WINNIPEG, MB – As University of Winnipeg students head back to classes this week they will have access to a comprehensive, enhanced counselling team which includes several new faces, as well as a new Student Counselling Centre located on the main floor of the renovated Duckworth Centre.
UWinnipeg welcomes Elden Siemens, Counsellor/Clinical Supervisor; Lorraine Parrington, Counsellor, and a third counsellor, about to be hired, who are beginning their roles this September. They join a comprehensive counselling team on campus which includes a Community Addictions worker from the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, Psychiatrist Dr. Louis Ludwig, four graduate students in the Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy Program supervised by Carl Heaman-Warne, as well as other clinicians.
In addition, UWinnipeg is unique in Canada in offering a 24-7 Sexual Misconduct Response Team to support students. Elders continue to offer support and guidance from the Aboriginal Student Services Centre, and nurse practitioners and a dietician offer services at the full-time clinic in Sparling Hall. All these services are free for students.
“We made a commitment to our students last year to enhance our counselling services, and we have worked hard to build a team of professionals who bring incredible expertise to our campus,” said Dr. Annette Trimbee, President and Vice-Chancellor, UWinnipeg. “UWinnipeg is a health-promoting campus, focused on student success with a holistic approach to wellness.”
The Student Counselling Centre will be open on Monday, September 14, and the team will respond to students’ requests for an intake appointment within two working days. Contact: studentwellness@uwinnipeg.ca or (204) 988-7611.
“Time and again, we’ve heard from students that access to quality mental health supports is a top priority,” said Peyton Veitch, University of Winnipeg Students’ Association President. “The presence of multiple, in-house, full-time counsellors on campus will ensure that more students receive the care they need, when they need it.”
Students will also notice that over the summer, a $1.4 million renovation to the main floor and lower level of Duckworth Centre was completed. Three classrooms and the athletic therapy labs were upgraded with new flooring, LED lighting and fresh paint.
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Senior Communications Specialist, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
