Jodie graduated from Centennial College's Child and Youth Care Program in 1989. She was hired part-time after her second-year field placement, then full-time after graduation. Jodie's 25-year career in children's mental health has given her experiences in residential and school environments, working with families and those who are in crisis. She has worked as a manager of a residential and school-based program and also worked in the field of autism. Her passions and interests have always been about the strengths people have, working to assist individuals and families to recognize those strengths and assisting them to reach their goals. Jodie has been trained as a facilitator in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, Restorative Justice, Personality Dimensions, Violence Threat Risk Assessment levels 1 & 2, Autism and Crucial Conversations. She has completed two certificates, Teaching and Training adults, and Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Jodie has presented at an OACYC conference, autism institutes, and at many community events. Jodie's teaching experience began in 2009, and although she looks fondly on her career in children's mental health, she is quite excited to be working and teaching in a place that started her on her journey.