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Me in Three
Our friendly staff team is at the heart of the safe & professional service we provide.
Read on to get to know us better.
Me...
Hi I'm Pete and I work as an addiction counsellor at Tamarack.
I absolutely love this job as I find myself challenged in so many ways. I am particularly grateful to have an opportunity to be surrounded by a team of professionals who care deeply about the work they do and each other.
A typical day for me starts out with an informal check in with the clients on my way to the 9am team meeting. I may run a workshop in the morning or make contact with an aftercare client. Keeping up to date with clinical notes and current addiction research usually has me feeling on top of my game.
...in three
1. What's the part of your job that keeps you coming in every day?
Definitely the clients. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to share in the stories of their lives, to witness their strength, hope and resilience. This inspires me every single day.
2. When I'm at Tamarack you'll never find me without...
an optimistic attitude.
3. Morning person or
night owl?
Morning person. (Staff will attest to the fact that Pete is so full of energy in the morning he doesn't even need a coffee to get him ready for the day ahead!)
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Did you know...?
- We have incorporated mindfulness into our program. Mindfulness practice complements AA's Step 11, which addresses bringing prayer and meditation into our lives, recovery and our relationship with our higher power. We run a workshop that instructs clients in how to use mindfulness in a practical, everyday way, bringing awareness to and acceptance of feelings, and keeping a focus on the present. Being present is an important tool in recovery and so to keep this concept fresh we begin each day at Tamarack with a mindful meditation.
- Our 78 day program is more popular than ever. Nearly 60% of clients intaked into the program are signed up for the 78 day program or choose to extend their stay while in the program. Read about our flexible treatment options and the 78 day program here.
Is there something you've always wanted to know about Tamarack Recovery Centre or addictions recovery?
Email us with your questions.
Questions may be answered individually or featured in future newsletters.
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Send to a Friend
Know someone who'd be interested in hearing the latest from Tamarack Recovery Centre? Click on the button below to send this issue to them.
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Support Tamarack
Tamarack requires a number of staff and volunteers to fulfill its mission. In particular w e would appreciate the help of a volunteer handyman. If you are available to offer your services please contact Sherry.
You can also support us by making a donation at any time.
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Connect With Us
Tamarack Recovery Centre
60 Balmoral Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 1X4
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Credits
Articles
Joanne Riedle
Peter Keating
Lisa Cowan
Sheryl Hobbs-Canning
Editing & Design
Sheryl Hobbs-Canning
Communications Admin
Joanne Riedle
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Welcome!
Greetings!
Is it me or did this summer seem to go by way too fast? Already there is a familiar chill to the air and a carpet of leaves covering the grass, which tells me that Fall is here and Winter is just around the corner.
While it's certainly tempting to jump on the bandwagon of complaining about the weather and make preparations for a virtual hibernation, the change of season also brings positive opportunities to reflect on what has passed and acknowledge those things for which we are grateful.
September 21st marked World Gratitude Day and of course on the 13th of this month many of us will share in a Thanksgiving celebration with friends and family.
For those of us working in the addictions treatment sphere, gratitude and acknowledgement of thanks can be at the heart of what we do and can underpin the work that we encourage our clients to do. It is suggested that people who are more grateful are happier, less depressed or stressed, have more positive ways of coping with the difficulties they experience and are more satisfied with their lives.
But don't take my word for it, read on to find out about how gratitude plays out within treatment, amongst our staff team and in the lives of our graduates:
- One of our alumni who graduated the program over seven years ago shares his experience of gratitude and making it a part of his recovery journey.
- Our counsellor Peter Keating, in the staff feature "me in three" talks about the parts of his job that he is thankful for.
- Our own gratitude list acknowledges those organizations and individuals who have contributed to our success.
- We discuss how our program is encouraging mindfulness and gratitude.
- Read our late breaking news about exciting changes afoot in our aftercare program.
While both Gratitude Day and Thanksgiving can provide opportunities to show appreciation to others for what they bring to our lives or to simply reflect on what it is to be alive, we can also challenge ourselves to move beyond this once-a-year acknowledgment of gratitude and instead think about how we can be inspired to approach our entire lives with a sense of thanks, cultivating, as some might say, "an attitude of gratitude" every day.
 Sincerely,
Lisa Cowan
Executive Director
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News
Aftercare Update
Tamarack's aftercare program is expanding!
Not only will we continue to offer ongoing support and counselling to our graduates, but thanks to a generous grant from the Winnipeg Foundation we will be enhancing our service through the provision of support to family members of graduates, opportunities for sober social activities and more. Watch this space for updates as we roll out the new programming over the coming months.
New Staff Join Our Team
In June we welcomed new Residential Care Worker (RCW), Ryan into the staff team and in August, after completing her CDI College Addictions and Community Services Worker practicum with us, Robyn joined the team as an RCW as well. Ryan and Robyn join a staff of committed and caring professionals who are dedicated to providing the very best care to our clients. You can read more about our dynamic staff team here.
Out of the House, Into the Community
This month intake counsellor, Sherry Gable and Counsellor Peter Keating visited Headingley Correctional Centre (HCC) to take part in their 4th Annual Community Resource Fair.
Says Deputy Superintendent, James Hand: "We are pleased to continue with such a worthwhile endeavour, as it has proven to be extremely helpful to the inmates at HCC in becoming more aware of the various resources available to them".
Tamarack is also excited to be part of Headingley Women's Correction Centre's next Resource Fair which will be held in October.
Don't forget that staff at Tamarack are able to come to your organization or business to provide information about our program and services. We also welcome enquiries from groups or individuals wishing to tour the facility. Please contact Sherry at 204-775-3546 or sgable@tamarackrecovery.org for more information or to arrange an onsite presentation or tour.
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Our Gratitude List
The use of gratitude lists in recovery can be very valuable. By encouraging people to focus on, name and list the positives in their life, a gratitude list serves as a helpful tool in learning not to take recovery and the "good stuff" that comes from it for granted. Additionally, the process of making such a list, along with the act of re-reading it at a later time, has been shown to improve outlook, mood and perspective on recovery.
In that same spirit, we created a Tamarack gratitude list of our own. Funders:
Over the years we have been able to make some important changes to Tamarack's facilities which have greatly improved the client treatment experience. None of these improvements would have been possible without the generous support of the following grant making/funding bodies who helped make our visions become a reality:
Winnipeg Housing and Homelessness Initiative
Manitoba Community Services Council
The Winnipeg Foundation Continued support through a service purchase agreement with Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors, enables Tamarack to cover part of operation costs as well as providing no cost treatment to nine clients on Employment and Income Assistance. Supporters and Donors:
As a non-profit registered charity, Tamarack benefits greatly from donations, received throughout the year as well as at our annual fundraiser event. Such donations go directly to the program, covering or supplementing the treatment cost for individuals who may not otherwise afford it or building programs like aftercare so all graduates can benefit from increased services and opportunities to be supported in the recovery after treatment. We are very grateful to the many individuals who support Tamarack by attending our fundraisers, contributing prizes and who make donations throughout the year. Volunteers:
Volunteers are a valuable and integral part of the Tamarack team. We have worked to build a culture of consistency within our volunteer base, appointing a staff member with responsibility for coordinating these efforts. Currently, Tamarack has five regular volunteers- a dedicated team who contribute greatly towards the smooth running of the facility. Our volunteers comprise Tamarack graduates who want to 'give back' to the program and clients, as well as individuals with a strong interest in addictions recovery and a desire to be part of our dynamic, client-centred organization. Says Lisa Cowan, Executive Director: "Tamarack truly epitomizes what it is to be a community agency. Yes, we provide a valuable service to the citizens of Winnipeg and Manitoba, but we would not be where we are today without the community giving so generously to us". |
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My Tamarack Experience
"Bringing Gratitude to Life"
I think becoming grateful is something that just happens. For me it happened March 15th 2007.
Before that there was good but I could not name it. The things that I thought were special were mostly materialistic. I loved my son -he was and still is a precious part of my life- but at the time I did not know how great that was.
I came to be grateful when I finally admitted defeat. I could not go on deceiving everyone and myself. I placed myself in the care of my Higher Power and was ready for whatever that meant, including the consequences and the possibility of losing my family and my home.
This process happened over time. It was mixture of meetings, sponsorship, and Tamarack. I am thankful for Tamarack. I had to be removed from my old life so I could learn to live a new one.
I maintain gratitude by knowing I am still growing.
7 ½ years later I am grateful for who I am and not what I have. I don't have to be that man who controls everything and everyone. I am grateful that I don't have the answer. That just means that I will experience learning something soon, patience perhaps. More importantly, I know that if the answer isn't what I want, I can still have a good day.
There are times when feeling gratitude can be more of a challenge but that is when I know something is going on. I make it challenging for myself with selfishness, when I go to the "pity party" or when I want to take back my power and my definition of a good or bad day. At times like that I ask for the power to change my thinking and enjoy the day instead.
Being grateful is no longer difficult. It feels more normal to be grateful now.
If you would have asked me ten years ago what I was grateful for I would have said it was all the things I accomplished on my own. Now I see that everything that is special has come from my higher power and not my doing. Today I am grateful for my God-given sobriety and everything that falls from that. And everything does fall from that.
Read more from our clients.
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