President’s Message
Yuka Sato-Atiyota, President
“What does Japanese Social Services do?” “Is it a different organization from the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center?”
As I meet more and more people in the community as president of JSS, I am asked more and more questions like these.
It is a moment when I realize that there are still many people who do not know what JSS is all about.
I am sure that many of you who read this newsletter are aware of our activities, but for those who do not, I would like to take this opportunity to reintroduce our activities.
The two pillars of JSS services are counseling and program services.
JSS has two experienced counsellors who provide counselling and psychotherapy services to Japanese speaking clients, helping them deal with a wide range of issues they face on a daily basis. They provide counseling and psychotherapy services for a wide range of issues such as depression, anxiety, marital problems, domestic violence, school attendance, dementia and other problems faced by the elderly, and help them to resolve their problems and improve their symptoms. They are both professionals with master’s degrees from Canada and the United States. We also provide useful information and referrals to government services as needed.
Program services promote the revitalization and wellbeing of the Japanese and Japanese-speaking community in Toronto by providing group activities for hobbies, health and mental health promotion, and mutual support, as well as knowledge-sharing workshops.
Services are coordinated by a Canadian-educated and certified social service worker.
Our future direction is to strengthen and enhance both counseling and program services, especially in the three areas of Mental Health, Family, and Aging.
The strength of Japanese Social Services is that professional support services are available to anyone, regardless of their financial situation. JSS uses a sliding scale to make our counseling services accessible to those without insurance or who are financially challenged. We are grateful for your donations and financial support. It is through your dues and donations that we are able to continue our work as JSS. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Toronto Shoko-kai, the Frank Hori Foundation, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for their financial assistance and support this year. Thank you very much.
The third annual fundraising event, the June Yamamoto Memorial Walk, is another great opportunity for you to support JSS by making a donation or pledge. This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, November 10, a little later than usual. We hope that you will join us and participate in this year’s event.
Also, our annual holiday drive will be starting soon. We hope you will join us in making the holiday season even more enjoyable for everyone in our community.
