BIO

 I am dedicated to the attainment of wellness in all of my clients. regardless of race and religion. My practice is based on the foundation of the PSR - bio-psycho-social-spiritual model to identify individual strengths to assist in achieving the goals for my clients' needs.

During the late 70s and early 80s- I co-owned a stained glass shop in Powell River called Rare Earth Glass. 

Early 90s - I freelanced as an OFA, or Industrial First Aid Level III, as my training was called back then. I freelanced through a temp agency in Vancouver doing gigs at Nat Bailey Stadium where I caught some great Vancouver Canadians games. I temped in a White Spot factory and I also temped as First Aid Attendant on Gilford Island in a tree planting camp. This was a float camp. The mountains were high and deadly steep and the slash was moving. First Aid Attendants worked along side everyone else, so I was literally climbing rock faces by 6:00 AM. We weren't actually planting trees, although we had to carry them to plant if needed. We had to retrace each tree planters patches and wide ranges, and find each tree that was planted. We then fertilize each little tree with a "cookie" then check & fix each vezare cage that we came across, give a shot of pigs blood spray (plantskid) that we had to carry on our backs, and then finally throw a ticket down on it to show we were there for the foreman who would show up at some time later. Yes, I did that for one month. 

I also worked as temp First Aid Attendant at the new years eve parties at the Pacific Coliseum, as well as at the Venice Bakery factory in North Vancouver. I temped on Mitchell Island for a auto recycling company that had just lost their First Aid Attendant to stress due to a horrific accident on site. I was brought in to gently work through some first aid issues with the staff. The 90s were also spent playing baseball and traveling with various beer league women's teams. The two team names I remember were The Eldorados (funded by The Eldorado Pub on Broadway Vancouver, no longer there) and Spirit Quest  - I gave the team the name, it was a First Nations women's team and I have no idea how I ended up there.

1994 Wanting to be closer to my family in Powell River I moved to Courtenay on Vancouver Island. 

1995 - I received training with Crossroads Crisis Centre in Courtenay on Vancouver Island. After this training I volunteered on the crisis lines. At this time I earned a Certificate in Suicide Intervention and  volunteered at the Courtenay Methadone Clinic.

2000 - I earned my Life Skills Coach Diploma from Life Skills Training Centre (Canada) Ltd. At that time this school was located in White Rock, BC. The Life Skills program was based on the Saskatchewan NewStart model. While doing my Life Skills Training I also earned a Certificate in Human Relations Counselling, three Certificates in Relationship Counselling, and a Certificate in Operant Effectual Counselling. I completed my Life Skills Coach internship at Gaia Recovery House for Women in Victoria, BC. Gaia Recovery House for Women is no longer open. It was operated through The Human Exchange Society, which is still in existence and does great work in Victoria and the surrounding Gulf Islands.

2001 to 2005 - Providing detoxification and withdrawal management in detox in Nanaimo, BC. 

2005 - I relocated to Vancouver, BC where I worked with Coast Mental Health (then called Coast Foundation) within the Community Homes department. Here I worked in a number of community homes throughout the Vancouver Regional District. Still with Coast Mental Health, I was then offered a one year term in the Housing department. Here I was a Community Outreach Worker for 18 residents living with mental illness at Candala Place on Granville & Drake in Vancouver - operated by More Than A Roof Housing. This is a 32 unit general market apartment building where 18 of the units are reserved for Coast Mental Health clients. I also accepted on-call work with the Aurora Women's Treatment Centre at the BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre. I worked on-call with Aurora until it's closure. Aurora re-opened some years later under the name of Heartwood Centre for Women. 

2006 - After one year in Coast Mental Health's Housing department I took on an on-call weekend position in the Forensics department at the Coast Cottages Program (bottom of the page) at the Forensic Psychiatric Services Community Transitional Care Program on the Riverview grounds. The forensic mental health patients came to the Coast Cottages Program through the Hawthorn pre-discharge program .

2007 - I accepted an outreach position with Vancouver Coastal Health with my base camp being the Whistler General  Hospital. Here I provided mental health outreach throughout the Sea to Sky corridor or between Fury Creek and Pemberton/Mount Curry. After one year in and due to a VCH restructure I trained another mental health outreach worker to be based out of the Pemberton/Whistler region. I then transferred to the Squamish Mental Health office where I provided outreach on the Adult Community Support Services team (ACSS). I continued to work on-call on the weekends with Coast Mental Health on the Forensics team at Riverview until 2016.

2008 - While working Outreach in Squamish, I earned a Vancouver Coastal Health Letter of Completion for my Front Line Leadership training. My research paper was: Psychosocial Rehabilitation in the Workplace. While working on my research paper I worked closely with the Crisis Team coordinator to initiate psychosocial rehabilitation care planning in the Squamish region.

2009 - I graduated from McMaster University with a Diploma in Addiction Studies. I also earned a Letter of Completion from Vancouver Coastal Health  for the TEACH program (Training Enhancement in Applied Cessation Counselling and Health) in collaboration between VCH and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, with a focus on Nicotine Cessation. 

2010 - Vancouver Coastal Health and due to restructuring I transferred to North Shore Mental Health and Addictions, now called The HOpe Centre. Along with my caseload, I facilitated groups including a smoking cessation group, music group, knitting group, hiking group in Lynn Canyon, and a meditation group in our Complementary Therapies house. I organized a yearly outing to the Vancouver Folk Festival for my clients for four years. I also supervised in the club house on the weekly basis. I built relationships with North Shore businesses, food banks, and charity groups. I also organized a car wash to raise funds for our clients' yearly summer camp out on the Sunshine Coast.

2015 - I earned my Charted Herbalist Diploma from Dominion Herbal College. 

2016 - I moved to my hometown of Powell River, BC and began working with Powell River Home Care.

2017 to 2021 - I started working with the ACSS team at Powell River General Hospital - Mental Health

2018 - 2021 Vice-president, then President of the BC Schizophrenia Society, Powell River.

present -  Life Skills Coach

On the Daily

I study herbs, herbal medicines, and a variety of healing and helping modalities.

I distill my own essential oils, prepare tinctures, skin care products, and colloidal silver water (when I can!).

I am environmentally conscious about how I show up in the world & what I am leaving behind.  

I teach myself to play guitar and I know a few tunes. 

Historic

Past - Joint Occupational Health & Safety Representative - BCGEU

Past - BCGEU - Shop Steward - Local 802

2019 - 2022 president of the BC Schizophrenia Society, Powell River