Hi again! I’m Allie and, as I wrap up the final semester of my Master of Health Evaluation program, I have been reflecting on the incredible opportunity I have had to complete my professional practicum at Collective Results. These past four months have been full of growth, learning, and hands-on experiences, and I’m excited to share some of the key highlights from my time here.
1. Diving Deeper into Child and Youth Mental Health
One of the most fulfilling aspects of my practicum was contributing to several projects focused on improving child and youth mental health services across Ontario. Under the expert guidance of the Collective Results team, I helped to facilitate strategic planning sessions with community partners, synthesized data from diverse stakeholders (including program staff, youth participants, and parents/caregivers), and summarized local public health data to inform program decisions. These experiences pushed me to think beyond the individualistic lens of my previous training in psychology and embrace a program- and systems-level perspective. This shift not only broadened my understanding of the challenges facing Ontario’s child and youth mental health system, but it also deepened my appreciation for how systems thinking can be used to bring organizations together to address complex problems.
2. Learning to be Comfortable in the Uncomfortable
Program evaluation is full of unknowns — new clients, unique programs, diverse contexts, and evolving challenges. During my practicum, I was reminded that embracing this discomfort is key to growth. Thanks to the support of the Collective Results team, I found the confidence to step outside my comfort zone and apply my academic skills in real-world evaluation contexts. Watching the team in action was also inspiring. I learned firsthand how to handle challenging interpersonal situations with tact and diplomacy, two crucial skills for building consensus among project partners and ensuring that projects stay on track. This experience also highlighted to me how important it is to be adaptable and self-reflective at every phase of the evaluation lifecycle.
3. Harnessing Technology to Work Smarter
A surprising highlight of my practicum was learning how to use new (to me) technologies to work more effectively. I gained hands-on experience with Power Query, a user-friendly Microsoft Excel tool for cleaning and transforming data, which not only streamlined my data preparation process but also improved its reproducibility. I also discovered the value of Mural, a platform for facilitating virtual collaboration. Whether I was engaging stakeholders in strategic planning or sharing back evaluation findings, Mural was helpful for fostering engaging and productive group discussions. These tools enhanced my technical skills and showed me how using the right technologies can maximize the efficiency, improve the quality, and amplify the impact of my future evaluation work.
Overall, I am deeply grateful to the team at Collective Results for their mentorship, encouragement, and expertise throughout my practicum. As I look to the future, I am excited to build on the skills and insights I’ve gained over the past four months and am eager to continue supporting organizations to create positive change in the world.
Thank you again to Collective Results for this amazing opportunity!