Taking the reigns
Counselling manager thrilled to be helping in the Kivalliq
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Rankin Inlet
Bonnie Almon brings a ton of experience to her position as counselling manager with Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services (KCSS) in Rankin Inlet.
New counselling manager Bonnie Almon goes over a program outline with executive director Noel Kaludjak at Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services in Rankin Inlet on April 16, 2015. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
Almon has a bachelor's degree in social work and has spent decades working in the field.
She's been employed in both federal and provincial institutions, which included working with a number of high-risk male offenders.
Almon co-facilitated grieving-and-healing workshops in 1995 in Gjoa Haven, Kugluktuk and a number of other communities.
She found the experience interesting and said there's something about the North that gets in your blood.
"I absolutely loved my first time in the North," said Almon.
"My home was in Calgary then, and we spent about three months going into the different communities.
"I left it for awhile, but then I got the chance to come back to Cambridge Bay in 2003-2004 to do some contract work, and I was thrilled to have the chance to come back to the North.
"I found it totally amazing because there's just so much beauty in the North and so many wonderful people."
Almon, who's on contract with the KCSS until March 31, 2016, said it's a humbling experience to work in the North with Inuit.
She said she's always eager to speak with elders in each community and hear Nunavut's history.
"The Cambridge wellness centre received a bit of money from the Government of Nunavut in 2004 to do the first 28-day treatment program for women in Nunavut.
"We had 10 graduate the gender-specific program, which was absolutely fantastic.
"I was in my glory because it's my passion to do that type of work."
Almon spent time as a supervisor with Child and Family Services in the NWT, before taking the position of executive director for the Kugluktuk Wellness Centre.
In total, she's spent about 13 years in the North.
She said she saw the posting for KCSS counselling manager while visiting Rankin Inlet this past year.
"I was quite honoured and thrilled to be told I was the successful candidate.
"I supervise the seven KCSS workers who work with community members in regard to offering support and services to family members or direct survivors of residential school.
"The intergenerational impact over the years is tremendous.
"If the workers are dealing with someone who needs extra support or counselling services, they call me and I either coach them through or talk to the person requiring the extra services directly on the phone."
Almon said a KCSS trip to Arviat earlier this month to work along with both a men's and a women's group was a fantastic experience.
She said there was a good turnout of women in Arviat, and the sessions went extremely well.
"They expressed their needs and are asking for additional visits to the community.
"That's so important, to go out and discover what the community actually needs.
"First you find out what the people need, and then you base your services around those needs, as opposed to telling people what they want.
"That was my first opportunity to work in the Kivalliq and it's nice to go in, hear what people have to say and actually have the ability to help them with their needs."
