Tanessa Sullens and Cassandra Bell are an innovative dream team passionate about providing a tailored approach to meet the needs of the clients they serve. When faced with an opportunity to create a new crucial service, they set their sights on designing an engaging, person-centred program that provides the tools for a path to wellness.
Langley Memorial Cottage plays a crucial role in the Langley community, providing psychosocial rehabilitation to individuals managing their mental health. This community tertiary rehabilitation facility works to address ongoing mental health symptoms, enhances social and life skills and supports individual recovery goals.
At the heart of this care are two compassionate trailblazers: Recreational Therapist Tanessa Sullens and Occupational Therapist Cassandra Bell. Together, they are committed to creating comprehensive, accessible wrap-around care for their clients.
“We went into this profession because we want to help people. Every day we are excited to be here and have such a passion for this job and the work that we do,” Cassandra shares.
Driven by their unwavering dedication to the well-being of their clients, this dynamic duo pioneered a new program that addressed an area of service improvement – access to inclusive substance use programming.
“The complexity of mental illness in tertiary clients often impacts their ability to participate in substance use programs offered in the community. However, these programs provide important substance use education and relapse prevention planning that is influential for their growth and recovery journey,” Cassandra explains.
Recognizing that their clients benefit from these services, Tanessa and Cassandra put their heads together and looked for opportunities to create an onsite substance use education program.
Although neither of them are certified substance use counsellors, this didn’t deter them. To help fulfill their vision to support their clients with substance use, they looked to substance use counselling services in the community, one being the Langley Community Services Society.
Collectively, they worked to create the Substance Use Services Group at Langley Memorial Cottage. This new model combines substance use education with recreational and occupational therapy, forming a meaningful program designed to meet the unique needs of their clients.
“It’s important for us to provide clear, engaging activities tailored to the diverse cognitive levels of our clients, ensuring accessibility for everyone,” Tanessa says.
Initially piloted as an eight-week program, hour-long sessions were held once a week and were open to anyone onsite at Langley Memorial Cottage. Each session aimed to foster open dialogue for individuals seeking to understand and address their personal substance use.
“We use a person-centred approach, focusing on enhancing our client’s understanding of substance use and how this may impact their overall life,” says Cassandra. “This includes identifying barriers that may be preventing them from engaging in meaningful activities and providing the foundational knowledge needed to kick-start their recovery journey.”
By offering the program onsite by familiar faces, more clients are accessing the substance use education they need.
“Ultimately, the goal is to help residents reach a point where they are prepared and willing to engage with community-based substance use services,” says Ray Welliver, social worker at Langley Memorial Cottage. “Providing this program as a safe and accessible option will support many residents in making significant strides on their road to wellness.”
As the program progresses, Tanessa and Cassandra hope to create a framework other sites can adopt. For now, they are excited to take the learnings from the first phase and incorporate changes to relaunch the new improved program.
“I got into this line of work because I want to make a difference and help our clients reach a better quality of life. Our clients are incredible human beings who put a smile on my face every day,” Cassandra reflects.
Their approach to patient care inspires everyone on their team to work harder and innovate care to better serve their clients.
“Tanessa and Cassandra are innovators every day. While neither of them has a background in substance use, they went the extra distance to develop a program that best suited our clients. It’s been inspiring to witness,” says Ray.
Congratulations to the Langley Memorial Cottage Tertiary Mental Health Team – recipients of a Best Collaboration Award.
