Hi folks! My name is Hank and I am an artist and group facilitator with a Masters of Social Work living in Kitchener-Waterloo. My pronouns are they/them.

My concussion journey actually began not with myself, but when my mother received a serious concussion seven years ago. Being one of her support people quickly taught me a lot about concussions and recovery - lessons that would later become very helpful three years later when I got my own concussion that left me with long-term symptoms, and suddenly had my own recovery path to walk. A big part of my journey has been re-discovering a love of art and mindfulness-based practices, and learning new concussion-friendly activities that bring me joy. When Keep Your Head Up started their Mindful Moments program last year, I quickly fell in love with the programming. And now I am so excited to be able to be a part of it as a facilitator, and pass on some of what I’ve learned to support folks going through a similar experience!

Prior to my brain injury, much of my work focused on supporting survivors of trauma in both individual and group counselling settings. I also have many years of experience leading programming for youth in a variety of settings, including support groups, summer camps, and leadership training programs. Outside of social work, I am also an artist! I love working with watercolour and acrylic paints, as well as sketching with whatever I can get my hands on.

Finding supportive community that understands some of what you’re going through is, in my mind, one of the most important parts of recovery. I know how difficult that can be with a brain injury, and am so glad to be a part of this new program with Keep Your Head Up that will help provide a space to build community for youth with brain injuries in our area. I can’t wait to meet all of you!