Since Winning the 2026 GHP Mental Health Award: What Compassionate Practice Means to Me Now

Since winning the Most Compassionate Behaviour Consultation Service 2026 through the GHP Mental Health Awards, I have been reflecting on what that recognition actually means, both for the families we support and for where Your Behaviour Gal goes from here. 

The GHP Mental Health Awards recognize organizations and professionals making meaningful contributions to mental health, well-being, and support services within their communities. Being recognized specifically for compassion felt especially meaningful, because it sits at the heart of everything we do. But the past seven weeks have given me time to sit with a bigger question. It is not enough to be compassionate once and call it done. The real work is figuring out how to keep showing up that way for every client, and how to bring that same standard into the wider field.

What Compassionate Practice Actually Requires

When I started Your Behaviour Gal, my goal was never just to provide behaviour consultation. It was to create a space where children, teens, and families felt seen, understood, and supported through some of their most challenging moments.

Sitting with this award over the past several weeks has clarified something for me. Compassion is not a soft add-on to evidence-based practice. It is part of what makes the practice work. A behaviour plan or a sleep plan only helps a family if that family trusts the person delivering it, feels respected in the process, and is met with patience rather than judgment when things do not go perfectly. Evidence-based support and compassion do not have to exist separately. The most meaningful work happens when they come together.

Sharing That Standard With Other Clinicians

That question of how to extend this beyond my own caseload is part of why I am so glad to share that the Sleep Competency Certification Program is relaunching as version 2.0 this Fall.

This program exists to help behavior analysts build sleep support into their scope of practice in a way that is ethical, individualized, and grounded in both evidence and genuine care for the families they work with. The updated version reflects everything I have learned since the program first launched, including what this recognition has pushed me to think more carefully about: how to teach clinicians not just the clinical skills, but the compassionate decision making and support  that makes those skills land well with real families.

If you are a BCBA looking for mentorship, supervision, or a structured way to bring sleep support into your practice, the waitlist is now open, apply now.

Thank You

To every family who has invited us into their lives, thank you. To the YBG team, thank you for showing up with care, empathy, and dedication every single day. And to everyone who has supported Your Behaviour Gal along the way, thank you for being part of this journey.