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By Lauren Presutti, MEd, EdS, LLMSW Mental Health Therapist Founder of River Oaks Psychology Psychotherapist | Speaker | Writer | Designer | Entrepreneur I have always embraced the motto, “work hard, play hard.” I appreciate my dedication to professional goals as a mental health therapist, but my career would certainly crumble to pieces if I […]

We participated recently in the great and important conversation about social connection and the great loneliness epidemic. The impact of  COVID19 and how it has caused further isolation and social disconnect amongst many people, including marginalized and vulnerable populations. Dr. Kiffer Card reviews the results from the Canadian Social Connection Survey as part of the

Thanks to the Tamarack Institute for including us as moderator of this great conversation with Steven Estey and Sarah Schulman! Some really great things happening around the country for and with people with disabilities! ‘How People with Disabilities are Shaping Community’ Have a watch 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=layoBvaALyE

Watch a critical discussion around the importance of human connection for individuals living on the Autism Spectrum. Our engaging & experienced panel discusses why face to face interaction is key, what we have heard about this subject from the autism community, how the global pandemic has affected our contact with others and ways to engage

Almost immediately after COVID-19 hit Canada in March 2020, Amy MacFarlane, Founder and CEO of Recreational Respite, realized she had a major problem. “All of our services shut down,” she says, remembering the chaos of those initial weeks. “Before the pandemic, we offered in-person one-on-one services and group programs in the community. We didn’t have

Recreation, engagement and connectivity plays a MUCH bigger role than what we give it credit for as a society until times like this, when we can’t imagine this situation being a part of our every day life and can only cope because we know it’s NOT permanent. Please remember this.. some of the factors that

Read Article, here! Summary There is an increase in readily-available information regarding alternative therapy options. Recreation therapy approaches are starting to experience a shift, moving from programs that are centered around issues of concern, to focusing on inclusion and promoting participation. This WellSpring issue takes a look at how recreation therapy delivered through group activities

We are writing this post to share the voices of participants who have taken part in our various virtual programs for the last 3 months since the COVID-19 Pandemic began. We had the chance to be a part of a truly insightful virtual meeting where we invited our frequent participants to give us their perspectives

Recreational Respite’s Founder and CEO Amy MacFarlane was in  Sydney Australiain September 2015 to be the international speaker at their National Respite Conference: http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=06015219da81a67440b3c0b54&id=2215cbcb23&e=13c5d5dc4c When she was there she also interviewed with Community West, Perth Australia about how many are partnering to collaborate service while minimizing dollars and maximizing support. Listen here: http://communitywest.podbean.com/e/canadian-recreational-respite-organisation-shares-their-positive-experience-with-technology-amy-macfarlane/ A strong passion for