Biography
Hello, my name is Andrea Mandzuk and I am an Occupational Therapist (C.O.T.M. Provisional). I am a provisional member of the College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba, pending my passing of the National Occupational Therapy Certification Examination in January 2021.
My Practice
I have clinical experience in mental health working with a variety of populations, including adolescents with eating disorders, young adults with intellectual disabilities, as well as adults and older adults in an acute mental health setting. My continuing education has included cognitive behavioural therapy and play therapy training. I believe in lifelong learning and I am looking forward to continuing to build my knowledge as I progress through my career.
Occupations refer to anything that occupies your time; those everyday tasks and activities that you need and want to do. As an Occupational Therapist, I take a holistic view of my clients, considering their physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. I look at how the person, environment and occupation interact to either promote or hinder one’s health and well-being and then help clients problem solve to make meaningful change in their lives.
My practice is grounded in biopsychosocial and harm reduction foundations. My approach to working with clients also includes techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy, motivational interviewing, and evocative empathy. More importantly, I approach each client with genuine kindness and non-judgement. My aim is to make therapy a safe space for every client I work with. I demonstrate this through believing and treating the client as the expert of their own experience. It is a privilege and honour to walk beside my clients as they see new meaning in their experiencing and move forward through their healing journey.
