Deb presented this work at the 2016 Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada Conference. Learning to utilize research has allowed Deb to provide support for new approaches and ideas, and negotiate ways to incorporate these into practice.
Despite taking a leave of absence for health reasons part way through her MRSc, Deb returned to complete her independent study course successfully. She expresses that she never felt alone or isolated as the MRSc program is “a community as well.”
As a direct result of her directed study, Deb now holds a position that didn’t exist before at her workplace; she is a mental health rehabilitation specialist in an inpatient unit, and is assisting in the transition of the unit to recovery-oriented care. Her role is to educate patients and assist with self-management, through a holistic approach. Deb’s immense drive not only gave her the position of her dreams, but helped her accomplish the dream of completing her Master’s.
Deb notes that, “The most significant change is the increased confidence I have to contribute to the field of mental health at the broader level. I now have the academic credibility to share my ideas. My education has given me a voice.”