Laurie Pratt

Name
Laurie Pratt
Grad Year
1985
Degree
BSc
Program
Psychology
Role / Title
Professor, Social Service Worker program
Industry
Social Science, Education & Religion
Organization
Loyalist College

*update*: Laurie Pratt is a Professor of a Social Service Worker program.


Laurie Pratt is the Coordinator of Counselling at Loyalist College.

“I provide personal counselling to students attending the college and coordinate duties and workload of the counselling staff. The challenge is keeping things fresh after 17 years of working in this field. The rewards are helping students move past barriers to achieve goals and complete their post secondary education,” says Laurie, who earned an M.Sc. In Counselling in 1987 and a Master of Social Work in 2007.

“It takes enthusiasm, flexibility, a sense of humour, and an ability to take care of yourself while caring for others.”

Laurie’s previous positions include: Counsellor for E.C. Drury, a school for the deaf based in Milton, Counsellor at Humber College, Counsellor and Manager of Services to Disabled Students at UTM, and Counsellor at Algonquin College. She is also self-employed as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

“Dr. Sandra Trehub was a mentor and greatly influenced my initial decision to go to the US for graduate work. Working with her in her lab on studies focusing on deafness was the reason I choose to do graduate work in counselling, with a focus on deafness. I continue to provide counselling supports to deaf students attending Loyalist College,” she says.

“Jobs in the area of deafness are limited so I focused on agencies providing supports to deaf clients. My undergrad degree in developmental psychology along with my graduate degree in deafness enabled me to locate a job in the field quite easily, albeit on contract basis.”

Laurie says her key to success has been persistence and flexibility.

“I did a great deal of contract work before accepting a permanent position. What I lost in stability (and contribution to a pension) I gained in various experiences that have made me quite marketable. As well, embrace life long learning. In 2007 I graduated with a second masters degree in social work and it was a wonderful experience to go back to school at this stage in my life,” she says.