Our Stories


Research Centre Staff Profile: Robert Jeffrey

July 9, 2024

by: Stacia Franz

In our ongoing staff series, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of our St.Amant Research Centre’s behavioural analysts, Robert Jeffrey.

SF: Well good morning and happy Monday! Let’s start off with you name, title and number of years you’ve been at St.Amant.

RJ: Hello my name is, Robert Jeffrey, I’ve been at St.Amant for 9 years, and have had numerous roles: team leader CRP, then into sport and resident living program, then into Jordan’s Principle (JP), and now I’m a behaviour analyst with JP.

SF: Okay, excuse my ignorance but, what does a behaviour analyst do?

RJ: Good question! We do a variety of things, though my main role is working with children through JP that are experiencing challenging behaviours. Anything that child or caregiver decides is challenging, for instance tantrums or toileting challenges or skill development, is identified with the care provider. We work collaboratively with the families as to what best approach to take. As a behavioural analyst I then put a clinical plan in place.

Then, we also do workshops and training which is so interesting! A couple of times a year I go into First Nations and provide training on disabilities and how to implement solutions in homes. It’s such an amazing experience.

SF: So why did you get involved with JP?

RJ: I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that travel opportunities are a huge perk. It’s so amazing to travel around the province. Nations are always so beautiful. And I’ve always been socially conscious too about providing services not provided otherwise and that is such an honour, to do. It allows me to feel good and make Manitoba a better place. When I learned about what JP was aiming for, I felt it was a fit for myself and my career.

SF: Okay this will be a tough question, which you can preface with, “All Nations are the best!”, but do you have a favourite Nation you’ve worked with?

RJ: The one I’ve worked with the longest is Berens River so I’ve explored every inch of it! One most beautiful is South Indian Lake. It’s a fly-in Nation and it’s as serene as it gets: running hills, the lake and the scenic views all around. Split Lake is cool because I’m seeing how that JP team is coming together. I get to watch that team grow from a team that just was introduced to JP to one that is making huge strides forward in their community. They are such a strong team and it makes me so proud to work with them.

SF: Speaking of teams, can you name for me one colleague that you’d like to give a special shout out to?

RJ: Absolutely. I work with a wide variety of different colleagues, however I work most closely with Christine Harbacio. She is a phycology technician and we are often paid up to do our work. Couldn’t get things accomplished without her! Also I’d like to give a shout out to the knowledge seekers team who acknowledge important days and bring the JP feel to all of St.Amant. And one more, Dr. Leslie Thorne, who allows me to grow into the clinical psychologist that I am. She supports mistakes and helps me to learn in a positive and support way.

SF: If I asked you about your most standout moment in all of your work at St.Amant, what comes to mind?

RJ: This one time, I did a workshop in Norway House First Nation. When I arrived, they didn’t say how many people they were expecting to attend so I didn’t think too much of it. All of the sudden, I walk into their gym and more than 150 were seated waiting for me to present. I was certainly taken aback! It really stands out for me though because I got great feedback from the crowd during and after. It was an experience I’ll never forget and made me realize that I could public speak within a group that large no problem.

Another moment was when I worked with a child that had a challenging time staying in school. There was a lot of violence at the start and with time, and patience, got this child to a point where their negative behaviours were reduced to the point they could attend school again. These stories are what keeps me motivated to do this job. These stories come up all the time, all of our team can name stories like this where you see the child become successful and their relationship with the care provider increases 10-fold because of the work we did. It’s so rewarding.

SF: So what is the topic of your research and how does it fit into St.Amant? Pitch me your thesis!

RJ: I have to do research for masters requirements, and my advisor Dr. Toby Martin and I came up with a variety of things to do. I wanted to evaluate meaningful connections at St.Amant and how that works in terms of staff morale or happiness or connectivity. So my technique is to do a pre and post questionnaire with staff to find out what they are getting out of the meaningful connections training.

SF: Very cool. I love the meaningful connections program. So, after all this research and work, what do you do in your spare time?

RJ: I love running and exercise. I just finished the Manitoba Marathon which was awesome! I love being outside, I play slow pitch in summer and basketball in winter. I enjoy yoga and riding my bike. I really try to stay active and take care of my brain. I also play video games… maybe that’s not that interesting haha … I also have a cat and cuddle all the time.

SF: Stop right there, tell me more of the feline. I know we have a huge cohort of pet lovers here!

RJ: Sadly I lost one of my two recently. We had such strong connection and it gets me emotional even thinking of it now. But I still have my other and we spend hours cuddling! He’s such a part of my family!

SF: Thank you so kindly for chatting with me. It was a pleasure getting to know you a bit more!

RJ: Anytime! Thanks for profiling us researchers 🙂

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