Alumni of Distinction
Amanda Engelhardt
Community Support Counsellor, St. Joseph's Youth Wellness Centre
Amanda Engelhardt, a 2021 graduate of Mohawk College’s Child & Youth Care program, is a dedicated volunteer and mentor, working as a community support counsellor at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton in its Youth Wellness Centre (YWC).
The YWC is home to a team of clinical experts who provide mental health services and support to youth ages 17-25 who are transitioning to the adult mental health care system.
In her role, Amanda provides supportive counselling to approximately 50 young people at the YWC, guided by her own lived experience navigating the mental health system. She helps clients to develop the advocacy, empowerment and self-care skills and strategies they need. She facilitates Peer Support Circle, Art Group and has organized recreational groups such as Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and Poetry Club. Driven by the youth's interest in writing and art, she launched the center’s first poetry anthology, titled I Hope You Feel Something, to showcase participants' lived experiences with mental health and recovery.
Prior to her current role, Amanda was a youth support worker with Good Shepherd Hamilton’s Notre Dame House and a child and youth worker within the pediatric mental health program at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
While a student at Mohawk, Amanda volunteered with Victim Services at the Hamilton Police Services where she provided emotional and practical support to
those who has been physically hurt, threatened, survived a tragedy, suffered a traumatic loss, or witnessed a traumatic event. She has also volunteered with the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care and Why Not Youth Centres.
Since graduating, Amanda has remained connected to the college, serving on the program advisory committee for the Child & Youth Care program, speaking as a classroom guest speaker, and facilitating field practicum experience for co-op students.
In addition to her Mohawk College credential, Amanda has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminology from Wilfrid Laurier University.
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