Recipient of the 2024 HOSPITAL SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR

Tess Bardikoff

Nominated For: HOSPITAL SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR

Tess Bardikoff is honoured to be nominated for the Annual Hospital Social Worker of the Year Award through the Ontario Brain Injury Association.

Tess is a Social Worker at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Canada’s largest pediatric rehabilitation hospital, where she has worked on the Brain Injury Rehab Team for the past six years. She holds a Bachelors of Arts from McGill University in Psychology and completed her Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto. As part of an interdisciplinary team, Tess works closely with clients and their families throughout their rehab journey (including inpatient, day patient, and outpatient). In this role, Tess provides supportive counselling, resource planning, and brain injury psychoeducation. She enjoys the multifaceted nature of the job as she supports families in navigating the complex health care system and advocates for their needs. Tess co-facilitates a weekly “Caregivers Connecting After an ABI” group, which provides caregivers the opportunity to connect throughout their inpatient admission and share their experiences.

Tess also worked for a year on the Persistent Concussion Outpatient team, where she supported clients in coping with the emotional impact of a concussion and their prolonged recovery process. To continue to creatively address gaps in service and further empower caregivers, Tess worked alongside the Bloorview Research Institute to co-create and co-facilitate a group for caregivers of the persistent concussion population.

Tess is actively involved in interdisciplinary initiatives within the Holland Bloorview community, including the Bioethics Forum, the Custody and Access Committee, The Family Support Fund Review Committee, and the Interim Parking Subsidy Initiative.

Tess is honoured to be nominated for the 2024 Awards of Excellence Brain Injury Rehabilitation as a Hospital Social Worker. With a compassionate approach, Tess builds rapport with clients and their families, supports them throughout their time in the hospital, and creates a safe space for difficult conversations about grief and loss. She is grateful to be part of a dynamic, caring, and motivated team at Holland Bloorview.