Participant Over Comes Barriers at Laughing Goat Yoga!

Laughing Goat Yoga Studio is one of Hutton House Employment Services' ongoing employer partnerships that has helped a young Hutton House participant find comfort in working at an establishment that aligns perfectly with his values.

A participant that has been attending Hutton House Employment programs since October of 2019 and self identifies with having social anxiety and Autism. Living with anxiety, the participant had found it very difficult to find work on his own. After hearing from a friend of his that had recently joined a non-profit organization similar to Hutton House, his parents decided to search online and came across Hutton House Employment Services and decided to give it a try.

Hutton House turned out to be a great fit because of its central location. The Learning Centre, where Hutton House Employment services are usually offered, is conveniently located in Cherryhill Village Mall on Oxford Street West, London, Ontario. Due to the pandemic, programs are currently being held online for the community’s safety.

Since registering for Hutton House services, the participant has been enjoying his time in employment. One element of Hutton House Employment Services that he likes is attending workshops, which have taught him critical information on how to get hired and other great employment tips. One of his favourite aspects about Hutton House Employment Services is Hutton House offers one-to-one supports and personal job coaching. He has seen first-hand the benefits of working alongside his Employment Specialist, Nathan.

“Nathan was in contact with Susan, the owner of Laughing Goat Yoga Studios, and told me that the job was out in Thorndale, in the countryside, nobody around, and in a farm environment. Nathan asked, why don’t you give it a go? and I said, sure, why not!”

The job turned out to be a perfect fit because it appealed to the participant’s nature-loving side. Hutton House was able to find a job placement that fit the participant's employment goals and met his personal needs pretty quickly. Before choosing to apply to Laughing Goat Yoga Studios, Nathan came up with a list of potential jobs and employers that they went over together before the participant decided to go with Laughing Goat Yoga Studio.

“The Employment specialist team at Hutton House did a great job at listening to my likes, dislikes and keep my interests in mind.” He appreciated not being placed in just any available job around the city, such as working at a grocery store, as that type of environment does not help with his social anxiety.

In our interview, the participant stated that he likes Hutton House because the staff are always so good to him. Not only does he appreciate the connections he has made with his personal employment job coach, Nathan, but with Emily, the workshop facilitator as well!

“All of the Hutton House staff members were always able to answer my questions, take my opinions into consideration and they are kind.”

This particular participant had been receiving job coaching support in his role at Laughing Goat Yoga for a month, from October to November 2019 and then again in January of 2020 for two weeks. The participant was able to work independently for a few months from January to March before COVID put things on pause. Because of the Pandemic, after being off from work for quite some time, due to social distancing, Employment Specialist Nathan provided the opportunity to open back up one-to-one Job Coaching support to help the participant get back into the flow of things on the farm and to help him get reacquainted with his duties at Laughing Goat Yoga Studios.

Hutton House offers job coaching to our employment participants who are starting new roles at a new job in both part-time and full-time positions. Hutton House provides one-to-one Job coaching for a mutually agreed upon time depending on each individual’s needs before taking a step back and allowing the participant to be comfortable on their own in their new job.

Hutton House job coaching has influenced the participant not only in his work environment, but also influenced him as a person.

“It’s helped me get the support that I need to get on my feet because I am not a very motivated person and I sometimes need clear direction from others to tell me what to do. Not too full-on, but someone able to instruct me so I can work on things by myself.”

The participant states that Hutton House has done a great job at keeping things safe during COVID-19. Even during his job coaching, they all respected each other by wearing a mask, staying six feet apart and following proper protocols.

“I would recommend Hutton House to other people. If you are like me and you need a little help sometimes, this is the best place to help you find work. Hutton House has had a good impact on me. As a person who had been looking for a job for a long time, if you’re looking to just start out, I recommend signing up, it’s a good first step.”

He hopes to continue using Hutton House services in the future and is looking forward to trying out other programs and attending workshops that will help him even further.

Although the pandemic has changed how Hutton House programs are being offered, Hutton House services are still available to help you reach your employment goals. Reach out via email at findwork@huttonhouse.com with the questions you may have about our programs, or visit www.huttonhouse.com to apply online