About RiverStone

RiverStone Counseling & Consulting Inc., is based in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. We offer counseling services in-person in Stephenville Newfoundland and remotely throughout Newfoundland and Labrador

Why RiverStone?

In many Indigenous cultures, women share a sacred connection to the water and must protect and nurture it. Water represents fluidity, nourishment, growth, birth and re-birth, renewal, change, and interconnectedness. A river changes as it flows, and water moves in cycles, as does our lives. At RiverStone, we work to help clients draw on their own skills to navigate through difficult times.

The stone represents our connection to the land which grounds us and gives us strength. Our practice takes a strengths-based approach to help our clients recognize their own individual power, voice, values, and strengths.

RiverStone signifies the fusion of water and earth in a delicate balance, symbolic of our holistic approach to wellness and the connection of mind, body and soul as a pathway to healing. The unity of the these elements reflect our philosophy of blending contemporary mental health and social work best practice with learned and inherited traditional Indigenous knowledge and healing.

Our History

RiverStone was established by the mutual passion of two social workers with experience in three unique Indigenous communities. They recognized the need for culturally safe and sensitive services which not only respected Indigenous ways of knowing but actually used them as the foundation for healing.

RiverStone’s founders, Brittany & Mandy, met in 2015 while undertaking the 2nd degree BSW program at Memorial University. They instantly connected due to their zest for life, love of laughter, and passion for helping others. After graduation, they spent six weeks backpacking Europe together before they went their separate ways. Brittany started a career as a Mental Health Social Worker working on the traditional land of the Mi’kmaq people in Western Newfoundland. Mandy returned to her roots in Labrador, working for a time in Sheshatshiu as a Child Protection Social Worker and a Mental Health Counselor. Eventually she landed her dream job as a Prevention Services Social Worker serving the communities of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish for a period of 3 years.

Brittany and Mandy reconnected and out of their combined education, collective work experience and passion, RiverStone was born. They are now working together to provide best professional practice and culturally safe and sensitive social work services that align with the Canadian Code of Ethics.

Our Values

1. We value participatory and collaborative models of engaging with Indigenous peoples and communities. We honour and respect the values of the Indigenous communities with whom we work. Our practice is guided by the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework.
2. We believe that all individuals have the right to self- determination and the capacity to enact positive transformative change.
3. We feel that individual and collective change is best achieved by fostering hope, meaning, purpose, and belonging.
4. We value our clients and believe the therapeutic relationship should be based on trust, safety, respect, reciprocity, transparency, and non-judgment.
5. We believe that the highest gift we have to offer our clients is unconditional positive regard. At RiverStone, we see and honour your individuality and your strengths.
6. We believe in the fundamental and tremendous intrinsic worth of all persons, regardless of age, abilities, ethnic background, gender, language, marital status, national ancestry, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or socio-economic status.
7. We are committed to lifelong learning. We believe in the development and disciplined use of evidence-based and professional knowledge and the development of resources and skills to meet individual, group, community, provincial, national and international changing needs and aspirations.