Hi!

I'm Ms. AJ!

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce myself to you!!

 

My name is AJ Kirkpatrick. I am a positive, and caring human being, an experienced, encouraging, and passionate Child and Youth Care Practitioner (CYW), a successful entrepreneur, and the proud founder of AdaptABILITY Support Services! I use my enthusiasm, sense of humour, and unique problem solving skills to support the people I work with. 

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My hope is for you to become your best self, achieve your own goals, learn and grow, and be enthusiastically supported throughout your journey!

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As the scope of AdaptABILITY Support Services continues to develop, my mission is clear: 

• create adaptable programs that fill gaps in current services

• support individuals and their families to achieve purposeful goals

• advocate to ensure general programming is accessible

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As a Child & Youth Care Practitioner, I can work within the "life-space" or "milieu" of a person's home and community. This allows me to gain insight into your formed natural habits, see how you live your life, and allow you to feel safely supported in creating goals and achieving them. I am a strong advocate for supporting individuals in a person-centered way, and focus on individualized planning and goals. 

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Through my years of experience, I have honed the unique ability to understand people's needs without being told, and observing what a person's behaviour is communicating. I believe respectfully addressing one's needs starts with gaining a deep understanding of the reason behind the behaviour and forming a mutually trusting relationship is the foundation of attaining growth and progress. 

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I graduated with Honours from Georgian College in 2014. I have been a professional Member of the Ontario Association of Child & Youth Care (OACYC) since 2013, and uphold the OACYC Code of Ethics. I hold myself to a high standard of integrity, am committed to ongoing professional and personal development, recognize, respect, and advocate for the rights of children, youth, and their family, and encourage self-advocacy. 

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My Education, Professional Memberships & Skills: 

• Child & Youth Worker Advanced Diploma with Honours from Georgian College 2014

• Professional Member of the Ontario Association of Child & Youth Care since 2013

• American Sign Language Level 3

• Special Olympics Swim Coach for more than 10 years

• Mental Health First Aid training through Mental Health Commission of Canada

• Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI), Behaviour Management System (BMS), Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI)

• Standard First Aid with CPR-C and AED