MSW students participate in Naloxone training workshop
On January 13, FIFSW hosted a training workshop for Master of Social Work students presented by Social Service Worker Rei Murakami.
Murakami, who works in harm reduction and has lived experience of substance use, brought expired Naloxone kits to the session to provide students with hands on experience preparing the materials for use.
As part of the session, Murakami provided information on the proven benefits of supervised consumption sites, the goals of harm reduction (to prevent deaths) and the definition of recovery (any progress towards positive change). He then walked the students through how to recognize when someone is experiencing an overdose and what to do. He also shared insights into factors that put people at a higher risk of experiencing an overdose and why a person might engage in self harm.
The well attended session was well received by students.
“I really enjoyed the information and examples shared,” wrote one student in a feedback from shared with them after the session. “I feel much more confident about the topic of drug use and administering naloxone.”
Wrote another: “That was a very informative crash course on naloxone administration as well as on substance use! I appreciated the personal anecdotes and tips that formal training may not offer.”
Another student described the workshop as “very informative and hands on, and very harm reduction/client-centered/trauma-informed based.”
Murakami has been a harm reduction worker since 2018 and focuses on helping clients find connection and community. “I have lived experience of substance use, and understand why many people without a fixed address use substances to cope with their experience of oppression and trauma,” he writes in a bio shared with the Faculty. “People who use substances experience stigma and discrimination from various social services, and are targeted by the carceral system in Canada. People who access services experience institutional violence from the very places which are supposed to be safe.”
Many thanks to our Associate Dean, Academic’s office for organizing this co-curricular workshop for students — and many thanks to Rei Murakami for sharing his knowledge and experience!
Professional development workshops help prepare students for diverse practice
The naloxone training session was just one of a series of workshops held for students in recent months. From November 2025 to January 2026, the Associate Dean Academic’s Office hosted the Practice Skills for Complex Areas of Professional Practice Speaker Series. This engaging series offered students valuable, hands-on learning opportunities designed to strengthen their readiness for field placements.
With a particular focus on first-year students preparing for their first placement in the program, the sessions emphasized practical skills and real-world insights for working in complex practice settings. Topics explored included homelessness, intimate partner violence, addictions, and crisis intervention. Each session focused on effective communication, program engagement, and strategies for supporting individuals accessing services across diverse service delivery contexts.
We were fortunate to welcome a group of outstanding facilitators who brought their professional expertise to the series. Speakers included (left to right): Emily Imrie (Salvation Army), Kristin Booy (Yonge Street Mission), Aashik Paliyath (Unity Health), and Paula De Jesus (Abrigo Centre). Their contributions provided students with meaningful insights into frontline practice and enriched learning through real-world perspectives.
Read their bios below!
Emily Imrie
Emily Imrie is the Director of Client Services at The Salvation Army, with over 15 years of experience in addictions, mental health, and social services leadership. She holds a BSW from Toronto Metropolitan University and an MSW from the University of Toronto, and mentors emerging social workers as a practicum coordinator. Emily contributes to the broader sector as a board member with Efry Help and Hope for Women and as a volunteer accreditation reviewer with the Canadian Centre for Accreditation. Passionate about advancing accessible, high-quality care, she is committed to developing policies and programs that respond to evolving community needs and drive meaningful organizational change.
Paula De Jesus
Kristin Booy has over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, program delivery, housing, employment, and social services. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and is completing the Human Services and Management Certificate from the UofT. Her professional focus has been on strengthening organizational capacity through effective program design and delivery, leadership development, advocacy, and narrative strategy.
In her current role as Manager of Housing at the Yonge Street Mission, Kristin provides strategic oversight of housing initiatives and supports Master of Social Work students in their field practicums, fostering critical reflection and professional growth as well as offering practical tools for effective practice. She lives in the east end of Toronto with her partner and three children and is an avid knitter.
Aashik Paliyath
Aashik Mathew is a Social Worker with experience across hospital, community, corporate, and private practice settings. He currently works in the Emergency Department at St Michaels Hospital, providing crisis intervention, psychosocial assessments, and discharge planning, while also supporting adults through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in his private practice. After earning his Master’s in Social Work, Aashik led corporate mental health and CSR initiatives at Capillary Technologies, promoting employee wellbeing and community engagement. He then transitioned to community mental health, supporting individuals with complex needs at Across Boundaries followed by working with the CMHA’s OSP program as a CBT Clinician. Multilingual and equity-driven, Aashik is passionate about working with newcomers, educating them about available services and supports, and promoting culturally responsive, trauma-informed care in healthcare settings.
Paula De Jesus
Paula De Jesus has dedicated her career to supporting women, children, youth, and men in breaking free from the effects of abuse and intimate partner violence, and in building healthy, safe relationships.
For 14 years, Paula worked on the front lines providing transitional support to those leaving abusive relationships, as well as emotional support and trauma counselling in the aftermath of abuse. For the last 13 years, she moved into leadership and supervision roles, guiding teams in the intimate partner violence sector and advancing excellence in service delivery through trauma-informed and anti-oppressive approaches.
Paula is currently the Co-Executive Director of the Abrigo Centre, where she oversees Programs and Operations. Abrigo serves more than 5,000 clients each year, including over 500 women experiencing intimate partner violence. Paula is also an active member of several Toronto-based advisory tables and networks, including the GBV Counselling Network, Transitional Housing Support Program Managers Network, CCAS/VAW Advisory Committee, Male Engagement Advisory Committee, and the Service Systems Planning Table — all of which promote best practices and inform policy development to reduce gender-based violence and foster healthier relationships across communities.
Paula extends her gratitude to the many women and children survivors whose resilience, power, and courage continually shape and strengthen the work of this sector. She also acknowledges the colleagues, partners, and advocates she learns from every day — together forming the strong, colourful, and deeply rooted fabric that holds this sector together.