Avalon Blog Post: Practicum Student Experience

My name is Haylie, and I am a student at Adler University who has been completing my Social Justice Practicum with Avalon over the past seven months. During my time as an intern with Avalon, I learned about the many different resources in the North Shore, Vancouver, and White Rock communities. As part of my major internship project, I connected with community organizations to learn more about their services, outline the steps someone must take to access these resources, and identify any barriers to access. After researching and connecting with various organizations, I created a detailed document for staff to help Avalon women find the support they need.

At Avalon, we do not want to refer women to resources that may turn them away, as we understand how frustrating it can be to need support yet be met with closed doors. For this reason, I detailed each resource’s steps and requirements for someone looking to access their services. Although there are multiple steps for some services, I hope knowing what to expect can help women feel empowered to connect with resources that will meet their needs.

This project has also been valuable for my knowledge as I advance in my training to become a clinical counsellor. Working in the mental health field, it is important I am not naïve to the extensive processes and barriers that can exist when trying to find support. In the future, I will likely be suggesting resources to my clients or referring them to various programs. Working on this project has allowed me to understand different service options more fully, so I am better informed to help others navigate the mental health system. I aim to be trauma-informed in my future work as a counsellor, so it is essential that the process of finding support is not traumatizing or unnecessarily difficult for my clients.

Although some resources have detailed intake processes, I also was able to connect to resources with minimal barriers and no waitlists. If you need support, I encourage you to speak with Avalon staff to find potential resources beyond the community at the Avalon Centres. Each Avalon Centre now has a detailed resource document that includes Crisis and Information Services, Food Assistance, Housing Support, Government Assistance, Mental Health Support, Detox Services, Treatment Programs, and more.

Working with such an inspiring community of women at Avalon has been a pleasure. Each Centre’s unity is admirable, and I hope these resource guides can be just one more tool to uplift and support the Avalon community.