CYC Award Recipients

Dr. Kostouros has spent most of her career advocating and promoting the discipline of child and youth care. In 1989 Patricia joined the CYCAA as a graduate of Grant MacEwan College. Patricia become fully certified in 1991 and immediately following was asked to join the CYCAA as a certification examiner, where she sat as an examiner until she moved to complete her CYC degree in Victoria. While away, Patricia maintained her membership and certification.

Patricia is a Full Professor at Mount Royal University and has been influential in the development and delivery of the Bachelor of Child Studies: Child and Youth Care Major.

Her involvement with the Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta has been long standing. Although her initial involvement was in 1989, Patricia became immersed with the Association when, in 2010, she joined the legislation committee, and then joined the CYCAA Board as a Director in 2012. In 2013 Pat became the Vice President South. While in that role she sat on the conference committee, maintained her role on the legislation committee and became a CYCAA representative to the Association of Counselling Therapy of Alberta (ACTA) in 2017 as a member of the Steering Committee.

In 2018, Patricia became an Executive Board Member to ACTA in order to further the work and prepare for proclamation on behalf of the CYCAA. Presently, Patricia sits on various committees with ACTA, an Association representative. This has required an insurmountable amount of hours advocating for the needs of Child and Youth Care counsellors all over Alberta, and in doing so, the needs of the vulnerable Albertans with whom we work. Patricia has been a driving force in negotiating the inclusion of the CYC voice in the various applications and documents, ensuring that as part of a larger group, Child and Youth care remains a distinct profession.

Countless Child and Youth Care students, Counsellors, colleagues, and peers have been fortunate enough to be mentored by Patricia over her career and service to the CYCAA.

It is our pleasure to present the Visionary Award to Dr. Patricia Kostouros, who has had a profound impact on the vision of the profession of Child and Youth Care Counsellor in the province of Alberta.