Counsellor bios

The Douglas counselling team consists of 10 counsellors who all have master’s-level education and 2 practicum student counsellors currently completing their master's degrees. If a particular counsellor seems like they might be a good fit for your needs, you can request a meeting with them when booking your appointment. Alternatively, if you don’t have a preference or your concerns are urgent, we’ll connect you with the person we feel will be best able to assist you in a timely manner.

 

Andria, MA RCC

 

Andria

Pronouns: She/her 

Languages: English 

Campus: New Westminster

About: Andria has had a long career at Douglas, supporting students since 1995. She has a particular interest in transition navigation, managing grief, anxiety and depression, trauma healing, relationship-building and interpersonal communication. Andria strives to provide a supportive space for students to gain a deeper understanding of self and to explore and overcome the barriers to their healing and life goals. Andria is of British settler heritage. She enjoys travel, being in nature, and learning about different cultures and languages.  

Therapeutic approach: Andria uses a variety of counselling approaches and therapy methods, such as mindfulness practices, EMDR, somatic therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy.

Angela, MA CCC

 

Angela

Pronouns: She/her 

Languages: English and conversational Greek

Campus: New Westminster

About: Angela is a second generation Canadian of Greek heritage. As a child of immigrants, in a mixed-faith and mixed-culture marriage, she is in tune with the challenges and gifts that come with integrating cultures. She enjoys connecting with family and friends over a good meal, travelling and experiencing life as a new parent.
Angela became a counsellor because she is curious about people and their stories. She is interested in helping students grow through increasing their self-awareness, giving them tools to navigate relationship challenges and offering support through transitions. Angela believes each person is an expert in their own experiences; her goal as a counsellor is to offer culturally sensitive support to help students overcome barriers, gain skills and be leaders in their own journeys. 

Therapeutic approach: Angela’s approach is person centered and strengths based. Her work draws on a variety of therapeutic tools based on each client’s individual needs. She has a particular interest in family systems dynamics and the biopsychosocial connections that affect our well-being. Angela has additional training in sexual violence support and education and has experience supporting international students as they adjust to life in Canada.

Dylan, MA RCC

 

Dylan

Pronouns: He/him

Languages: English and conversational French

Campus: Coquitlam

About: Dylan was born and raised in the unceded territory of the Mohawk in Montreal, where his family has lived for five generations since emigrating from Scotland and France. He received his master’s degree in counselling psychology in 2009 and has over 22 years of experience working with post-secondary students. Dylan has a particular interest in contemplative practices (such as meditation, mindful movement, activism, music and art) and their relationship to wellness. He enjoys learning about how the brain processes the world and how it can change in response to lived experiences and new knowledge. Dylan spends his free time with his family and friends doing outdoor activities such as fishing, camping, kayaking and hiking. He regularly volunteers in his local community.

Therapeutic approach: Dylan’s approach to therapy focuses on cultivating an individual’s inherent skills, resiliency and internal resources. He draws on Adlerian and Existential Therapy.

Edith, BSW MEd RSW CCC

 

Edith

Pronouns: She/her

Languages: English, Cantonese and Mandarin

Campus: New Westminster

About: Edith was born in Hong Kong and moved at the age of seven to Australia, where she lived for 22 years before coming to Canada. She’s an old-school gamer (MMORPGs) and enjoys watching anime and reading fantasy novels. Edith is a proud cat mom and starts each morning with a cup of flat white coffee. Edith has a particular interest in helping students with their academic and career planning. She is skilled at assisting students in navigating relationship conflict, depression, anxiety, trauma, suicide prevention, culture shock and acculturation stresses such as discrimination and loneliness.

Therapeutic approach: Edith is grounded in the person-centred approach, and she works from the social justice and strength-based framework. In addition to this framework, she has experience and training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Erin, MA RCC

 

Erin

Pronouns: She/her

Languages: English

Campus: Coquitlam

About: Erin is of British settler heritage and grew up mainly in Northern B.C. She spends her free time in nature and hanging out with her family. She has travelled extensively and is an avid learner, especially on the topic of social issues. Erin has been a counsellor at Douglas College since 2010. Erin has a particular interest in career counselling and helping students transition smoothly to post-secondary. She enjoys helping students navigate mental health and well-being concerns, including anxiety, self-esteem and perfectionism. She is also passionate about educating the College community about sexual violence and mental health topics.

Therapeutic approach: Erin’s counselling style is empathetic and strengths-based. Like most counsellors, she uses many approaches, including her training in Narrative Therapy and Feminist-Narrative Therapy. She is currently learning somatic and attachment-oriented approaches to counselling.

Fatima, MCP RP

 

Fatima

Pronouns: She/her 

Languages: English, Urdu, Hindi and conversational Punjabi

Campus: Coquitlam

About: As the daughter of Indian immigrants, Fatima has lived experience with the hardships of reconciling cultural and personal identity. She became a counsellor to fill a gap she herself experienced: South Asian and female representation in the post-secondary and mental health fields. In her spare time, Fatima watches too much UFC and is an avid boxer. When she is not watching people hit things, or hitting things herself, she likes to read the latest Bollywood gossip for no reason other than to have useless information in her head.  

Therapeutic approach: Fatima believes that her clients are the experts of their lives and stories. With that in mind, she uses person-centred and narrative approaches to supplement solution-focused therapy for her clients. As an empathetic listener who infuses her therapy methods with humour, Fatima believes in meeting clients where they need to be met and uses a holistic approach to honour their unique experiences of marginalization, oppression, and intersectionality.

Gurmit, MEd

 

Gurmit

Pronouns: She/her 

Languages: English, Punjabi and Hindi 

Campus: New Westminster

About: Gurmit is a first-generation Indo-Canadian raised on the unceded Tsimshian territories in Terrace, B.C. After 15 years in the business and non-profit sectors, her journey to find meaningful work led her to the field of counselling. She enjoys dancing, reading and challenging herself; her most memorable moment was trekking to one of the base camps at Mount Everest. 
Gurmit’s areas of interest include cultural adjustment, career development, family/relationship dynamics and supporting international students with adapting to life in Canada. She is passionate about educating herself on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), anti-racism and anti-oppression to better support marginalized and racialized communities. 

Therapeutic approach: Gurmit’s integrative approach draws on mindfulness, CBT, family systems and solutions-focused modalities to support students in achieving their personal and academic goals. She uses a holistic, trauma-informed and intersectional lens to create a safe, respectful space for individuals of all backgrounds. 

Michael, MA

 

Michael

Pronouns: He/him

Languages: English

Campus: New Westminster

About: While pursuing his education in psychology, Michael took a break between his bachelor’s and master’s degrees as a rock musician touring North America. He is interested in relationship counselling and human sexuality. In addition to being a counsellor, Michael is also an instructor at Douglas. When he’s not working, he enjoys Italian cuisine, movies and vacationing in sunny locales.

Therapeutic approach: Michael's approach to counselling is person-centred and solution focused, and is informed by various schools of thought, including evolutionary, humanistic and behavioral psychology.

Sandi, MEd CCC

 

Sandi

Pronouns: She/her 

Languages: English 

Campus: New Westminster

About: Sandi has a background in teaching and social work in addition to 30 years as a counsellor at Douglas. She grew up in rural Alberta and has travelled extensively, even living abroad in Saudi Arabia and Australia. Watching camel races in the desert, cycling in France and seeing the Grand Canyon are some of Sandi’s most memorable moments. She’s enjoyed the adventure of parenting four active and challenging children

Therapeutic approach: Sandi’s approach to her work with students is person-centred, relationship based and holistic. She seeks to understand students and help them find ways to achieve their academic and personal goals, whether they be career fit, relationship concerns, managing anxiety or coping with grief and loss. Sandi uses techniques from various theoretical perspectives, including Positive Psychology, CBT, Mindfulness-based Counselling and Satir Therapy.