Janelle Lee Pong

MA, Registered Social Worker

Areas of Focus

Approach

My name is Janelle Lee Pong, and I am a social worker and Narrative therapist residing in Treaty 6 territory and within Métis Region 4. As a first-generation daughter to Caribbean parents, the ways in which interacting cultures can shape our worldview and values is both personal and endlessly fascinating to me. Prior to working in mental health, my undergraduate studies focused on the training of high-performance athletes. Alongside all of the sports, I spent several years working for a non-profit where I had the wonderful pleasure of providing school and community programming to kids and their families. This is a time in my life that I greatly treasure, and the privilege of caring for people and being of service to the community members around me, is largely responsible for leading me to my work today. 
As someone from cultures and communities of storytelling, working in Narrative Therapy seemed like a perfect way for me to invite clients to share stories of their own. I received my education in Contemporary Feminist Narrative Therapy from my wonderful teachers, mentors, predecessors, and colleagues at the Calgary Narrative Collective (CNC). What this means for you, is that we will explore considerations of race, culture, gender, sexuality, politics, and religion into our conversations with one another, to better understand the unique contexts in which you live your life, and to help us make sense of the trials you are facing. And I will write to you, and with you. I will construct poems from your words and the ideas that we concoct together in our sessions. This is a practice that was handed down to me by my dear mentors at the CNC, and I cannot wait to share the delightfulness of this process with you.
Your ways of thinking are unlike anyone else’s, the opportunities you have had -and have access to- differ from other people’s, the choices available to you and the experiences that have shaped you are uniquely yours, and you bring to therapy your own set of interesting wisdoms and insights…after all, you are the expert on all things you. Your story is unlike anyone else’s, so let us use this expert knowledge to make sense of what troubles you today.

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Race and Ethnicity | racial identity, intersectionality, inter-generational trauma

  • Grief and Loss | divorce, relational separation, death

  • Life Transitions | school, relationships, work, etc.

  • Religion and Spirituality | religious trauma, changing values, exploration

  • Sports/Athletics | injury recovery, preparation and focus, performance stress/pressure/anxiety

  • Identity Questions | confidence, sexuality, conflict

Qualifications

  • Masters Degree in Social Work

  • Narrative Therapy Intensive Training