Thom Garfat

About Thom

Dr. Thom Garfat has supported young people, families and those who work with them for over 50 years. He holds a MA in Clinical Psychology and his PhD is in Child and Youth Care. He is a member of the Order of Canada, recognized for his “pioneering work in helping troubled children and their families.” In his role as a Child Care Worker, he has supervised residential and community-based programs for young people and families, taught child and youth care practice and family work at the University of Victoria and Metropolitan University and served as Director of Treatment for a large youth-serving agency.

He is currently an international consultant and trainer for foster care, family care, kinship care, program development and residential care advising clients in South Africa, the US, Ireland, Scotland, Canada and other countries. He is the author of “Part of the Circle: A Plan of Action for Revising Youth Healing Services” in the Cree Nation and has developed action plans for youth services for PEI and Nova Scotia. He is the author or editor of eight books and more than 200 professional articles. His primary focus is on “making it work”—finding practical everyday ways to enhance the process of healing and development for young people and families.

What I learned at school

“[While at UVic] I learned, silly as it may sound, that I am intelligent and can handle complex theory. I never graduated from high school, so I started university as a mature student. Because of this, I was unsure of myself, intellectually. I also came to realize that I love learning, and it has become a lifelong activity for me. With my BA, I realized that I could handle learning. With my PhD, I realized that I could understand and create theory. Ultimately, at UVic, I realized that ‘I am OK.’”

Early influencer

“As my first experiences of being a UVic student were in the late ’60s and early ’70s, at a time of protest and advocacy, it helped to shape my interest in advocating for others who might be considered less privileged. In my later years, as I was doing my PhD, I learned that I (or anyone) can help to influence how others think about things. I came to realize, then, that I could be an influencer.”

Skills needed to be good at what I do

“The ability to see the larger picture, the context within which actions and behaviours occur. The ability to translate sometimes complex theory into simple everyday actions which actualize those theories.”

Advice that has guided me

“Never think that you are right—always question (wonder). Know that your perception of reality is only yours—it is not reality.”