Welcome to the NSCSW team, Tyler!

photo credit: James MacLean

My name is Tyler Colbourne, and I started with the NSCSW as the Professional Development Consultant on August 12, 2024. I come to the college with 20+ years’ experience in the non-profit, tourism, and community development sectors. Prior to joining the college, I have worked as a consultant, educator, photographer, deckhand on a tall ship, tour guide, flight attendant, youth outreach worker, facilitator, communications manager, and more. I became a social worker later in life, having returned to school to complete my first degree at Dalhousie University for their Bachelor of Social Work program. It took me 18 years to get a degree, then another three to finish my Master of Social Work through the University of Victoria.  

My practice as a social worker is informed by my intersectional identities as a queer, white, mostly able-bodied settler of European descent with lived experience as a mental health service user and as someone who has struggled with addiction. I care deeply about decolonization and social justice, and I strive to approach my work through a systems change lens. My previous work as an Executive Director of a cooperative charity focused on mental health and my work as a facilitator greatly inform my role and practice here at the NSCSW.  

I live in Punamu’kwati’jk (Dartmouth) with my partner and am involved in community-based initiatives focused on art, youth leadership & education, mental health, and social justice. I try to foster a sense of relationality, whimsy, and creativity in all areas of my life. I try as much as possible to inject joy into work and relationships. I am guided by the work of adrienne maree brown and Pleasure Activism, and the many other leaders and movement workers who center joy and pleasure in the work of co-creating more just and equitable futures.  

I am thrilled to have joined the NSCSW as the Professional Development Consultant. I am excited to blend my diverse work experience in the areas of facilitation, adult-learning, and community-development with social work practice and regulation. If you are curious about me and my experience, I encourage you to connect with me on LinkedIn. I am looking forward to supporting and engaging with NSCSW members and helping steward the standards and regulations of professional development for social workers in Nova Scotia. Reach out to me anytime at [email protected].