Driven by a passion to deepen my understanding of psychology and healthcare, I furthered my education by pursuing a master’s degree in health psychology at the University of Southampton UK. Health psychology looks at processes that lead us to engage in detrimental health beahviours and how to promote positive behaviour change (examples include smoking cessation and weight loss). Throughout the master’s program, my dissertation investigated gender disparities in the quality of life among individuals in remission from colorectal cancer, and my apprenticeship focused onexamining quality of life outcomes in youth with cancer.

My professional journey is underpinned by over a decade of experience working with youth and young adults, addressing various issues including life skills development, depression, anxiety, and crisis management. My roles have ranged from working as a behavior interventionist with moderate to severely low functioning youth to supporting university students across the UK in navigating mental health challenges alongside their academic pursuits. From my experience in community mental health, I have a wealth of knowledge on mental health services and resources available in the North Shore and the greater Vancouver area. My practice includes providing supportive psychotherapy and psychoeducation.

Currently, I support the mental health concerns of students at an international college and provide the students with sessions drawing from art therapy techniques and other modalities. These art sessions delve into a non-judgemental and introspective perspective into art. Additionally, I work at a transitional group home for individuals with moderate to severe mental health concerns.