For our final episode of our Winter Series, we are excited to welcome Carrie Watson and Jennifer Kuntz, who are successful entrepreneurs individually, and have recently joined forces to embark on a new endeavour together.
Jennifer Kuntz is the owner of Karuna Counselling Inc. She holds a Masters of Social Work degree with a specialization in clinical practice, and has worked with Alberta Health Services or (AHS) for the past 18 years. Jenn is currently the Trauma and Resilience Project Facilitator for AHS, Addiction and Mental Health Program (Calgary Zone), which provides mental health & addiction supports to children, youth, adults, seniors & their families. Before joining the AHS mental health program, Jenn worked for 10 years at the AHS Child Development Centre in the Cumulative Risk Diagnostic Clinic (formerly Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Clinic) and the Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic. She started her social work career in restorative justice, child intervention, and family support for children with disabilities. Jenn started Karuna Counselling with a group of like-minded psychotherapists in 2012 to provide a safe, supportive and encouraging environment for children, youth and adults to develop their self-awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence, emotional awareness and regulation skills and ultimately to be better able to cope with personal difficulties that interfere with their life and relationships.
Jenn is passionate about providing accessible and meaningful mental health and wellness support to all who are seeking it, to find empowerment and to thrive in their lives. Jenn practices from a resilience and strength-based perspective that is both motivating and empowering - supporting people to make changes in their lives and improve their sense of well-being.
Carrie Watson is the owner of Whispering Equine, and holds both Bachelor of Education, and Bachelor of Kinesiology degrees. She is also certified with the Professional Association of Equine Facilitated Wellness as both a mentor and practitioner in the Equine Facilitated Learning Professional and Equine Professional designations. Carrie is also a certified Reiki Master.
As a former high school teacher and coach, Carrie worked with a variety of students over her 10-year career. It was during this time that she witnessed the mental health struggles in the lives of her students and staff members, which is what ultimately led her to pursue a new career in Equine Facilitated Wellness. When creating Whispering Equine, Carrie was determined to provide youth and adults with an equine guided experience, to help bring awareness to aspects of themselves that may need nurturing and ultimately help lead them to discover their true and authentic potential in life.
Carrie uses the healing aspects of nature, energy work, horse behavior and herd dynamics of horses, as an effective model for building upon and developing inner courage, fostering healthy attachments, clear communication skills, as well as resiliency to life’s challenges. Her passion is to empower people of any age, to live from their heart by developing a positive horse-human-nature based relationship and connection.
Both women are power houses individually, with a palpable passion for mental health and supporting others. But together, Jennifer and Carrie have come together to embark on a new joint venture and have co-founded and are primary facilitators at the Foothills Wellness Collective.
*PCN – Primary Care Network
Links mentioned in this episode:
Whispering Equine: http://www.whisperingequine.com/
Karuna Counselling/Foothills Wellness Collective: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kuntz-a5629b80/
University of Calgary: https://www.ucalgary.ca/
