Profile
Biographical Statement of Expertise and Current responsibilities
I am a Family Nurse Practitioner (NP) with 18 years of experience as a clinician, educator, and researcher with a focus on mental health and addictions. My clinical work has been mainly in urban Vancouver, where I have cared for youth and adults who are living with diverse mental health challenges. I am currently employed as an NP consultant at the Adult ADHD Centre in Burnaby, BC, where I provide diagnostic assessments and treatment recommendations. I have published three articles relating to opioid use disorder, and I have presented at national and international conferences, as well as many local conferences and workshops. In my previous role at Foundry, I regularly preceptored NP and physician learners from the BCCSU Addiction Fellowship Program, and I was honoured with an award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching through the BCCSU NP Fellowship in 2020.
I am also qualified as a Certified Addiction Registered Nurse – Advanced Practice (CARN-AP) through the Addictions Nursing Certification Board, and I am in the process of completing a few psychology courses to qualify as a Registered Clinical Counselor (RCC). My coursework will be complete in August 2022, and I plan to use this dual credential to open a private practice mental health clinic, where I will provide counseling services and prescription pharmacotherapy.
I am excited about the therapeutic use of entheogens, and I am committed to improving the mental health system for Canadians, including safe access to these medicines. In the past two years I have participated in course work to prepare to transition my focus to psychedelics in anticipation of regulatory changes at Health Canada. Highlights of this course work include the MDMA Assisted Therapy Training Program through the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy Training through Therapsil, and Level One Sensorimotor Psychotherapy through the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute.
My practice is characterized by innovation and life-long learning. I approach every patient with an attitude of curiosity and compassion, viewing each as a unique individual with the capacity to heal.