Social worker Tess Macoy feels at home in Nova Scotia

Tess Macoy had never set foot in Nova Scotia before arriving here in November.

But it didn’t take long before it started to feel like home.

Originally from Maine, Tess joined the Nova Scotia Health Mental Health and Addictions Program as a clinical therapist, settling in Kentville.

“It’s been radically welcoming – both people through Nova Scotia Health, but also just people in the community,” Tess says. “Everybody I’ve talked to has been really welcoming and empathetic.”

Tess had extensive experience in the United States as a community organizer and was politically engaged before tapping into their desire to help people in a different way and became a social worker in 2020.

In 2024, Tess, who is non-binary, decided to leave Maine and take their expertise to Canada and began doing research on the best possible fit. That’s when Tess learned about Nova Scotia and took a leap of faith, emailing the Nova Scotia Health recruitment team to inquire about how to begin the job application process.  

“I know that if I’m close to the ocean, I’m going to be happy. So that was a big piece of why I chose this province,” they say. “And then the other piece – and this sealed the deal for me - was that I read that Nova Scotia is the most proportionally trans and non-binary by population province in the whole country.”

Tess works out of the adult community mental health clinic in Kentville. While still getting acclimated to the new environment, they feel this was the best possible decision, both personally and professionally.  

“The work life balance here and the expectation of the role that work plays in your life is totally different from what I am used to. I think my nervous system has rearranged itself between the cultural and political shift and the work shift. My quality of life is so much better,” Tess says.

“I am also clinically challenging myself because it’s a two-sided coin where there are things that are good and difficult about this job, but there is a lot more structure clinically here. So I hope that will make my clinical practice better over the long haul while I am still able to bring in some of my past experience as well and some creative ideas.”

As the dust continues to settle on this new life and career, Tess is now looking to the future and excited at the opportunity to continue to grow, both personally and professionally.

Tess recently bought a house and is starting to build roots in a province that has already given back so much in a short amount of time.

“I’m hoping that I’ll be able to stay long term and pay back the community,” they say.

“And what’s also been wonderful is that the team is really enthusiastic and supportive of me trying to find creative ways to work with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We are trained to do some creative problem-solving about meeting needs in the community, and so I’m hoping to figure out where I can plug in with some of that knowledge.”    

Photo of Tess Macoy, clinical therapist.