Tell us about yourself, where you are from, when/why you joined UBCO and what you do
I am a Registered Psychologist and Lecturer with the UBCO Psychology Department. I originally trained in Edmonton and Calgary. I then worked for approximately 30 years in Kelowna in publicly funded acute psychiatry and community mental health settings before joining UBCO in 2023 as a faculty member within the Department of Psychology.
What drew you to psychology and your specialties?
Clinical psychology has always appealed to me as I really enjoy working with people and ideally get to make a difference in their lives. It is also extremely rewarding to help prepare our graduate students for eventual careers in clinical psychology. There is a tremendous need in our community for mental health services that are affordable and accessible, and our department has a key role in meeting this demand.
Tell us about UBCO’s Walk-In Wellness Service
The Walk-In Wellness Service is one of many services offered by the UBCO Psychology Clinic,
a campus based clinical psychology training facility providing high quality mental health services to UBCO students, faculty, and staff, and to the broader Okanagan community. Services are delivered by graduate student clinicians under the supervision of Psychology faculty (Registered Psychologists).
The Walk-In Wellness Service offers a free, brief, single-session appointment where clients will receive psychological services and support around a range of concerns, such as stress management, sleep, self-care, depression, anxiety, interpersonal issues, substance misuse, and coping with academic demands/stressors. The service is open Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10 am and 3 pm from September to June, and there is no need for an appointment – students can drop by ASC 167 or access the Psychology Clinic website for more information. Though most of our clients tend to be university students, UBCO faculty, staff and anyone in the community are welcome to access this service.
What’s new about the services this year?
This year we are excited to be able to offer, in addition to the Walk-In service, a brief therapy treatment service. The goal of this service is to provide much needed access to focused and time-limited, evidenced-based interventions for individuals presenting with a range mild to moderate mental health difficulties including anxiety and depression, stress, self-care, and interpersonal issues. This service is provided free of charge and individuals who may be interested in accessing this service can either contact the UBCO Psychology Clinic or drop in to our Walk-in Service Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Finally, while we are excited to be able to offer these services, it is important to note that the walk-in and brief therapy services are not able to provide services to individuals who present with more severe longstanding mental health issues, who are in crisis, or struggling with suicide.
If you could impart one message to people about their mental health, what would it be?
That there is no need to struggle with mental health issues alone – reach out to the various resources on campus.