PRINCIPALS
PATRICIA SPINDEL, PRESIDENT
Dr. Spindel has over forty five years' experience in the childrens' mental health, community health, developmental services, and post-secondary education sectors. She coordinated the Social Services Program at Humber College, where she also co-chaired the Women's Educational Council, was an Associate Dean of Health Sciences, and a full-time professor in the Family & Community Social Services and Justice Studies programs at the University of Guelph-Humber. She also developed and taught the Advocacy In Aging course in the Gerontology Program at Ryerson University. She has received local and international teaching awards, as well as a President's leadership award for innovation and community service at Humber College.
Her Doctoral and Masters degrees in Education specializing in Applied Psychology and Sociology are from the University of Toronto. She was also trained in Psychosocial Rehabilitation at Boston University, in Interpersonal Psychotherapy at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and is a certified Compassion Fatigue specialist and Field Traumatologist by the Traumatology Institute in Toronto.
Her expertise is in systemic advocacy, traumatology, working with high risk populations, political process, and empowerment-oriented case management. Her volunteer contributions including promotion of the rights of nursing home residents, resulted in her receipt of a Government of Canada Medal for service to her community and other awards from community-based organizations.
She has served on the Standards of Practice and Discipline Committees and the Council of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Services Workers, and was a member of the Consumer Committee of the Attorney General of Ontario's Review of Advocacy For Vulnerable Adults, as well as a Co-Founder of the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly. She organized the Ontario Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, served on the Metro Toronto Homes For the Aged Task Force on Advocacy, and is a former President of Concerned Friends of Ontario Citizens in Care Facilities.
Dr. Spindel has also authored four textbooks on psychological harassment in the workplace, case management from an empowerment perspective, community development and organization, and Working With Families for Canadian Scholars' Press.
HARRY SPINDEL, VICE PRESIDENT
Mr. Spindel has over forty years of successful managerial and clinical experience in the community health, childrens' mental health, and both hospital and community adult mental health sectors, and is the former Executive Director of Bayview Community Services.
He provides expertise in organizational re-design and implementation, IT infrastructure for non-profits, Board development and training, staff supervision and human resources.
He is a Past-President of the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addictions Programs (now called Addictions and Mental Health Ontario), and the Guildwood Village Community Association.
His educational background is in Psychology, Organizational Design, Public Administration, Information Technology, and Psycho-Social Rehabilitation in both the U.S. and Canada, having studied at City College of New York and the University of Toronto. He has studied and taught Yoga and Eastern Philosophies and has incorporated this spirituality into his clinical work with great success. He is also an oenophile who collects and reviews vintage wines and conducts tutored wine tastings as fundraisers for non-profit organizations and the occasional political campaign.
OUR ASSOCIATES
Our associates are specialists in a variety of areas including long term care, adult and childrens' mental health, developmental services, trauma support, post-secondary education, and human resources.