Author

Gillian Stevens

Gillian Stevens recently “graduated” from her job as a secondary school guidance counselor, where she empowered at-risk youth to overcome barriers leading to graduation, to pursue her dream of being an author and supporting those in the helping professions. In order to help both teachers and students in her counseling role Gillian attended workshops in trauma, grief and death education, suicide, depression and addiction. Her lived experiences while working as a teacher and raising her children to adulthood included managing co-dependency related to addiction, single parenthood and financial stress while embroiled in the legal system. Gillian has been a volunteer with Hospice Wellington, working with the bereaved and also has a coaching business that provides support for individuals facing transition accompanied by loss. She educates new teacher candidates and others about trauma, grief, anxiety and addiction to better prepare them for the challenging demands of the job.