Ann Collin has been employed at the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre (AARC) since 2007 after her family completed the AARC program in 2005. Since graduating the program, Ann’s career path changed significantly. Ann sees families engage in earnest but futile attempts to solve their loved one’s addiction problems. The burden of guilt and the sense that they somehow “caused” it can often intensify their resolve to “cure” the addiction. Families, in their interaction with the addict, are hidden victims of the disease and their own wellbeing is compromised. Ann’s role as a Family Counselor allows her to help mothers / caregivers learn self-care and successful strategies for coping and interacting with addictive behaviors through the 12 steps of Al-Anon. As a result of her experience in AARC, she became committed to learning more about addiction and how it impacts families; subsequently, Ann has studied the field of addiction extensively including Addiction Studies, Supportive Counselling and Children’s mental health from Mount Royal University as well as Helping Adolescents in Crisis from the University of Calgary and Mental Health 101 from the Canadian Mental Health Association. Today her passion has transformed her into becoming a compassionate teacher and counselor who delivers individual and group counselling sessions with parents and families in treatment at AARC.
Family Counsellor