Faces of CMHA WW: Natalie Florence, MSW – DBT Clinician

CMHA WW blends nicely with the values I hold both personally, and as a social worker. Values such as service to humanity, integrity, having respect for the dignity and worth of all people are evidenced at CMHA WW every day. As a social worker, I feel good that I can work for an agency that parallels these social work values.

1. What is involved in your role?

Individuals coming through our DBT program at CMHA WW share the common experience of emotional dysregulation that is impacting their lives. DBT involves running skills groups, supporting people through individual therapy and providing phone coaching on how to use skills outside of therapy.

2. Why did you become involved in the mental health field?

I’ve always been interested in health and wellness, and mental health was a natural fit for me. Just like we need support from professionals for our physical health at times, the same is true for our mental health.

3. What brought you to CMHA?

CMHA WW blends nicely with the values I hold both personally, and as a social worker. Values such as service to humanity, integrity, having respect for the dignity and worth of all people are evidenced at CMHA WW every day. As a social worker, I feel good that I can work for an agency that parallels these social work values.

4. Have you always worked in mental health?

I was lucky enough to find what I love doing early in life, when I started working with children in the developmental field and it was clear I wanted to pursue social work. Once I finished school I worked in the child protection field and then kinship care, and eventually found myself in mental health care, which I love.

5. How do you support people at CMHA in your role?

The DBT team supports people to build their life worth living through learning four key skills. Mindfulness is foundational to DBT where we learn to focus our mind on the present moment and is taught in a number of practical ways. We also teach about emotion regulation which includes understanding our emotions, and changing our emotional responses. Distress tolerance is another important skill we teach, which involves getting through challenging situations without making things worse and learning how to manage painful events that are often inevitable in life. The final skill that is part of DBT is learning interpersonal effectiveness skills; increasing our effectiveness in our communication and our relationships.

6. What are you proud of during your time at CMHA?

My proudest moments are when I see clients overcome challenging situations by using the skills they have learned through DBT. It’s wonderful to witness their hard work paying off and noticing the positive shifts in their everyday lives.

If you are in crisis or wish to discuss whether CMHA has the right service for you, call Here 24/7: 1-844-437-3247 (HERE 247).

Follow the ‘Faces of CMHA’ series for a glimpse into the lives of the people who spend each day at the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington working to inspire and support people to achieve the quality of life they desire. Join our team, click here to view current employment opportunities at CMHA WW.