Wendy Groiss M.A., M.ED
RDI® Certified Consultant, Registered Clinical Counsellor, Certified Teacher
Location: West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Phone: 250-470-3588
Areas Serviced: British Columbia, Alberta, United Kingdom, China
Languages: English
About Wendy
Wendy is a certified teacher, a registered clinical counselor, and a certified RDI Consultant.
Before making the decision to focus her attention on supporting families with special needs in a private practice setting, Wendy held various positions in the field of education. Wendy has worked as both a classroom teacher and learning assistance teacher for many years, and towards the end of her career, worked in several elementary schools as both a counselor and a case manager for students designated with special educational and behavioural needs.
Wendy began working directly and more intensively with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2006 when she had the good fortune to attend a workshop on Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) led by Dr. Steven Gutstein, the founder and creator of the RDI autism therapy program. Wendy was so impressed with Dr. Gutstein’s developmentally based, parent guiding program that she immediately took the steps needed to obtain certification as an RDI Certified Consultant.
Wendy continually seeks to add to her therapeutic toolbox and continuously strives to develop a richer and more enhanced skill set. She is currently privileged to be part of a small working group that meets with Dr. Gutstein once a week to further develop and refine both the RDI program and the Dynamic Intelligence Curriculum Program – a cutting edge research-based program that he has developed to help children gain a greater awareness and understanding of their feelings. The new Dynamic Intelligence program teaches parents strategies they can use to help their children prepare for and handle personal challenges more successfully.
Wendy is currently affiliated with Over The Rainbow Family-Based Pediatric Services in Edmonton, Alberta, and often has the opportunity to engage in collaborative case management with a diverse and skilled group of occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, and clinical psychologists.
Wendy works both locally and with families in diverse regions of the world. She is currently supporting families in Canada, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Wales, and China.