Cheryl Jeffers-Johnson providing wellness navigation services within the Greater Halifax Area

While many people think of healthcare as something delivered in a hospital or clinic, there are just as many valuable services offered in the community.

And one of those services is provided by Nova Scotia Health’s Community Health Teams.

A recreation therapist by background, Cheryl Jeffers-Johnson has spent the past eight years as a wellness navigator with the Community Health Teams in the Greater Halifax Area, working across Spryfield, Dartmouth, Bedford and now Halifax.

“I was drawn to it because it’s different,” she said. “It allows us to step outside traditional roles and really respond to what people need.”

The wellness navigator role is about helping people move forward, whether that means connecting to a resource, learning new skills or having one-on-one support.

Jeffers-Johnson works closely with local partners like food banks and community groups, often in spaces where people already feel comfortable. She shares general health information and helps connect people to specific resources when needed.

“It’s about being present and supportive,” she said.

The past few years have brought added pressure for many community organizations, and Jeffers-Johnson sees her role as a way to help fill gaps where she can. Being out in the community building relationships and offering support is work she finds meaningful and grounding.

Jeffers-Johnson facilitates a range of wellness group programs designed to help people build practical skills they can use in their daily lives. The sessions are conversational and interactive, often shaped by the experiences of the people in the room.

One program in particular, called Exploring Emotions, has become a favourite of Jeffers-Johnson’s.

“When we’re able to recognize and name our emotions, we’re more likely to manage them more effectively,” she said. “We provide information as well as skills, and then we get people to practise those skills.”

The impact of that work is often immediate. She has seen participants connect the dots in real time, realizing they’re not alone in what they’re feeling and gaining language to better understand themselves.

Group discussions often take on a life of their own, with participants sharing what’s worked for them and learning from one another. “I get so much more back from groups than I ever give,” she said. That sense of shared experience and finding common ground with others can be just as powerful as the tools themselves.

One-on-one navigation support is another important part of the wellness navigator role. The focus is on meeting people where they are and helping them take manageable steps forward. For some, that might mean leaving with a list of resources. For others, it’s more hands-on.

“For some folks, making that first phone call is incredibly difficult. I’ve had people sit in my office and make calls together,” she said.

While wellness navigators don’t provide long-term services, Jeffers-Johnson has seen people return when new needs come up, sometimes months or even years later. Others come once, get what they need, and move on. Both are signs, she says, that the service is working as it should.

Still, one of the biggest challenges is awareness. “Every week someone says to me, ‘I wish I had known about your services sooner,’” she said.

For Jeffers-Johnson, that speaks to the importance of continuing to share what the Community Health Teams offer and making sure more people know support is there when they need it.

People can connect with Cheryl directly or be referred by a healthcare provider to access Community Health Teams services. To learn more or see a full list of upcoming programs, visit CommunityHealthTeams.ca.

Photo of Cheryl Jeffers-Johnson, a wellness navigator with Nova Scotia Health’s Community Health Teams.