Peter Dangerfield never expected a job at Waypoint would involve caring for the people who care for patients.

But making sure every employee feels supported and fulfilled is important at the hospital and, when it comes to prioritizing staff wellness, people like Dangerfield play a key role. A therapist in the Frontline Wellness program, his job is to help those delivering mental health and addiction care deal with their occupational stress through counselling.

“I see nurses, doctors, support staff, managers — whoever needs it,” he said. “It says a lot about the organization that there are so many programs that support the workers.”

Frontline Wellness is part of the Stepped Care Model, a tool developed by Waypoint to proactively connect staff with care that supports their resilience and mental health. Another part is the Traumatic Incident Support Team (TIST), which is a peer-led initiative that provides around-the-clock support to staff and patients.

Dangerfield currently co-leads the team, whose members come when called — including after hours, in the middle of the night, on holidays or on weekends. It is a voluntary service of skilled and concerned Waypoint employees with advanced training in critical incident stress management and psychological first aid.

“Things happen at work that are sometimes unsettling or unnerving, and we’re there to help them normalize or rationalize what’s occurred,” he explained.

“Helping people improve their lives is very fulfilling. It’s really nice when people sit before you with their challenges or with things they can’t make sense of, and then in a few weeks they’re feeling more confident and their challenges don’t seem as heavy. That’s quite gratifying.”

Dangerfield’s path to Waypoint happened almost by chance. At Laurentian University, he took an elective course in forensic psychology that was taught by a psychiatrist affiliated with the hospital: “That sparked an interest in the world of forensics and really changed the trajectory of my life and career.”

He got a foot in the door six years ago in the Forensic Security Office, working part time as an operational support worker. He returned to school for a bachelor’s degree in social work and was able to do a six-month placement on the Forensic Assessment Program (FAP), which provides comprehensive, multi-disciplinary assessments for each patient admitted from the courts, provincial and federal correctional facilities, and provincial regional psychiatric hospitals.

After a year on FAP, he was hired as a social worker on the Beausoleil Program, where staff focus on meeting the long-term needs of patients with a major mental illness and personality disorder diagnoses. He spent a year there before returning to FAP full time, and a few years later received a contract for his current position in Frontline Wellness.

“The opportunities I’ve had to do things or advance my career in some way have been through people giving me those opportunities. I’ve been fortunate to work under quite a few inspiring leaders who put me on the right path,” he said, listing Chad Draper, Jeannie Borg and Dr. Jeff Van Impe, Mary Kraftscik and Anneliese Surmann as some of those who have aided him.

Waypoint’s Tuition Support Fund was also helpful as he received a masters degree in social work.

“I owe a lot to Waypoint,” said Dangerfield. “I appreciate the opportunities I’ve been given; it’s really been a privilege to serve the patients here and grow within the organization and fill needs as they arise.”