I was born and raised in Burnaby, British Columbia, and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and Psychology at Simon Fraser University. I began my career in mental health as a Research Assistant at Youth Forensic Psychiatric Services (YFPS), engaging in data collection and analysis for the review of therapeutic and rehabilitative programming initiatives (Violent and Sexual Offender Treatment Programs) for justice-system-involved youth with complex support needs. While I found this work meaningful, I began to feel a strong pull toward more direct, personal engagement with the individuals these programs were designed to help. I began volunteering as a mentor and classroom assistant at the high school housed within the Burnaby Youth Custody Services Center (BYCSC), a detention center for incarcerated youth from the Metro Vancouver area. This experience was incredibly impactful for me, solidifying my view of violence and criminality as symptoms of profound human unwellness. I felt drawn to advocate for and be involved in supporting the mental health needs of vulnerable and under-resourced communities including youth, people experiencing poverty and/or justice system involvement and those heavily stigmatized in their experience with mental illness.

Discovering this calling led to my decision to pursue a career as a counselling therapist. In a leap of faith, I left my job in forensic research and moved across the country to earn a Master’s degree in Counselling (M.Ed.) at the University of New Brunswick.