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OASW Celebrates Two Outstanding Social Workers at our 2026 Annual General Meeting

May 14 2026

OASW is honoured to have recognized two inspiring social workers  at our Annual General Meeting on May 14, 2026: 

2026 OASW Inspirational Leader Award | Helen Nguyen

 

Raised in a home where generosity was a way of life, she grew up watching her parents open their doors to others in need—offering not just shelter, but guidance, dignity, and opportunity. As a child, she believed this care was simply how the world worked. Only later did she come to understand that the deep respect her family received was earned through quiet, consistent acts of service. Decades later, even after migration and the passing of her father, people continue to seek out her family to express gratitude—many now leaders in their own fields—crediting her parents with changing the course of their lives and the lives of their families. That legacy became the foundation of her own.

She carried these values into a career in social work, beginning with a focus on Asian communities—challenging mental health stigma and empowering individuals to thrive. She went on to work in psychotherapy, providing treatment for individuals living with mental illnesses, and separately held a clinical role collaborating with a geriatric physician to support older adults and their families through complex health and care needs. Within her organization, she also took the lead in implementing the SCOPE provincial initiative locally, supporting the integration of this model to help bridge gaps between primary care and mental health services. In this role, she worked closely with family physicians across Scarborough as well as patients, strengthening system navigation for providers and patients alike, and improving access to care.

While achieving success in large institutions, she made the intentional decision to return to community-based work, driven by a vision for systemic change and a commitment to ensuring East and Southeast Asian voices are heard and equitably served.

Now serving as Director of Client Care and System Navigation at HF Care, she leads with purpose—advancing culturally rooted mental healthcare and addressing structural barriers that impact access and equity. As the first and only Vietnamese-speaking Capacity Assessor designated in Ontario, she actively dedicates time to providing education and guidance that equip individuals with the knowledge and options needed to make informed, appropriate decisions. Her expertise is widely sought by established law firms and non-profit organizations across the GTA.

Across her clinical, leadership, and system-level roles, she helps individuals and families navigate complex systems where legal, health, and mental health considerations intersect—often with nuanced implications—while continuing to bridge gaps in care and advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Her leadership is grounded in lived values and a clear belief: meaningful change begins with how we show up for others. As she lives and leads, she is guided by the words of John Quincy Adams:

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”
2026 OASW Lifetime Achievement Award | Brian Beech

 

OASW’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a social worker whose values, accomplishments, and career reflect a passion, commitment, and distinguished contribution to the profession, and who has demonstrated outstanding achievements and made contributions of lasting impact to social work in Ontario.

Throughout his career, Brian Beech has shown a steadfast commitment to improving children’s and family mental health services in Ontario, while also investing deeply in the next generation of social workers.

Since obtaining his MSW from the University of Toronto in 1992, Brian has worked in a wide range of settings and capacities. His first twenty years were spent primarily in children’s mental health, where he provided individual and play therapy, family and group therapy, and consultation to residential and day treatment programs. In 1998, he returned to school to begin his PhD in clinical social work at Smith College School for Social Work in Massachusetts, completing the program in 2003.

Following the completion of his PhD, Brian was invited to provide consultation and workshops to several agencies and Boards of Education. During this time, he also supported the implementation of a parenting program across York Region and Simcoe County. In 2003, he opened his own clinical practice in Newmarket, and in 2013 he shifted his focus to full-time clinical practice.

From 2003 to 2018, Brian served as a part-time instructor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, teaching in the clinical practice MSW stream and delivering the program’s only course in psychodynamic theory and practice. His dedication to supporting colleagues’ professional growth beyond the classroom led to significant involvement in field education.

Brian has served as a social work Field Instructor for the PhD program at Smith College, the MSW program at the University of Toronto, and the BSW program at York University. He continues to support the professional development of MSW colleagues through ongoing clinical consultation. In 2020, he further expanded his practice by completing training as a forest therapy guide.

Brian’s impact extends far beyond the individuals he has supported and empowered in his private practice. Through his leadership, teaching, consultation, and mentorship, he has helped shape children’s mental health services and social work education in Ontario in profound and lasting ways.

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