Recipient of the 2024 HEALTH CARE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

Colleen Worsley

Colleen Worsley

Nominated For: HEALTH CARE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

Colleen is a registered social worker in good standing with the Ontario Social Worker and Social Service Worker College as well as the Ontario Association of Social Workers. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from Dalhousie, an Honours Bachelor of Social Work and an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in psychology from York. She also holds certifications in Holistic Nutrition, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, EMDR and PTSD trauma intervention therapy, ACT therapy, Grief Recovery, and training in several modalities of mental resiliency building methods.

Colleen lives in York Region, practices throughout the Greater Toronto Area and has worked extensively in both private and public sectors. She is proud of her more than 20 years of experience working in the acquired brain injury rehabilitation and trauma recovery field. She works from an anti-oppressive trauma-informed lens, meeting each client where they are at in terms of support needs. Colleen’s approach comes from a respectful and skilled perspective when supporting individual’s or as part of a rehabilitation team. Her experience includes roles as a rehabilitation support worker, rehabilitation support worker coordinator and clinical lead, case manager, and social work therapist. She currently works with Eden Dales Social Work team providing social work therapy for individuals living with a wide variety of challenges and provides mentorship and supervision support for the social work team.

Activism and volunteerism are an important part of Colleen’s personal and professional life. She has been active with the Brain Injury Society of Toronto (BIST) for more than 15 years, serving two terms as a member of the Board of Directors. She currently serves on the Advocacy Committee of BIST, working with survivors and other therapy professionals to build awareness and to advocate for community services with individuals living with the effects of traumatic brain injury. Colleen has also lead support groups with the Brain Injury Association of York Region and volunteers with other organizations to raise funds, provide education, and develop support programs for the ABI community. Her dedication and genuine concern for her clients drives her motivation to support them in accessing quality services, connecting to community resources, and making sure their voices are heard within their rehabilitation journey to gain some feelings of control and emotional wellness within confusing and often overwhelming circumstances post injury.

With the many deserving members of the ABI community that continue to impress her with their client focused, knowledgeable, and skilled interventions with clients, Colleen is honoured to be considered worthy of recognition as part of this year’s award candidates, and is grateful for the consistent respect, support and kindness she encounters every day working in this field.

13 Comments
  • Pat Brimblecombe, Rehabilitation Support Worker says:

    Colleen Worsley is one of the most sincere, kind-hearted, and dedicated people in the field of brain injury. Colleen puts clients first, addressing individual needs with genuine caring, and has a an extensive tool box of strategies developed through her vast experience. Colleen volunteers much of her own time advocating, growing awareness, and fundraising.
    Congratulations on your very well-deserved nomination Colleen!

  • Cassidy Rocco says:

    This incredible woman has overcome unimaginable trauma to be a pillar of hope in the Healthcare community. Colleen is a survivor, a leader, and a guide on the path back for those who have lost themselves. She is innovative, intelligent, and a true light on the future of health care, which sometimes seems so dark and dismale. I would like to thank Colleen for the strength she has to continue being all that she is in this world.

  • SUSANNA HARUTYUNYAN says:

    Colleen is my therapist and I am pleased to work with her.

  • Colleen Boyce says:

    Congratulations Colleen and so deserved. Clients and families love working with you and you are compassionate, dedicated and committed. You have given back so much to the brain injury community for so many years with your activism and volunteerism.

  • Eden Dales says:

    Colleen is an incredible human and skilled therapist. She is knowledgable, patient, gentle and extremely thoughtful in her approach to her clients, and her genuine curiosity about their personal and unique experience. Through her approach, she gains incredible insight into their experience and needs, and this sets her apart as absolutely incredible social worker. Her clients are most fortunate to have her support, and I feel extremely lucky and am so grateful to work alongside her, and I have the utmost respect and value Colleen in her role as a clinical supervisor, senior social worker and valued member of Eden Dales Social Work. Best of luck Colleen! Well Deserved!

  • AG says:

    Colleen is a wonderful social worker, with evident experience in making people feel comfortable and understood. She listens, makes you feel heard, offers good strategies and challenges to improve your life. My time with her, despite discussing difficult topics, leaves me feeling lighter and hopeful. Congratulations on your nomination Colleen!

  • Maureen Palmer says:

    Colleen is a kind, skilled & dedicated Social Worker whose experience is always invaluable on our teams. She has such deep compassion, insight and understanding of trauma and TBI and goes above and beyond to support her clients and the brain injury community through her advocacy and volunteerism. A talented therapist and wonderful friend. Congratulations on this well deserved nomination Colleen!

  • Nicole Galeotalanza says:

    Congratulations on your well deserved nomination Colleen. You demonstrate genuine compassion with your work, and you are a wonderful advocate and support for your clients!

  • Garvin Moses says:

    Congratulations on the nomination Colleen, You have always had a calming presence and have always felt that you. I have always found that you take a thoughtful approach to every situation and offer perspectives that others may not have thought of. Congrats once again,

  • Kindree Alkins says:

    Huge congratulations on this well deserved nomination, Colleen! Your compassionate approach to care and support for the clients and the industry overall is admirable. You give so much of your time, energy and emotion to what you do and it shows in every interaction. You are a great mentor and role model to so many colleagues and health care providers! Congratulations again on this nomination!

  • Aamir Subhan says:

    Colleen is an outstanding social worker who has met me with a grace I have struggled to find in myself, and perhaps didn’t know I needed. She embodies the spirit and power of radical vulnerability, exemplifying how the self shows up in practice, and can serve as a gentle companion to support change. I’ve had the gift of experiencing this, and know the critical role it plays in allowing me to meet my heartache with compassion and know that it can exist alongside joy.

  • Stacey Levine says:

    Congratulations Colleen on this well deserved nomination!

  • Aaron Palmer says:

    Congratulations Colleen! I know that your kindness and compassion have made a significant impact on everyone you work and interact with. I also appreciate the valuable insights you have shared with me. Well deserved nomination!

Leave a Comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *