Our Staff

Brian Slegers BSW, MSW, RSW

Owner and Therapist

Brian Slegers  is a native of northern Ontario and has a bicultural background. He has primarily Indigenous ancestry with French and Russian roots as well. He started his studies in 1998 in Traditional Indigenous Healing Methods Program at St Clair College in Windsor. He later studied at Laurentian Universities in the Indigenous Human Services Program receiving an Honors Degree in Social Work. 

While working as an emergency room Crisis Counselor and raising his sons he studied part time working towards his Master’s Degree in Social work.  He is also a recent Graduate from the Buddhist Wat Po Traditional Medical School in Bangkok Thailand.  He is a provider for NIHB (Non-Insured Health benefits) ensuring that Indigenous people can access cultural safe and informed therapy at no cost to the client.

Brian is up to date and qualified in the most recent evidence based therapy practices and continues to learn. He has been providing therapy, staff training and certification in therapy and research consulting services since 2004. Brian often works with other associates that work independently under the Farmer and Associates team to provide more options that best suit our clients. The services are 100 percent confidential and discreet understanding the sensitivities of living in a small town and serving small or remote communities.

Jindasa

Massage Therapist

We are happy to now be providing Thai Massage. Jindasa recently joined our team as a highly skilled Thai Massage Clinician. 

Jindasa is from Ratchaburi Thailand and studied at the Original and only true Thai massage school at the Wat Po Traditional School of Medicine in Bangkok. This particular style of Thai massage dates back to the 16 th century, making it an ancient healing practice. Thai massage is more than just a massage it is a holistic healing art intended to heal both the body and the mind. 

Jindasa is a practicing Buddhist and also specializes in the art of meditation and mindfulness.

Tiffany Dumont, BSW, RSW, OTSTCFQ

Therapist

Tiffany Dumont is an Algonquin woman from Kitigan Zibi. She lived most of her life in my community but did spend six years off reserve to pursue post-secondary education. She attended Canadore College in 2008 and completed a one-year program in Indigenous Wellness and Addictions Prevention. In 2009, she enrolled at Carleton University in the social work program and graduated in 2015 with her social work degree. She immediately started working at the addictions treatment centre in her community, the Wanaki Centre, as a residential counselor. This employment over the past seven years has given her many tools and experience in her field. She was then promoted to the Mental Wellness Coordinator position. This has brought her a more systematic level of learning and understanding of the ways the system impacts our front-line workers and the individuals they work with.

Her personal background as an Anishinaabe woman has been a beautiful journey and has shaped the person she is today. She is very involved in the cultural aspects of healing and had the opportunity to attend many ceremonies. She and her family followed the pow wow trail during the summer. This has allowed her to stay connected with individuals from different communities as well as the learning of the diversity amongst them. All this learning has allowed her to incorporate cultural approaches to well-being and her social work education in this helping field. She strongly believes that this blend of approaches helps the healing process come more naturally.

This lens allowed her to incorporate cultural teachings and healing methods to the evidence based westernized social work approaches to helping individuals, families, and groups. Through the front-line services she has offered throughout the years, along with the Aboriginal holistic approach, she has observed many positive changes in the individuals she worked with.

She is up to date in the most evidence-based therapy practices and continue to learn. She is an Indigenous Addictions Specialist certified by Indigenous Certification Board of Canada. Her therapy modalities are based in: Mindfulness, Motivational Therapy, Holistic Therapy based on the Medicine Wheel, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Harm Reduction Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Grief Therapy and Trauma Therapy.

Her therapy services are offered in both English and French and include: covid related anxiety and depression, adults, relationships, mental health, addictions, trauma, and grief.