A Year in Review.

Annual ReportGentle Path Counselling Services

September 24, 2015

facility at 20 Alma Street. We are presently in lease negotiations with another community service agency for more adequate counselling, program and parking space in the uptown area. Our excitement about this, however, does not lessen our appreciation for CCSAC and their Executive Director, John Eisner, who provided Gentle Path with a very important “hands up” when we needed it five years ago. Each year our Board has hoped to get past the “growing pains” of

our agency’s increased programming and clientelle, and be able to instead concentrate on the need for more proactive and preventative mental health services in our communities. I am deeply thankful to our Board members, volunteers and staff for their hopeful willingness to continually delay our dreams a little longer, and do the best they can to make our agency more efficient and responsive to our everyday challenges of providing “Counselling, Workshops, Educational Programs and Support Group Services to individuals, families, and children, regardless of financial means.” I do believe such patience will pay off in the end. It is my prayer that this coming year, with a new facility and new staffing arrangements, as well as several new funding initiatives, will indeed bring much joy and satisfaction to our many hard-working volunteers and staff.

~ Rev’d Chris McMullen, President

It has been a busy and exciting year for Gentle Path Counselling Services. Fortunately,

after several years of rapid turnover at our Board of Directors level, we have now been blessed with a committed group of dependable young professionals, eager to make a difference in the mental health of their community. Our clientelle base has continued to grow in

a way that challenges our limited staffing and resources as an agency. Several initiatives have had to go on the back burner as we addressed our urgent needs for greater administrative efficiency. No longer could one person cover both our reception, appointments scheduling, and accounting and billing. The differing and complicated recording and billing requirements of the Employee Assistance Plan providers and government agencies with which we work, have required the creation of an additional staff person. We should all be thankful to Ken Lewell, our Treasurer, and Eugene McKennelley, for their many hours of volunteer service and wise administration in this regard. This past year Gentle Path enjoyed its first

celebrity speaker fundraiser, with Theo Fleury. This September, Gail Vaz Oxlade will be the star of our second one. Two very busy special event committees have provided oustanding service in this regard. The publicity generated by these events alone has considerably increased our profile and our clientelle in the Saint John area. Unfortunately the funds raised by the Fleury event were mostly needed to cover our increased administrative costs. Our hope is that the Vax Oxlade fundraiser will free us to concentrate on some of the proactive mental health programming that our Executive Director, Judy Urquhart, has impatiently envisioned for too many years. In December we will end a five-year lease

partnership with Credit Counselling Services of Atlantic Canada. As our agency has grown, we have experienced more and more discomfort in sharing space and parking with them in their

Our mission is to provide the residents of Saint John and southern New Brunswick with hope and healing opportunities through professional counselling, support groups and educational group programs.

“Be the change you want to see in the world”... and, if you can’t be that change, then either get out of the way of the person who wants to be that change

or support the individual with your financial resources.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

I am deeply thankful to our Board members, volunteers and staff for their hopeful willingness to continually delay

our dreams a little longer, and do the best they can to make our agency more efficient and responsive to our everyday

challenges of providing “Counselling, Workshops, Educational Programs and Support Group Services to individuals, families, and children,

regardless of financial means”.

Executive Director’s Report Judy Urquhart, BSW, MSW, RSW, Executive Director

It was a very busy year for Gentle Path both for counselling and other Agency activities, as the Marketing Report indicates. We met and exceeded counselling goals and initiated some new programs with more to come. Two new employees were added to the roster, Tanya White, BSW, RSW and Sacha Hamming, BSW, RSW. We were also quite fortunate to have Dr. John Crawford as an intern at our Agency while working toward completion of a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counselling, which he will complete in December. We said a sad good-bye to Kara Melendy, who moved with her husband to Nova Scotia, and Bob Doiron, who had his second retirement—the first from government and the second from Gentle Path. Both Kara and Bob will be missed.

Six representatives of Gentle Path attended “Voice Found” Training for the prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and 19 Staff and Volunteers completed the two-day program “Mental Health First Aid” facilitated by Harold Stevens. This is a nationally standardized course, and we are grateful to MindCare for financially supporting this training. Melissa DeLuca and husband Steve welcomed a baby boy, Aiden, in October, 2014, and in late August we welcomed her back to Gentle Path. A special thank-you to Sharon Rigby for covering Melissa’s maternity leave; Sharon will continue to work at Gentle Path covering evening hours, 4:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. The Executive Director and Board also welcomed a new bookkeeper, Phil McClure, and we sincerely thank our consummate volunteer, Eugene McKenelley, for the many volunteer hours donated to training our new bookkeeper, work on delinquent accounts and volunteer work on Gentle Path’s fundraising activities. I would be remiss not to mention all the hours and quality work provided by Margaret Totten over this fiscal year. She has elevated the profile of the Agency with her skills in Social Media and numerous presentations to community groups at wellness events.

While the Agency had many successes over the past year, there were also some disappointments and losses. Sadly, the Employee Assistance Program the Agency facilitated for Anglophone South School District was awarded to an International EAP company, Ceridian, resulting in a substantial loss of income for the Agency. On September 30, 2015 Gentle Path will complete its two-year contract with the Province of New Brunswick to oversee the

International Adoption Program, although we remain optimistic that a new contract will be awarded. Six Private Practitioners completed the provincially required S.A.F.E. training in Fredericton; S.A.F.E. (Strategic Analysis for Family Evaluation) is the new assessment tool now used for all adoption in the Province (and indeed in most Canadian Provinces), including international.

Within the Adoption Program, 24 families started the process to adopt internationally, 7 children were placed with families, 14 families are currently waiting for referrals, 35 individuals completed the required adoption training seminar and 11 files were closed. As always, my sincere thank you to J.R. Blanchard, Administrative Assistant for the International Adoption Program, for all the good work he does in the program and for the assistance he provides to our clients and Executive Director…he is an

exceptional human being!Gentle Path’s next big challenge

will be a move in December to a new location (yet to be confirmed) which will be able to provide a much-needed larger space, more counselling offices, parking, and opportunities for more business. We remain grateful to Credit Counselling Services for the use of our current space for the past five years.

The success of Gentle Path rests with the determination, commitment, skills and good work of its Staff and Volunteers.

Volunteers continue to be the life-blood of our Agency while our Staff and Board are the heart and soul. My thank you to all of you and a special shout-out to all individuals and businesses who have chosen our service to meet their counselling and training needs. I am looking forward to continued successes and challenges in the coming year!

2 Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report

“Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even if it is a little thing, do something for which there is no pay but the

privilege of doing it. Remember, you don’t live in a

world all of your own.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report 3

“Be the change you want to see in the world”... and, if you can’t be that change, then either get out of the way

of the person who wants to be that change or support the individual with

your financial resources.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“I don’t think she’s giving you the silent treatment. I think someone forgot to

give her coals for a mouth.”

“You really shouldn’t criticize her boyfriends. You’re one of them!”

“According to our pre-nup, I’m not allowed to ever say or do anything wrong.”

Treasurer’s Report Ken Lewell, CA

4 Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report Total Cost: Priceless

4,693

$55,207

936Counselling AppointmentsUnits of Service for Support Groups (approximately)

in subsidies for 2014-2015 fiscal year, up $15,957 over 2013-2014 fiscal year

110$8,100

17

64

28

individuals attended group programming (value of $5,750)in Free Group Programming

Wellness & Training Events

Group subsidies (adults and children)

Individuals Gentle Path sponsored to attend Theo Fleury Fundraising Dinner in September 2014 (value $3,500)

New Marketing Initiatives

Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report 5

Gentle Path continued to experience growth in its Counselling services during the last fiscal period. You may see from the financial summary that our fees for services were $430,246 which represents a 12% increase over the previous year and 31% over the past two years. More importantly our mandate continues as the value of the subsidized services was $55,207 (2014-15: $48,690), a 13% increase over the previous year and 42% over the past two years. We continue to have a significant contribution from the International

Adoption activities with total revenues of $115,801 (2014 $111,342) including the grant from the Government of New Brunswick. As a registered charity we look to the community for support. Our donations, grants and fundraising revenues amounted to $32,786 (2014-15: $19,230) with much of the increase over the prior year attributed to our first annual fundraising dinner which resulted in a $10,518 contribution to our operations.

Financial Summary for the 12 months ended June 30, 2015

(with comparative numbers for the previous year)

year ended year ended 30-Jun-15 30-Jun-14

STATEMENT OF REVENUE AND EXPENSE

CHANGE IN EQUITY

Revenue from services Fees for counselling and workshops Subsidized client services

International adoption fees

Direct costs Counsellors and contract servicesContribution from servicesInternational adoption grantOther incomes Donations, grants, fundraising and other

General and administrative expenses Salaries and wages All other general and administrative expenses

Excess of revenues over expenses for the year

Equity balance at beginning of the year

Equity balance at end of the year

430,246 (55,207) 375,039 36,801 411,840

204,436207,404 79,000

32,786

319,190197,821 116,866314,687 4,503

23,030 27,533

383,423 (48,690)334,733 32,342 367,075

186,634180,441 79,000

19,230

278,671167,096 111,547 278,643 28

23,002

23,030

With the increase in activity from our robust growth it was necessary to increase our salaries and other general and administrative (G&A) expenses. Total salaries and G&A expenses at $314,687 were 13% higher than the prior year. This left us with a rather modest excess of revenue over expenses for the year of $4,503.Our net assets, or total equity, at the June 30, 2015 was

$23,030. Although a positive number, we recognizes it is not the number needed to sustain our operations. Granted, as a not-for-profit registered charity, it is not our desire to accumulated large sums of assets, however, the reality is that much of our $430,000 of revenue are with large organizations and it typically takes 40 days plus after the services is provided to bill and collect the account receivable. In the meantime we pay our Counsellors, employees and other G&A expenses bi-weekly and monthly. Accordingly we need a base line of equity in excess of our current balance to carry the accounts receivable. Otherwise our credit line is under constant stress. Our Board is committed to improving our financial position and the 2015-16 budget projects an increase in our equity over the coming year. We look forward to our new facility with the more space and efficiencies it will provide. Thank you to Judy Urquhart and her staff for all efforts on

the bookkeeping and financial side of things. Congratulations to our Office manager, Melissa DeLuca who was on maternity leave for much of the year with her baby daughter (check). We were fortunate to have Phil McClure join us with his hands-on business experience and pragmatic approach. A big thank-you also to volunteer extraordinaire Eugene McKenelley who volunteered countless hours helping us get through a very busy year.

New E-Newsletter Format: In 2015 Gentle Path developed a permission-based marketing newsletter for Gentle Path (to comply with privacy laws and allow people to opt in and opt out). We are using a variety of “Constant Contact “e-marketing templates for educational programs’ scheduling, promoting fundraisers, internal communications, etc., and launched the Gail Vaz-Oxlade Celebrity Dinner with this as well. E-mailing (and printed copies) of newsletters this way should save us approximately $1200 - $1500 in 2015-2016, will help us promote with social media more effectively and add to our marketing email list. Ossekeag Publication Articles: We are using the “Dear Abby”

style of articles which profile Gentle Path’s expertise and various counsellors contribute a brief article to each issue in each publication. Free 1/6th of a page color ads have been included each month in exchange for editorial contributions. Monthly topics have included: The Power of Journaling, Managing Change, Balanced Living, Handling Fear, Finances and Well-Being, and promotional articles for our workshops and major events. The same contra deal has occurred twice with River Valley News since spring of 2015. Canada Summer Grant Program: Gentle Path was successful in

receiving a grant from the federal government for a summer college student from June to mid-August, 2015, to assist with marketing and fundraising events. Hannah Wright was the successful candidate, and she brought considerable fundraising and sponsorship experience from previous volunteer work. Hannah did a fantastic job of assisting us with marketing and fundraising initiatives this summer. Hannah is entering her last year at Mount Allison University, and will complete a Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in psychology in 2016. She has promised she will come back often and continue to volunteer with our events. The Executive Director and Staff wish her all the best in her graduating year. FUNDRAISING EVENTS2014 Harvest Fall Auction Fundraiser: Gentle Path’s 2014 Fall

Harvest Auction took place Saturday October 4th, 201,4 at 7pm at Thistle St. Andrew’s Curling Club, complete with a Bake Sale/Harvest Raffle, Steak Tray, 50/50 Draw and lots of great Auction items! All proceeds went to providing counselling and group educational opportunities to individuals who lack the financial resources to access these services. The event raised in excess of $8,900. We would like to thank all the volunteers, those who donated items and the attendees for their continued support of this event.Silpada Jewelry Party Proceeds: Margaret and Judy hosted

Silpada parties in support of Gentle Path; more than $2,700 in jewelry was sold, and the Agency received over $900 in free jewelry as well as 10% commission on sales, thanks to Kelly Ethridge. The free jewelry will be used at Gentle Path Fall Fundraising Auction, with smaller items used for ticket sale incentives for volunteers. Additionally, Judy held several other Silpada, Pampered Chef and Tupperware parties over the spring and summer of 2015. Free

Hostess gifts will also be items on the auction table in October. Success Skills for Life’s Seasons, A Women’s Conference held

November 6th, 2014: Gentle Path Counselling Services and partners hosted “Success Skills for Life’s Season’s Conference,” a regional Women’s Wellness Conference complete with workshops, yoga breaks and a Wellness Fair. More than fifty participants attended to learn new life skills, restore themselves physically, and to connect with other women in the Greater Saint John area for support and empowerment. Special guest speakers included Andrea Cyr, who spoke about employment success through skill-building, and also acted as Master of Ceremonies for the day. Other guest speakers included Jessica Lanigan, Project Roar, who shared how she is helping other young women overcome childhood trauma; and Roxanne Cole, whose workshop “Time Passages” focused on Wellness through Stages of a Women’s Life. Gentle Path counsellors and facilitators conducted workshops, such as: Thriving in Seasons of Change, Work-life Balance, Active Parenting, Mindfulness, Budgeting 101, Total Well-Being, and Improving Communications Skills in Conflict. Nutrition breaks were active, with Gentle Yoga demonstrations

by Darlene Mapp, a book sale with affordable used wellness books and an interactive Wellness Showcase. Exhibitors included The Canadian Diabetes Association “Live Well, Be Well” Health Coach, the Atlantic Superstore’s Registered Dietitian, St. Joseph’s Community Health Centre Domestic Violence Outreach program, Xocai Healthy Chocolate, the Saint John Learning Exchange, Silpada Jewelry, Scentsy, The Corn Crib, The Saint John Volunteer Centre, and many more. This event, which took place at the Church of the Good Shepherd,

668 Manawagonish Rd., was made possible by a grant from the NB Dept. of Healthy & Inclusive Communities, Gentle Path Counselling Services, and Community Partners. The wellness grant allowed 20 women who would not ordinarily be able to attend such a conference to participate. Publicity included media releases, an interview with Hans

Colbourne of CBC radio, and Simply Zen, Bell Aliant’s Community Channel show, interviewed speakers and participants for a show which aired November 24th on Bell’s channel. A special thanks to our sponsors Silpada Designs, Kool 98 and K-100 radio, Xocai Healthy Chocolate, GoodLife Fitness Clubs, City of Saint John Recreation & Parks Dept., The Atlantic Superstore, and Jessica Radcliffe Photography for their contributions. Thank you also to our volunteers: June Fennel, Emily Lockhart-Thibodeau, Marisa Page, Patricia Radcliffe, Denise Dignard, Eileen Shaw and Tricia Tucker.2015 “Cue for a Cause” Billiards Event – March 7, 2015: Gentle

Path’s 2015 “Cue for a Cause” Billiards Fundraiser was a great Success! It was held Saturday, March 7, 2015, from 7 pm -10 pm at the Golden Mile Billiards, 730 Wilson St West Saint. Our fundraising

6 Gentle Path 2013/2014 Annual Report Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report 7

Goal was $1,500. We reached our goal, attracted approximately fifty attendees with 25 people participating in the pool challenge. After expenses, the net proceeds were in excess of $2000. In particular, the Silent Auction exceeded expectations with revenues totalling $1200 vs. the $750 budgeted. Gail Vaz Oxlade- 2015: Gail Vaz Oxlade, best-selling author and

host of Slice TV’s “Til Debt Do Us Part” and “Princess” television shows was Gentle Path’s Keynote Speaker on September 10, 2015, for the Annual Celebrity Fundraising Dinner at the Saint John Trade & Convention Centre. Gail spoke on “Financial Pathways to Personal Well-Being.” Highlights of the promotional efforts for this event included a special interview of Gail Vaz-Oxlade with Hance Colborne of CBC’s Information Morning in March, 2015, and one with K-100/Kool 98 in August, as well as several newspaper articles and a variety of social media promotions. The team at Gentle Path chose Gail Vaz-Oxlade because committee

members felt a strong need to partner with other agencies in the community to promote Financial Literacy and Wellness in greater Saint John area. Gentle Path Counselling Services knows all too well how debt and financial mismanagement contribute to the chaos and the breakdown of families and relationships, as well as personal depression, family chaos, fear, anxiety, or anger. Other fundraising efforts included: Various holiday draws in late

2014 and in 2015 (Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, etc.), and the sale of Kiwanis 2015 Calendars also contributed to our consistent fundraising efforts. Making Peace with Your Past: Gentle Path Counselling Services

is offering a one-day workshop for adults who have struggled with anger, fear and resentment as a result of an unhappy childhood, failed relationships or a past history of abuse, disappointments or hurt. This workshop will take place Friday, October 30, 2015, from 9:30 am to 4 pm at the Church of the Good Shepherd (Small Hall); 668 Manawagonish Road, Saint John, NB. Cost: $65 (includes two nutrition breaks and a light lunch). The facilitator of this event is Michel Drisdelle, BA, B.Th., M.A.

(Counselling Psychotherapist). Michel is no stranger to Saint John or Gentle Path and he has presented a number of workshops facilitating health and spiritual wellness. Registration: Call 652-7284 (PATH) or email path@nbnet.nb.ca. You can also register online at www.gentlepathsj.com. Fall 2014 Educational Programs Completed:Men’s Programs: Stress and Anger (Nov 2014), 9 participantsChildren/Teen Programs: •TheBestYou (Girls ages 13-15 (October), 5 participants (offered free of charge). •SelfEsteemGarden (ages 8-10 (October), 6 children (offered free of charge).Adults (Parenting): • Parenting of Children with ADHD (Sepember), 7 participants (offered free of charge).2015 Winter/Spring Educational Programs CompletedLeaders in Crescent Valley/North End and the Lower West Side

confirmed to us that Resource Centres in these areas have a real need for continuous quality programming to meet client needs. Gentle Path, therefore, regularly meets the need for Group Services in pockets of our city where access to transportation or child-care services make travelling to mental health/therapy services difficult or impossible financially and logistically. Examples of this outreach approach occurred at Crescent Valley Resource Centre and Sophia Recovery Centre.Sophia Recovery Centre (in partnership): January 13th (3 wks),

“Loving Me, Loving You” Program (recovery based, 2 sessions /wk) 9 women attended. February 10/15 (3 wks): Anger Management for Women

(recovery- based, 2 sessions/wk) 8 women attended.March 10/15 (3 wks): “Assertively Yours” for Women (recovery

based, 2 sessions/wk) 6 women attended.Crescent Valley Resource Centre (in partnership) - North EndGentle Path Counsellors facilitated four “Yak ‘n Snaks” at Crescent

Valley Resource Centre on topics such as Anger Management, Journaling for Well-Being, Mindfulness and Assertiveness for approximately seven women each time (total 28 participants).On April 9 & 16, Gentle Path counsellors facilitated “Relationships

101” for 14 neighbourhood women. These sessions were co-sponsored by the NB Dept. of Social Development (Housing) and were very well-received. Church of the Good Shepherd - (West Side)Saturday, April 18/15 - The Heart of Parenting, 5 participantsSaturday. June 20th/15 - Assertively Yours for Women,

7 participantsSaturday, June 27th/15 - Relationships 101, 6 participantsIn 2015, grants were sought and obtained from The Greater SJ

Community Foundation and MindCare NB to offer further outreach programs in fall 2015 and spring 2016 on topics such as domestic violence, relationship conflict/anger, as well as grief. These programs are in the planning stages and Gentle Path thanks The Greater SJ Community Foundation and MindCare NB for their continued support of our educational initiatives. Community Awareness Presentations 2014 & 2015

•Oct.18/14HOPECommunityCentreWellnessFair •Nov. 7/14 Seniors Wellness Fair- Portland United Church •Nov.12/14SJVolunteerCentre-OnBoardEvent-Meet‘nGreetfornon-profits/localyoungwomeninterestedinjoining boards •Nov.13/14Wyndham“WishTime”EventPromotingGentle Path Opportunities to Wyndham Worldwide employees (supported by employer volunteering locally during day). •HaroldStevenscompletedseveralwellnessworkshopsincluding CISD on Grand Manan Island for Anglophone South School District following several tragedies and Cooke’s Aquaculture as well as other stress management presentations • Julia Forgrave, one of our main facilitators of children’s programs also visited a number of schools to promote programs available to help teachers’ assistants’ better cope with children in the classroom who present with anger, self-esteem of ADHD issues.

•April6/15YMCAStaffDevelopmentDay •May7/15Crohns&ColitisSaintJohnGroup-JenniferFudge-Marsh - Topic: Stress Management •May8/15LochLomondVillaSeniorsExpo •May10/15SJWomen’sBreastCancerGroup&DragonBoat Team Presentation- Seasons of Change •May16/15ProjectRoareveningevent •May28/15GlenFallsSchoolWellnessFair •May29/15Girl’sNightOutatCruiseTerminal •June5&6/15McAllisterPlace •June4/15DisabilityAwarenessWeekTradeFair

6 Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report

Greetings from a Counselling InternMy name is John Crawford, and I have been a counselling intern

at Gentle Path Counselling since the beginning of March 2015. The University that I attend is Walden University based in Minneapolis Minnesota in the United States. I am currently enrolled in the MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program. The requirements of this degree are strenuous with 22 courses that must be completed, 2 residencies (I attended residency in Denver Colorado and Portland Oregon) and 700 hours of supervised clinical practice. The therapeutic model I am trained in is called the Wellness Model. Briefly, the Wellness model reminds us that human beings are capable of managing their mental health because it is human nature to want to be well physically, spiritually, and mentally. Therefore, therapy is a means of assisting persons to gain insight and skills to do this. This differs somewhat from the medical model which sees mental health from the perspective of disorders whereby individuals are in some way sick or unhealthy and are in need of “treatment”. In my opinion there is a necessity for both models to co-exist and thus I am also trained in the Practitioner-Scholar model which enables me to maximize use of evidenced based practice as it intersects with the medical models often used by psychologists and psychiatrists.My client base at GP is about 38 persons ranging from 5 years old

to 70 years old. Most of my clients are white, and from lower socio-economic groupings. They present with a range of counselling needs and some of these disorders are: Major Depressive Disorder, Bi-Polar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Other clients present with life problems such as loss of job, loss of family member(s), change in life’s circumstances, job stress, and marital and relational issues. One of the gifts Gentle Path has given to me as an Intern is the ability to take the much required time to work with those experiencing some difficult disorders that cannot be done within 2-4 sessions. My preferred approach is Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy which is an evidence based behaviour therapy while it often resonates quickly with clients is not a “silver bullet” and in some cases meaningful results requires an eclectic approach. I would like to thank Judy Urquhart for giving me the opportunity

to work at the agency and being my supervisor for both internships

and to Margaret Totten for supervising me during my initial practicum. I would further convey to this board the importance of this agency’s work amongst some of the most disadvantaged socio-economic individuals and families in this city. I am left with no doubt that the work this agency does for these persons makes a critical difference by giving them mental health help that would otherwise not be possible for them. I continue to grow and expand my clinical horizons and hope that as I enter my final 3 months of my program that Gentle Path continues to be a great place to learn and grow as an intern. Finally, to you as the board at Gentle Path I give to you my heartfelt thanks for this opportunity as well and wish you every joy as you continue your work.

In their words...T E S T I M O N I A L S

“I’ve learned so much from this group, and the assertiveness information will really help me in the future...” ~ Jessica F.

“This program really helped me. I am glad I signed up!”

“I came to this program a very aggressive person, and I have learned things that will make my life better, especially at work!” ~ Debbie B.

“Thanks for helping me get in touch with me, and for introducing me to the weekly support groups. I plan on keeping up the good work!”

• E D U C A T I O N A L P R O G R A M S •

• S U P P O R T G R O U P S •

Gentle Path Photo Gallery

8 Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report 9

Returning Board Members 2015 - 2016 Rev. Chris McMullen Ken Lewell Jeff Kelley Julia Parent Bill Bastarache Larry Terrio Lisa Miller-Snow Laura Anderson Kate Flood Courtney Palmer Kathleen Chapman

RetiringBoardMembers(2013-2014) Carol Gillis

Gentle Path Staff Judith Urquhart, BSW, MSW, RSW, Executive Director Jean Roger Blanchard, Executive Assistant Adoption Project Melissa DeLuca, Office Manager (on leave) Sharon Rigby, Admin Assistant Phil McClure, Bookkeeper Hannah Deboissiere Wright (Summer Student) Margaret Totten, Marketing Manager

Counsellors Judith Urquhart, MSW, RSW, Executive Director Harold Stevens, RSW, RHT Christine Brittain, BA, MSW, RSW Cathy Boudreau, BA, BSW, RSW Julia Forgrave, BSW, RSW Bev Coughlan, BSW, RSW Barbara Merrithew, BSW, RSW Abby Watson, BA, MACP Jennifer Fudge-Marsh, MA Margo MacDougall, MDiv, DMin, MA, BA Tanya White, BSW, RSW Sacha Hamming, BSW, RSW, EXAT Sarah Fletcher, BSW, MSW, RSW

Gentle Path Associate Counsellors Margo Butler, BSW, RSW, MEd Lorraine Pollock, BT, MEd, PHEc., CCC Karen Simon, BSc, RD (Registered Dietitian) Andrea Stoodlely, MA, CCC

Volunteers&Facilitatorsin2013 Eugene McKenelley Michael Butler Patsy Dallon Abby Watson Julia Forgraves Brian Wilkins Tara Henderson Joyce Chevarie Candace Gallop Margaret Totten June Fennell Rendell Smith Kim Parsons Debra Meisner Melissa & Steve DeLuca Genora Terrio Larry Terrio Joanne Jennings Bev Coughlan Jennifer Fudge-Marsh Hannah Deboissiere-Wright

Inter-County Adoption Practitioners Judy Urquhart, BSW, MSW, RSW – Supervisor Andrea Losier-Doucet, BSW, RSW Lori McIsaac-Bewsher, BSW, MSW, RSW Tammy Daigle, BPsych, BW, MSW, RSW Christie Frenette, BSW, RSW

Gail Vaz-Oxlade Committee Margaret Totten Julia Forgraves Della Petrie Judy Urquhart Jennifer Fudge-Marsh Patty Ratcliffe Rhoda Welshman Carol Gillis Ann Verner Laura Anderson Lisa Miller-Snow Hannah Wright Kim Fraser Maureen O’Hearon-Lang Denise Dignard Connie O’Hearon-Lang

The People and Talent Behind Gentle Path

6

1

7

2

8

3

9

4

10

5

11

1 Bob (left), Retirement 2 Cure for the Cause Silent Auction 3 Cure for the Cause, Sara (left) next to husband Chad Fletcher, and Melissa (right), next to her husband, Steve DeLuca 4 Fall Auction, Julia Forgrave (left) and Kim Parsons 5 Hannah W. 6 Harvest Fall Auction, left to right, Debra Meisner, Margaret Totten and Judy Urquhart 7 Mental Health First Aid Certification, left to right, Kara Melendy, Margo MacDougall, Julia Forgrave, and Judy Urquhart 8 Self-esteem Kids Programs 9 Shirley McAlary, Success Skills Conference 10 Success Skills Trade Fair 11 Voice Found, Certification

“This has been a very good four sessions, and I feel I have come a long way and will be able to cope much better with stress now.”

“Jennifer did a wonderful job with my son D. She was a great listener and gave some great ideas, advice and strategies.”

“I would be your advocate… really made new and big steps in understanding myself and others.” Rob. L

• C O U N S E L L I N G •“My counsellor was kind, skilled, easy to be with easy

to open to… I trust her and would definitely come for counselling again.”

“We are very happy with our experience at Gentle Path. We feel we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were when we walked in the door. Thank you for all your time, patience and help!”

10 Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report Gentle Path 2014/2015 Annual Report 11

Hi Folks, I am honoured by the award of

Volunteer of the Year. I confess that I don’t think I am

in the same category as last year’s recipient, by a far stretch, but I am glad to do what I can. I first became interested in mental

health, and New Brunswick’s poor provision of services in that regard, when I worked at the old provincial Hospital (torn down and replaced by “Centracare”) in my student days.In the 1980’s I became the founding President of Mental

health – Albert, a local Chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (now called “Community Living”). After my further theological studies in Toronto, I eventually returned to Saint John and became the “Advisor” for “People First”, a self-help and advocacy group for people labeled intellectually handicapped. During my ministry in the Parish of Musquash, I became

aware of the work of Gentle Path through my acquaintance with Joyce Gregg, one of its founders. I was impressed with its humanitarian ideals, and the deep satisfaction experienced by a number of parishioners whom I had referred to it. Many of those parishioners were seeking a counselling service that was comfortable with the spiritual dimensions of their emotional and relational difficulties. Gentle Path covered that aspect of our humanity with wisdom and graciousness. Good counselling does not so much “solve” people’s problems, as

Volunteer of the Year: Rev’d Chris McMullen The President and Executive of Gentle Path Counselling Services Board of Directors

and Executive Director wish to thank the Board and Staff Members retiring from the Agency for their energy, commitment and skills they contributed to a successful year at Gentle Path. Volunteers are the life-blood of most non-profits and are the unsung heroes of community service.

VOLUNTEERS ~ WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT THEM?

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

~ Margaret Mead

help them to discover, within, around, and yes, even beyond them, the resources they have already been given to grow and blossom as the people they are meant to be. So when our Executive Director, Judy Urquhart, asked me if

I was interested in filling a vacancy on the Board, I was more than happy to help. She made me aware of several challenges the agency was facing, as the need for mental health services was growing while governments were cutting funds. In preparing applications for grants, networking with other

agencies and participating in Gentle Path’s many fund raisers, I have become aware of many other like-minded people and agencies determined to improve the quality of peoples’s emotional and relationship health in our communities. I have deeply enjoyed my work with Gentle Path. By

volunteering with it, I have come to know a variety of very wise and committed people, and enjoyed the satisfaction of doing what I can together with them, to provide counselling and programming for my neighbours in southwestern New Brunswick. One of the things that most impresses me about Gentle Path

is its determination to be proactive in its outreach. The design and provision of preventative mental health and relationship programing marks it as unique among the region’s many service providers. These innovative services require creativity in their funding, as well as many hours of generous service by staff, former clients and interested volunteers. This community of people is an inspiring team to hang around with. My time with Gentle Path gives me a lot of hope and joy! I hope that is what you’re looking for?

Retiring Board Members: Professor Hayfaa TlaissKristin Ross

Retiring Staff:Robert (Bob) DoironMargaret TottenSania Griffiths-DookieKara MelendyAndrea Stoodley

A warm welcome to New Board Members: Lora AndersonKathleen ChapmanCourtney PalmerKate Flood

New Staff: Phil McClure (Bookkeeper)Sharon Rigby (Admin Assistant)Tanya White, BSW, RSW (counsellor)Sacha Hamming, BSW, RSW (counsellor)

Congratulations to:Melissa and Steve DeLuca on the birth of their first child, Aiden!Kara Melendy on her weddingTracey Gallagher-Maguire on her recent wedding

The Executive Director would like to extend a special “thank you” to our Volunteer of the Year and Board President, Rev. Chris McMullen. Your support and guidance throughout the years are deeply appreciated. This recognition is certainly well-deserved for your generous donation of time, patience and support provided to the Board of Directors as well as to the Executive Director. A simple “thank you” for his generous spirit seems woefully inadequate… but here it is: Thank you!!

Employees – as most people do – experience many stresses in their lives. Pressures at home, pressures at work, conflicts with co-workers and family members and relationship issues all have a grave impact on their mind and actions. Unresolved, these issues can affect how they perform at work; they may not perform their duties effectively, they may seem distant and removed, or experience a number of serious health problems.

Mental health claims are the fastest growing category of disability costs in Canada. They account for an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the disability claims recorded by Canada’s major insurers and employers. Three-quarters of employers say mental health issues are the leading cause of short and long term disability claims in their organization.

Depression is expected to rank second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability worldwide by 2020.

Presently, 1.4 million working Canadians suffer from depression. Disability (all sources) accounts for 4 - 12% of payroll costs. Health care expenditures are approximately 50% higher for those employees reporting higher stress levels.

A business’s bottom line is impacted not only by the health of its employees but also by the health of its organization.

Gentle Path Counselling Services is a registered, non-profit charitable organization that provides Counselling, Workshops, Educational Programs and Support Group Services to families, individuals, groups and businesses in Saint John and surrounding areas. We develop and maintain Employee Assistance Programs with Saint John and Charlotte County businesses and organizations, and also work with the Province to facilitate the international adoption information and home study process in New Brunswick.

Workplaces that value job satisfaction,

support work-life balance, and encourage a friendly, supportive culture have fewer problems related to stress.

All of Gentle Path’s Counsellors are registered and fully-insured, and are Social Workers or Counsellors with a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology. All appointments are always completely confidential.

“Providing residents of Saint John and southern New Brunswick with hope and healing opportunities through professional counselling,

support groups and educational group programs.”

To good mental health andwellness in the workplace!

Why should an individual or company chooseGentle Path for services?

20 Alma Street, Saint John, NB E2L 5G6Phone 652-7284 Toll-free 1 888 394-4022

www.gentlepathsj.com