Ashley Elisa Rolle was fresh out of Saint Mary’s University with a degree in Environmental Science when she started looking for a job. She wasn’t sure what kind of job, but “In some way, big or small, I wanted to help people or the planet,” she says.

She wasn’t aware of an insolvency industry when she saw a job posting at Grant Thornton, one of the largest bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring service firms in Canada. They hired Ashley for data entry, which gave her a view of all the working parts of the insolvency process, from first client call to final discharge.

She was intrigued with the role of Insolvency Counsellor throughout the process. She found it appealing that the role was client-facing, and promised conversations with a variety of people she could help every day.

Ashley let management know she was interested in the role and was able to job shadow a current counsellor for a session or two to get a feel for it. She asked what she needed to do to prepare, and registered and immersed herself in CAIRP’s BIA Insolvency Counsellor program. Completing the program and gaining the hours of experience required enabled her to become a BIA Insolvency Counsellor in the summer of 2022.

As she expected, Ashley enjoys the variety of meeting every day with different people with different backgrounds. She likes that no two situations are the same, and no two client sessions are the same. Often clients come into a session nervous and not knowing what’s going to happen. She puts them at ease and relates to them on a personal level.

“You often meet people who are in a different mind space,” she explains. “They could be at fragile point in their lives and dealing with anxiety.”

Ashley finds a common misconception is that someone going through insolvency was irresponsible with their money, but she says that’s often not the case. “Different things happen in life that can lead someone to that moment.”

She listens to how clients’ stories evolved and helps them understand they aren’t alone. She shares information about managing their finances and may refer them to local community resources dedicated to other issues they may be facing.

“It’s rewarding when they leave a session feeling empowered, and I do feel as if have done my part to help another person,” she says.

Ashley highly recommends pursuing a BIA Insolvency Counsellor as a career in the industry. “This is definitely the role if you’re compassionate and empathetic, and want to be helpful to everyday people,” Ashley says. “The important concepts you learn will help others, and a bonus is that they’ll help your own personal life as well.”