Yorkville University MACP program

December 20, 2022.

Hi all,

My name is Geanne Krawchuk, and I am a Clinical Counsellor who went through the Yorkville University MACP program, and I graduated in 2021 after having the brave the pandemic and complete practicum during this time. I am from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

With my experience as a practitioner in Saskatchewan, I have found that there have been lots of gaps in the mental health system in the province of Saskatchewan – and part of this includes gaps in an educational offering of Master's programs specializing in Counselling Psychology in Saskatchewan, which is why many of you may have chosen the MACP program - as well of the perks of the coursework being done online without having to move provinces. It can be difficult to find practicum placement opportunities in the Saskatchewan community with the MACP program, as well as learning how to navigate the system in itself. 

After working for both the non-for profit sector as well as private practice, I have soon come to learn the ins and outs of being a practitioner in SK – and have seen the good, bad, and the ugly in practice!

Some of the work I have done in our community has involved advocacy and letter writing to our provincial government to let them know some of the insights and struggles our counselling community faces with mental health, accessing education to enter this field, and to ensure job security after finishing the program. I have also advocated for the CCC designation to be regularly accepted on health insurance plans, as well as the NIHB program, and to provide tax-free therapy (because everyone should have the right to tax free mental health services). I encourage you all to take the time to do so as well - because the more we bring up the issues that are surfacing in the mental health system, the more support we can bring to fix systematic issues. 

Practitioners tend to face burn-out in the field within 3-5 years of entering the mental health stream - being a professional helper can take a lot of energy!

I wanted to create this Facebook group to connect anyone who is with the MACP program or have gone through it in Saskatchewan, and to connect and share information and experiences with each other. This may be a good opportunity to meet your peers from SK, find hints to find practicum placements, and connect to find support in the province. My hope is that in the future I can supervise practicum students myself.

You are welcome to contact me directly if you would like to connect one on one – I also give guidance sessions (sliding scale fee) on how to navigate and find a successful placement in the province, and to give you some insight into the considerations when entering the MACP practicum.