PSR/RPS Ontario
The Ontario Chapter of PSR RPS Canada is active and inviting you to participate in our activities.
We are interested in advancing the knowledge of recovery oriented practices and the use of psychosocial rehabilitation tools. Please let us know if you are interested in planning on-line or face-to-face education. We are a fun group of folks who are passionate about respect, dignity and choice and ensuring that recovery is truly practiced!
Click here to see our Terms Of Reference.
Executive Officers
President - Deb Watterworth
Vice-President - Chelsea Gauthier
Board Members
Sue Carr
Megan Flann
Vicky Huehn
Norine Thompson
Susan Boyce
Katherine Stewart
PSR Ontario Executive Officers
Deb Watterworth – President
Deb is a CPRRP, employed with the Chatham Kent Health Alliance as a Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist on an acute inpatient mental health unit. Her previous community experience included 25 years of developing, initiating and managing community based programs including supportive housing, case management, dual diagnosis, concurrent disorders, mental health and justice programs, central intake, vocational supports and crisis response.
Deb has a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Windsor and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Sciences from UBC. She is a Master’s level cpi trainer and TEACH trained cessation practitioner. She is a recipient of Ontario CMHA’s “outstanding staff award” and PSR Canada’s Pioneer “Ambassador award” in 2016
In her current role she is responsible for the development, implementation and delivery of the inpatient recovery program and champions the transformation to a recovery oriented model of care.
Chelsea Gauthier – Vice President
Chelsea is a passionate professional, who is formally educated in social work. She is guided by her personal experiences with mental health.
She has previously worked with the NE LHIN researching Recovery Oriented Practices and creating organizational competencies for implementation, as well as implementing Peer Support Navigator Programming into emergency departments throughout North Eastern Ontario.
Along with this, she sits on the Regional Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Council for the NE LHIN. She currently serves as the Vice-President of the Ontario Chapter of PSR Canada and is working within her community to increase access to mental health and addictions services with a recovery-oriented approach.
PSR Ontario Board Members
Sue Carr
Sue was an original member of the board of PSR RPS Canada and co-chairs the International committee, a group comprised of members of various national PSR organizations.
She also volunteers as a board member for the Ontario Chapter. For seven years, she served as a Commissioner on the Certification Commission for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners for the CPRP credential, and held the position of Chair of the Commission for two years.
She has over 20 years work experience in community mental health, in both direct service and senior management. She is currently self employed as a consultant focusing on supporting a sustainable and qualified workforce in health and social services.
Vicky Huehn
Vicky was the CEO/President of Frontenac Community Mental Health and Addiction Services (FCMHAS) from 1982 - 2015.
She developed the agency from a single service of supportive affordable housing as its sole volunteer to a complex, multifarious organization which includes a variety of intensive services with over two hundred staff members serving 3,000 clients. Under her guidance, FCMHAS received the Service of Excellence in 2007 from the Ontario Non-profit Housing Association.
She holds an honours degree in psychology, a Master of Public Administration and is a Certified Health Executive. She is involved in federal, provincial and local initiatives of service development and planning including the Mental Health Commission of Canada. She sat on the Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care's Advisory Committee for the development of the ten-year Mental Health and Addictions Strategy. She was the co-lead of the national study on housing with supports - Turning the Key - a report of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). She spent five years on the Service Systems Advisory Committee of the MHCC. She is a board member of the World Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation.
She has been given the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal by the City of Kingston and the Rotary Cub Paul Harris Fellow award for her work.
Susan Boyce
A Douglas College PSR graduate, Susan Boyce, is a mental health and addictions worker from Vancouver British Columbia where her work includes facilitating peer groups in CBT based recovery and wellness programs.
Susan brings her passion for community, communication and stigma-busting to her work with the PSRBC Board.
Katherine Stewart
Katherine lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She currently works for St. Joseph’s Care Group at the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital site.
She is the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Coordinator within the Addictions and Mental Health portfolio. She has been involved with PSR Ontario since 2010 and became the representative to the PSR Canada board of directions a few years later.
Katherine is optimistic that PSR Canada can lead the mental health workforce in becoming recovery focused as well as PSR practice-based. She believes that PSR Canada can provide a forum for users and supporters of the mental health care system to have a voice in creating responsive and person-focused programs and services across the country.