Resilience, Connection and a Meaningful Life
Sonja Swart says she spends her days planting seeds. It’s quiet work, grounded in patience and the confidence that growth doesn’t happen overnight.
“I want to help people figure out ways to live a meaningful life,” says Sonja, an Occupational Therapist in Langley Memorial Hospital’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Unit.
It’s her own roots, though, that helped her recognize the compassion that drives her every day.
Born and raised in South Africa, she traces her path into occupational therapy back to her upbringing and her mother’s influence.
“She had a very broad view of the world and a deep understanding of me, my strengths and my aspirations,” she recalls. That early encouragement shaped a career in which she’s guided by empathy and the philosophy behind occupational therapy: a deep belief in her patients’ abilities and their right to live a meaningful life.
Bringing her empathy and therapeutic talents to psychiatry and mental health was a natural move for her.
“There was a lot of stigma around mental illness at that time,” she recalls. “It was difficult for me to see how people who are fundamentally no different from anyone else are treated so differently because of something that’s outside of their control.”
Sonja’s work challenges common assumptions about occupational therapy. “Often when people think about OT, they thing about specific skills that we ‘teach’, like teaching people how to dress,” she says.
Rather, she focuses on inspiring confidence through the things that a person finds most meaningful, such as physical activity or social connection.
“I feel strongly that people deserve to have someone in their corner who believes in their abilities and potential. Even though the starting point looks different and the challenges vary widely, human capability and resilience remain the same.”
Between 2024 and 2025, about 7,901 adult patients were admitted to Langley Memorial Hospital’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Unit.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association Lower Mainland (CMHA), nearly half of British Columbians will have had or will develop a mental health-related problem by the time they reach 40 and up to 26.2 per cent of BC residents will experience a mental illness each year. While systemic pressures continue to strain mental health care, Sonja remains focused on what she can control, she adds. In practice, that means helping patients take small, meaningful steps forward and helping them restore a sense of agency.
“We owe everyone the dignity that we want in our own lives.”
Recovery in Motion: Donors Fund New Van to Help Mental Wellness in Patients
Thanks to Langley Memorial Hospital Auxiliary donors, a new passenger van will help expand access to activities and care for clients in the Memorial Cottage program at Langley Memorial Hospital.
Sonja oversees programming that allows clients in the hospital’s Memorial Cottage program to access appointments, community programs and activities outside the hospital site.
The van replaces an aging 11-year-old vehicle that had become unreliable after frequent use over the years.
As a tertiary rehabilitation program, Memorial Cottage supports individuals working toward mental wellness and independence; reliable transportation plays a vital role in growing their connections and confidence in their recovery.
With the van, staff will be able to help patients access off-campus activities and programs safely, allowing them to develop additional social skills and life experience.
Donor generosity can help give every patient an opportunity to gain control in their lives, says Sonja. “One of the most meaningful things donations allow us to do is create an environment that is conducive to recovery,” she says.