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	Anniversary Wishes

Tributes to the Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group

The year 2005 marked the Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group's 25th anniversary. People, locally, nationally and internationally, took the time to congratulate the team and its founder, Marion Balla, for their continued, excellent work in the community — both in the areas of counselling and workplace training, development and consulting.

Huge contributor — in many ways

As Chairperson of ICASSI (The International Committee of Adlerian Summer Schools and Institutes) I have appreciated immensely the many contributions Marion Balla has given to ICASSI for more than a decade. In 1994 Marion hosted our Rudolf Dreikurs Summer School in Ottawa, and prepared for it with dedication, skill, and enthusiasm. She has taught at ICASSI for many years, always stimulating students and providing them with wide knowledge and encouragement. Her courses are consistently popular and highly appreciative.

As a leading educator of Adler-Dreikurs principles and methods, Marion Balla exemplifies the principle of "social equality" and Gemeinschaftsgef_hl (Social Interest). Her gifts of intelligence, humor, and empathy enable many persons to understand both in theory and practice what Adler and Dreikurs taught and advocated, both at the national and international level.

As a Board member of ICASSI for a number of years, Marion gave innumerable insights and wisdoms that helped very positively to shape Board decisions. She could always be counted on to "go the extra mile" with her teaching and Board responsibilities, and the programs and activities of ICASSI continue to reflect her contributions. That Marion brings laughter and cheer to her work environment only adds to the pleasure of her students and colleagues.

ICASSI teaches people from over 20 countries each year, and Marion's outreach helps bring the world a little closer in harmony and shared understanding.

In Malta in July 2005, ICASSI will benefit, again, from Marion Balla's wisdoms and warmth, and it is hoped that many reading these paragraphs will come to Malta to learn from Marion and her colleagues.

Eva Dreikurs Ferguson
Chairperson, The International Committee of Adlerian Summer Schools and Institutes (ICASSI)

Cornerstone in the community

It is with appreciation that I pay tribute to the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group. My appreciation, respect and admiration stem from the numerous times my path has crossed with theirs. Many years ago, when I was the Coordinator of Insight Theatre, it was the Adlerian Group that recognized and celebrated the unique achievements, innovations and contributions of Insight Theatre, a group of teenagers using popular theatre to raise awareness about teen lives. In more recent years I have had the opportunity to participate in various workshops, conferences and dialogues to nurture my experiences of teamwork, communication, management and leadership. Each of my encounters with the Adlerian Group has been one of self-reflection, recognition and growth.

The Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group provides a cornerstone in our community where we can find opportunities to enhance our personal, family and professional lives. The approach is one that nurtures the creative power of the individual to effect change while recognizing the connectedness each of us has to the other. It is within the context of our lives, our work, our relationships, our community that the Adlerian Group asks us to review our realities, identify our strengths, and seek out our points of change and journey toward our goals.

Leslie McDiarmid
Coordinator, Better Beginnings Better Futures (SEOCHC)
Ottawa, ON

Profoundly touched by level of service

Quality support in Leadership Development from the Adlerian Team made all the difference to St. Mary's Home when we expanded our organization, our services and the scope of our programs. The teamês sensitivity, humour and wisdom have touched us profoundly and enabled healthy growth during a critical time. Thank you! Congratulations on this milestone occasion! Your 25 years of care and commitment have made Ottawa a finer place in which to live and work!

Our staff joins me in celebrating your success.

Nancy B. MacNider
Executive Director
St. Maryês Home and Community Outreach Centre
Ottawa, ON

Helping real people, real families

For years, the Vanier Institute of the Family has sought to understand the broad trends of social, economic, technological and cultural change that influence the quality of our family lives and relationships. We have worked with researchers, politicians and policy makers, teachers and business leaders at conference tables and boardroom tables across the country.

In contrast, the Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group has, for 25, worked at •Ground Zeroê on a day-by-day basis to help the members of real families better understand and adapt to the changes we have observed and to negotiate and renegotiate their commitments one to another. The training, understanding and expertise of its team has strengthened and enhanced the lives and relationships around the kitchen tables of thousands of our neighbours.

Alan Mirabelli
Vanier Institute

Unique and comprehensive service

The Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group has been a wonderful resource to our students, their parents, and to me as an educator in the 24 years since our school was founded. The team, under the inspired leadership of Marion Balla, provides a very unique and comprehensive service to parents and children, which has no parallel in the greater Ottawa area. I have always been secure in referring clients to the Centre and they have all been very happy with the assistance, understanding, and respect that they have received from the staff.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Marion and all her colleagues on reaching yet another milestone. The Adlerian Centre has become an outstanding and very rare example of an integrated service provider where emphasis is on the whole person. Our staff joins me in congratulating you all for your advocacy on behalf of the children and families of our community.

Marilyn C. Mansfield
Principal
Venta Preparatory School
Ottawa, Ontario

Supportive in community and business

I first met Marion Balla in the mid 70s when she was a post-graduate student and was a facilitator for a parent effectiveness-training course I was attending. Some years later, Dr. Ray Jones, and my dental team, spent time with Marion and she helped us to develop our communication and team building skills. These skills were invaluable to me in my personal relationships, my family and my patient relationships.

Obviously, I was very impressed with her skills and her personality and, in my capacity as Program Chairman; I invited her to spend a day with one of the study clubs I belonged to. It was either the Ottawa Dental Study Club or the Ottawa Society for the Prevention of Dental Disease. I was Program Chairman and President of both these study clubs at different times.

I also remember when she founded the Adlerian Centre and how nice it was to be able to refer some of our troubled patients as well as confused adolescents for counselling.

Marion and her family lived close by in Alta Vista and we saw each other from time to time. Over the years, I was aware of Marionês successes and her accomplishment to be voted Business Woman of the Year in Ottawa. I know that she helped many dental offices with their team building and this translated into many well-served patients.

How pleased I was when a few years ago, my daughter became associated with the Adlerian Centre in a professional capacity and my path crossed Marionês again, even in my retirement.

I wish her and the Adlerian team many more years of success and happiness and accomplishment.

Dr. Manning Norman
Ottawa, ON

Surpassed expectations

As senior manager responsible for the national delivery of the Canadian Forces Health Promotion Program, I attended a number of the Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group's workshops on "Women In Leadership." In every case, Marion Balla and her team of professionals not only met but also surpassed my expectations. The workshops went beyond standard theory of leadership to address the strengths and challenges of women in leadership roles today. The Adlerian Group creates unique learning opportunities that combine theory, group interaction and experiential opportunities that can be applied to the workplace everyday.

Best of all, an Adlerian team experience assures one of camaraderie and fun. I would like to congratulate Marion Balla and her team on their first 25 years and look forward to working with them in years to come.

Grace V. Betts, RN
Health Promoter and Educator
Ottawa, ON

Special talents

Marion Balla and the Adlerian team are one of the greatest resources I have discovered in my 31 years in professional practice. I have been working with Marion for over 20 years and I owe much of my balance and success in life to her informing and empowering approach to personal and team development. Developing a relationship based dental practice and team is not something that formal education trained me for but Marion has been able to help us work thru the many hurdles in moving from illness to health care. Whether it is personal growth, communications, team building or relationship development, Marion has been critical to me being able to know myself, know my clients, and know my team and being able to apply my knowledge. I want to thank you for all that you have encouraged me to do and become. When dentists ask me what the critical pieces are in developing a relationship based practice, Marion Balla is non negotiable.

Marion, you are a special person, with special talents. Thank you for sharing. Congratulations and it must be a wonderful feeling to know how much you have directly impacted the lives of thousands of people and indirectly the lives of many thousands more.

Vaughan Glover, DDS
Arnprior, ON

Incredible accomplishment

Everyone who has contributed to 25 years of the Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group have a right to be very, very proud. We all know how much Marion Balla brings to her clients, her colleagues, and her community. Her enthusiasm and sense of purpose inspire us all. And we all know that the accomplishments of the Centre depend on the other counsellors, consultants, coaches, parent educators, and staff members, as well. My favourite quote by Rudolf Dreikurs is this: "No task is too difficult if it is seen as a common task." The Adler Schools in Toronto appreciate the fact that such a wonderful group of people are working in common to bring Adlerian principles to Ottawa, to Ontario, and to the world.

Linda J. Page, Ph.D.
President
Adler School of Graduate Studies Inc.
Toronto, ON

Strong support to women in business

The Women’s Business Network of Ottawa (WBN) congratulates Marion Balla, Sue Smarkala, and the rest of the Adlerian team in their pursuit of excellence while encouraging women to achieve full stature as equals in business and personal pursuits.

The Adlerian Counselling and Consulting Group has been involved with the Women’s Business Network for over 20 years. During the early 90s, Marion was an integral part of the education programs the WBN provided. Sue Smarkala has served on the WBN Board of Directors as Secretary and now as Internal Communications Director. Sue is a leadership specialist who utilizes her strengths for the benefit of the whole WBN. The support and direction these women have given to the Network has influenced its growth and positioning in the burgeoning field of female entrepreneurship. Our members have benefited from the seminars in leadership they have produced in recent years, confirming the attributes of assertiveness, vision, and persistence.

A past Businesswoman’s Achievement Award winner, Marion Balla, displayed her grace and wit at the gala celebrating her contributions and business skills. Her good humour enthralled all of those in attendance. It inspired the rest of us to relax and enjoy life as it comes. This positive relationship has influenced the Network members to have vision, to be flexible, and to value each other. It is the same type of relationship the Team establishes with all of its professional contacts. It is part of what has made the Adlerian Group successful for 25 years.

Sharon Boothroyd, B.A.
President Womenês Business Network (WBN)

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