Windsor & Area

Penny Primeau, BA (Psych)
Rehabilitation Therapist

For Penny Primeau, inspiration comes from the challenges of working with clients with brain injuries and the rewards of watching them progress. She has had four years of experience developing and implementing individualized treatment plans for adults with disabilities and several more working with children. She also has crisis management experience. Having earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Windsor, and a year of nursing courses from St. Clair College, Penny has been a rehabilitation therapist with Brainworks since 2007.

Penny feels it is very important to draw clients out of their isolation, by helping them conquer their fears and anxieties to become part of the community again. She knows it takes time and persistently encourages them take a step beyond their comfort zone, until they discover for themselves the rewards of having taken that step.

Penny’s goal is to assist her clients in achieving their own goals, whatever they may be. To that end, she ensures regular, consistent communication with the other treatment team members to keep them updated and to share ideas that might further benefit her clients.

Penny’s colleagues describe her as ‘going above and beyond’ for her clients. Further, in mirroring the founding principles of Brainworks, Penny puts her clients and their goals front and centre. When she’s not busy helping clients, Penny enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, and going on camping and canoeing trips.

Penny loves working with people. She feels that the major strengths she brings to her role as therapist are her compassion, empathy and understanding for others: “I have a great deal of patience, and I always try to put myself in the client’s situation.”

Jill Rutherford, CYW
Rehabilitation Therapist

Jill Rutherford was first introduced to brain injury when a family member went through a traumatic personal experience. She became familiar with its many effects on the individual involved and those closest to them, services available and the various forms of treatment. With all of her accumulated work and personal experiences combined with her acquired skills and specialized education as a Child and Youth Worker Jill has proven to be a highly valuable member of the Brainworks team. She has a Child and Youth Worker Diploma and has been with Brainworks since 2008.

Jill is eager to work with clients of every age. Although she has over 20 years of experience helping children with behavioural issues, her experience also extends to counselling, multidisciplinary treatment plan development, goal identification and implementation, and teaching life and social skills to all ages.

It is Jill’s goal to build strong working relationships with her clients with trust and open, honest communication, in the least intrusive manner possible. She knows that the most effective client-therapist partnerships are the ones that produce the greatest gains, and it is important for her to support and encourage clients as they reach for the goals they’ve set.

Jill has an expansive skill set when it comes to behavioural and cognitive techniques and strategies. Jill not only encourages her clients to learn strategies in order to facilitate their goals but she is an exemplary model for them as well. Jill exemplifies the adage, ‘practice what you preach’.

Striving to be the most effective in her field, Jill is continuously focused on expanding her therapeutic skills. She enjoys reading, researching, taking courses and attending workshops on the subjects of brain injury and other various physical and psychological disabilities. This eagerness to learn has resulted in a constant expansion of her level of knowledge and skills and serves to benefit all of her clients. With all her contributions, we’re lucky to have her on our team.

Mark Murphy, BHK
Rehabilitation Therapist

Mark Murphy has always wanted to help those in need, and turned his focus to assisting those with brain injuries. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Human Kinetics from the University of Windsor, and has been a rehabilitation therapist with Brainworks since 2008.

Mark has witnessed many positive changes in his clients, including their rekindled joy in once again pursuing activities they had previously lost interest in. He enjoys creating a positive atmosphere for them through encouragement, modeling and positive reinforcement. He has excellent problem-solving abilities, and always seems to find that special way of engaging his clients in therapy exercises designed to develop their skills, even to the point of making a game out of it, especially for the younger children.

Mark works with people of all ages, and strives to meet their needs through collaboration with other professionals on the treatment team. To achieve the most beneficial treatment plan, it’s important for him that the wishes and ideas of his clients be shared with team members. He provides constant communication and updates on their behalf. Mark knows how important prompt, detailed reporting is in a collaborative environment and does so thoroughly and in a timely manner.

Mark enjoys sports of all kinds and strives to stay active. In his “off” time, he is a volunteer coach of a youth volleyball team in the Windsor area. An important philosophy his lives by is: “Never give up. If something doesn’t work the first time, don’t quit trying. Keep trying and you will find a solution.” That is a philosophy that he instills in his clients, and we are fortunate to have him on our Brainworks team.

Jola Szuwara, BA, BSW, RSW
Social Worker / Rehabilitation Therapist

For Jola Szuwara, it’s all about making a difference—especially in the lives of clients and their families. Fluent in Polish, she came to Canada when she was 7 years of age. She graduated with an Honours B.A. in Psychology and then went on to earn a second B.A. in Social Work, both from the University of Windsor. She decided on a career helping those suffering from brain injuries after conversations with friends who were doing similar work and who noted how rewarding their own experiences were. She has been a social worker and rehabilitation therapist at Brainworks covering the Windsor-Essex County area since 2008.

Jola has over six years of experience in client care and social services, and she has provided physical and emotional support to people of all ages with various challenges, from children with developmental problems to seniors with long-term care issues. She’s had exposure to a vast array of therapeutic environments, including counselling, palliative care, and stroke therapy.

Building a strong rapport with clients and treatment partners is very important to Jola. She strives to connect with clients through a genuine interest in their overall well-being, and then advocate for them when collaborating with other professionals. She knows that a client’s therapy is much more effective when they have a voice in the development of their own treatment plan.

Jola wants to continue to make a difference in the lives of clients as well as help strengthen their family ties. Rehabilitation can sometimes be a trying time, and she knows how important it is to support the whole family as they all work toward the common goal of enriching their loved one’s quality of life. This fits entirely with Brainworks’ own client and family-centred philosophy, and we are glad to have Jola in our family.

Nina Sutton, BSW, RSW
Social Worker / Rehabilitation Therapist

Nina Sutton fully understands the issues that arise from having a family member with a brain injury. When she was a young girl, her father was involved in a motor vehicle collision and had to work through a number of difficulties, including lingering aphasia. More recently, she has taken care of her brother, who was similarly involved in a collision and also sustained a brain injury. She learned early in life the many difficulties experienced by both those injured and their families, and she has developed tremendous patience and compassion for everyone involved.

In addition to her personal experiences, Nina has accumulated many years of experience working with different age groups. Among her many roles, she has worked as a support worker, activities coordinator, nursing home assistant, youth worker and health care aide. She earned an Honours Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Windsor, as well as a Human Service Certificate. She became registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers in 2006. She has been at Brainworks since 2005, working as both social worker and rehabilitation therapist.

Nina believes that the person who can best understand the issues surrounding someone living with brain injury is the person who has lived with similar circumstances first hand. Nina draws on the wealth of this knowledge to help her clients work through their own difficulties by educating them about their condition, suggesting coping strategies, and empowering them to get the most out of their rehabilitation. She knows that a tragedy like brain injury can tear a family apart, so she strives to teach each member of the family tools to not only cope, but to regain their strength as a cohesive support system. Nina knows that a client with the encouragement of family has the best chance for recovery, and supporting the family is a key part of what she does as social worker.

Nina is one of Brainworks’ staff offering our Pain Management Program as part of her social work practice since joining the staff in 2005.

For Brainworks, it’s all about the client, as it is with Nina’s own client-centred philosophy. We are fortunate to have her as a valuable member of our therapy team.