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New business targets at-risk youth
Tuesday September 2 2008
By LORI SHERMAN For The Banner
 
Joe James is not your average youth counsellor.
With his blue jeans, bald head, and tattooed bicep, he looks more like the terminator than your cuddly Dear Abby.
But beyond his tough exterior is a man who cares about society and whose mission in life is to make a difference in the lives of troubled youth.
Now in his 50’s and retired, James has invested a portion of his pension into starting his own business — a company that will provide counselling to troubled youths and their families in Orangeville and surrounding areas, as well as providing legal services, such as private investigations and client support services, to local law firms and attorneys.
James is still waiting for his business license to come in, but is geared up to open this month.
He has been practicing for this role his entire life.
As a teen, James admits he didn’t have it easy. He got involved with the wrong crowd and fell into a bad scene.
“Let’s not get into specifics,” said James. “Let’s just say, I had my issues like most teenagers do.”
Luckily James had a good support system and a bit of money. This, he says, is what helped him escape the bad influences.
James enrolled at Mohawk College and graduated with a Child and Youth Counselor certificate. He later obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and political science from McMaster University.
He knew his past experiences would help him make a difference in the lives of others in similar situations.
“Once you’ve been on the streets it stays with you for life,” said James. “I can empathize with these kids. I know because I’ve been there myself.”
He took on a role as a child youth counsellor in the GTA. He worked one-on-one with emotionally disturbed adolescences. He began developing clinic skills, building confidence as a professional and drawing conclusions about the lack of attention the government was giving troubled youth.
This is when he turned to the police force and took a position with the Orangeville Police Service.
“Being an officer for 20 years helped me combine a lot of different skills,” said James. He became a cop with a heart — wanting to focus on preventing crime rather than reacting to it.
“I approached the chief about starting up a youth bureau.”
The chief agreed and James began counselling young offenders. His goal was to get to the root of the problem, get inside the offenders’ minds, and try to prevent them from “ruining the rest of their lives.”
The program focussed on family intervention plans, which assisted parents in making positive changes to their family dynamic.
To James’ disappointment, lack of resources forced the youth bureau to close after only four years. But he knew he was succeeding and getting through to the youth he was counselling.
“The kids kept coming in even after it ended!” said James. This got him thinking about opening a private business.
“I did the acting sergeant thing. I did the sergeant thing. I worked as an adult probation officer. I wasn’t burnt out, but I realized there was nothing left, professionally, for me to do.”
James opted for early retirement.
At first, James wanted to take a break. He received a truck-driving license and started delivering water to local businesses.
“It was great,” said James. “But that truck became a think tank and my mind kept going over a business plan.”
Now in its final stages, his business plan is ready for action.
The service will be offered in three stages.
The first stage will initially assess the youth and the family holistically through interviews. James then develops an appropriate treatment plan.
The second stage involves an agreed amount of counselling for both the youth and family.  
Thirdly, the progress will be assessed and a final report written by James will be given to the family.
And James doesn’t solely deal with youth in trouble with the law. His services can be provided to youth who are dealing with depression or whom are withdrawn from society.
Because his counselling service is private, James no longer needs to follow strict police procedure when it comes to whom he helps.
“Youth is considered 12 to 18 in the law, but there are a lot of 20-year-olds who act 16,” said James.
For more information about the service, contact James at 519-938-7763 or e-mail joe@justicesupportservices.com.