About Bridges
Who We Are
Bridges Consulting was born out of a desire to fill a gap in supports for children with a range of developmental disabilities whose needs weren’t being met by the system. Since opening our doors in 2012, we’ve approached meeting those needs through skill development that is inclusive, dynamic and innovative. Out of our initial program, and in response to family requests, our agency has grown and evolved. Today we provide meaningful, targeted supports for our clients, with the primary focus on building the foundations of social skills, behaviour and language needed for success.
To achieve this, we provide small group programming and individual consultation. We also empower families with learning strategies designed to foster meaningful inclusion for their children in their homes and communities. Our approach is governed by research-based practices focused on applying strategies based in Applied Behaviour Analysis.
Our Beliefs
MISSION
Put children and families first as we work to support them in reaching their potential.
VISION
Building the capacity of every individual and family we serve as we work to support them reaching their potential.
VALUES
Bridges is a people company. All of the individuals who are part of our organization – including our clients, their families and our team – are the heart of what we do. We keep this at the forefront of our work by valuing:
- The role of the family as the first and most consistent support in a child’s life.
- Family-centred planning with supports focused on improving the child’s outcomes both now and in the future.
- Collaboration with families and the community to build successful and supportive teams.
- The potential for all children to make meaningful gains when the right supports are in place.
- Fostering an environment of innovation, teamwork and inclusion.
- Transparency, integrity and respect as the foundation of all working relationships.
What are Social Skills?
Social skills are the tools we use to interact with others. They help us establish relationships, better understand ourselves and fine-tune our ability to adjust to a particular situation. Most of us practice social skills every day without thinking about it. We get increasingly better at having meaningful conversations and picking up on non-verbal cues like tone, figures of speech, facial expressions and body language. Using our developing social skills, we learn to take turns, ask questions, regulate our emotions and feel connected to others. These social skills help us become confident, adaptable and happy people who are easy to get along with.
This doesn’t come easily to all children, which has absolutely nothing to do with academic intelligence. It just means that building and refining social skills requires a specific, structured teaching approach. It needs to happen in a controlled and supportive environment that moves at their pace. The learning environment needs to break down social skills into smaller, meaningful opportunities to interact with others and embrace the belief that mistakes are part of the process.
This is what we do at Bridges.
Leveraging established relationships with our community partners, we strategically group children with their typically developing peer models. In a framework designed to foster appropriate control, location, activity and structure, our facilitators are able to help children maximize their learning and empower them to feel genuinely comfortable, competent and confident in social situations.
DIVERSITY
is having a seat at the table.
INCLUSION
is having a voice.
BELONGING
is having that voice be heard.
We're a People Company
Bridges Consulting is a people company. We’re a multidisciplinary team that works collaboratively to meet the needs of every child we work with. Along with the members of our senior staff, we have a passionate group of Behaviour Coaches who are trained to provide the best support for all of our families.
Who We Are
Bridges believes in a family-centred approach to helping children gain the skills they need to reach their potential. The focus is on building the children's success skills through meaningful, targeted supports.
We provide small group programming and individual consultation and support to families with children who have a range of developmental deficits.
Our primary focus is on building the foundations of social thinking, behaviour and language needed for success. Our approach is governed by research-based practices and Applied Behaviour Analysis.
Our Locations
Administrative Office
290-104 13 Street North,
Lethbridge, AB, T1H 2R4
Phone: (587) 425-4211
Program Office
102 317 17th Street S
Lethbridge, AB, T1J 5K4
Phone: (587) 425-4211