About The Founder
Jake Whitney
Jake Whitney is the President and Founder of Whitney Rehabilitation Support Services. He is also a Catastrophic Motor Vehicle Accident survivor, a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran and has worked as a Rehabilitation Therapist in the communities of Southwestern Ontario since 2018.
While serving in the Canadian Army he was in an accident that changed everything in an instant. At the hospital, the list of injuries was long, and seemed to keep growing over time. Heart failure, 3 broken ribs, a collapsed lung, fractures in both legs, and both knees dislocated, tearing seven ligaments in his knees. Later, a doctor informed Jake that he had a Traumatic Brain Injury - more severe than a concussion. He was told at 19 that he would likely never walk again and was also informed that due to his injuries, he would have to leave the military and may never work again. The sudden change in his life affected Jake deeply, and while he learned how to push himself to his limits in the Army, he was losing the difficult battle in his mind.
Due to the amazing support from his friends, family, rehabilitation team and excellent medical professionals, Jake went through ten reconstructive surgeries, improved his walking and no longer needed a wheelchair, leg braces, crutches, or a cane. Through this long and painful journey, he worked hard to come to terms with his new life, heal his mind, and found new happiness and meaning in helping others.
After two years of full-time recovery, Jake attended the Social Service Worker program at Mohawk college and walked across the stage - graduating with honours. Being driven to learn as much about rehabilitation as possible, he completed the Rehabilitation Therapist training program at McMaster university, as well as three courses from the Ontario Brain Injury Association, in partnership with Brock University. These include, Neurorehabilitation: Assisting Recovery and Function in Everyday Life Following Brain Injury, Children and Youth with Acquired Brain Injury, and most recently, Mental Health, Addictions and Brain Injury.
Jake loves the challenge in being a Rehabilitation Therapist and finds it incredibly rewarding. However, through his close work with his clients and their families, he found that many people fall into gaps in the system, where they receive little or sometimes no support in their recoveries. For this reason, Jake decided that the best answer was to found a charitable organization based on fair and equitable fees, where people pay only what they can afford, while receiving the same high-quality care that they deserve.
Jake believes in strengths-based practice, mindfulness, collaborative problem solving and a person-centered approach. He enjoys working with people from all different backgrounds, and learning as much from his clients as he can teach them. Jake believes that while recovery is never finished after an Acquired Brain Injury, success and happiness can come in many different forms. He is dedicated to helping his clients find that success and their own happiness.
