A Little Bit About Me: Professional Education: I have done all of my studies at UBC with a B.Sc. in Cell Biology, a B.Ed with a major in Secondary Science and a minor in Special Education. After my teaching degree was finished, I concentrated on my M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology, which took some time as it coincided with two maternity leaves and a move to the Sunshine Coast but was truly a transformational opportunity! My recent professional development has focused on completing my training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) which I completed this past summer. This now enables me to use this amazing counselling strategy to help with concerns related to trauma. I also have experience working with first responders and am a member of the First Responders Health Network.

Professional Experience: I have taught nearly every grade level in both secondary and elementary but have spent the majority of my teaching years in Inclusive Education as a Learning Assistance teacher, Special Education Teacher and Teacher Counselor at both elementary and secondary. From teaching, I moved to an administrative position, then as District Principal of Support Services and then finally as Director of Instruction for Student Support Services for the Sunshine Coast School District. In 2019, my husband and I made a major leap and left the Coast to move to the Island for his paramedic job. I went back to the classroom as an Inclusive Support Teacher and Counsellor to stay current with my practice while also working as a Sessional Instructor at the University of Victoria working with students applying to the Masters in Counselling program. In 2020 I returned to administration and as part of my portfolio, my work was focused on staff wellness and educator resiliency, which has been a key area of my own professional development, understanding trauma, burnout and compassion fatigue.

Personal Information: My job gave me immense satisfaction as I loved the varied work and fast pace of my days and no day was ever the same as the next! Being back in the classroom was very stimulating and reminded me why I chose this profession in the first place – to work with children and help them develop a love for learning. Working with both pre-service and experienced teachers at UVIC was a dream come true! But now I have retired to focus fully on my private practice helping educators, first responders and anyone wanting support with mental health, burnout, compassion fatigue and trauma counselling. Outside of work, I love to hike, travel, cook and spend time in my garden. We have just finished building our dream home on the West Coast and I am looking forward to using the space for wellness retreats and my home office!

A Little Bit About Me: Professional Education: I have done all of my studies at UBC with a B.Sc. ... Read More