Meet the Counselling Services team

Karen Flood, PhD, RCC, R. Psych (she/her)

Karen is a Registered Psychologist with over 25 years’ experience. Informed by her philosophy of life-long learning and the possibility of change, Karen works collaboratively to build a safe and supportive environment within which to create change. Therapeutic work is guided by presenting concerns and goals, but likely to include working with thoughts, emotions, and values. Therapy may involve increasing understanding of experiences and behaviours, mind-body connection, gentle challenges, mindfulness and compassion, revisiting strengths and supports, and learning new information, skills, and ways of being. Karen holds a special place in her heart for the graduate student experience.

Jacky Grüter-Andrew, MA, RCC-ACS (she/her)

Jacky works with her students to create a safe, welcoming space to explore their concerns and strengths. She recognizes the uniqueness of every individual and collaboratively tailors a therapy approach to support students to move towards their goals. She strives to practice cultural humility and her therapy style is based on attachment, trauma-informed approaches, the mind-body connection, acceptance, and mindful self-compassion. Jacky uses humor, warmth, and gentle challenges to help students move from feeling stuck to a sense of choice.

Rebecca Lalonde, MEd., R. Psych (she/her)

Rebecca is a Registered Psychologist holding a Master’s degree in School and Counselling Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan. She aims to create an atmosphere of openness and non-judgment where students can become more aware of their thoughts and feelings, connect to their strengths, and feel empowered to take action that feels meaningful in their lives. Her collaborative and practical approach is rooted in a humanistic and evidence-based framework to support students in navigating life’s challenges.

Sharon Lee, MCP, CCC (she/her)

Sharon is a counsellor who incorporates a strengths-based approach towards exploring the connections between thoughts, behaviours, and emotions. Sharon believes that students are the experts in their own lives, and that it is important to understand and acknowledge each student’s diversity and intersectionality. Sharon also believes that including mindfulness and grounding into counselling is important to keeping therapeutic work present focused. Collaboration with students is a key element within Sharon’s work as this creates opportunities for students to discover their own solutions to their concerns.

Karen Moss, MA, MC, RCC (she/her)

Karen believes that everyone deserves to have a safe space to explore who they are, their concerns, and their goals. She brings social justice concerns into the therapy room and strives to practice cultural humility. Karen uses an integrative therapy style which can include mind-body, attachment and trauma-informed approaches. She seeks to create a welcoming environment for students with her caring, creative, and person-centered approach to wellbeing.

Vanita Sabharwal, MSW, RSW (she/her)

Vanita is a Registered Social Worker with over 35 years of counselling experience, 20 of those at UBC Counselling Services. Vanita works within an intersectional, anti-oppression, social justice, and trauma-informed framework, encompassing a holistic experiential approach, collaborating with others to increase awareness of themselves within their environment, their social locations, values, goals, and identities, to find their voice and express their needs.

Alysha Chan Kent, PhD, CCC (she/her)

Alysha Chan Kent is a Canadian Certified Counsellor with UBC’s Counselling Services who holds a PhD in Counselling Psychology from the University of Calgary. Her therapeutic practice is rooted in the provision of a warm, non-judgmental space for each student to work through life’s challenges, helping them to uncover personal strengths and create meaningful change. In her practice, Alysha adopts an integrative approach, drawing from various evidence-based approaches. Navigating this process may include exploring students’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, identifying their values and strengths, and untangling narratives that might be holding them back.

Rachel Walker, PsyD, R. Psych, HSP, CMPC (she/her)

Rachel is a Registered Psychologist who earned her doctorate at Springfield College in Massachusetts majoring in Counselling Psychology and a concentration in Athletic Counselling. Rachel places great importance on fostering a strong therapeutic alliance with her students and assisting them to understand what is no longer working in their lives. She invites students to explore challenging yet vital places of growth in the service of what is most important to them. Through humility, compassion, play, and curiosity, Rachel looks forward to supporting students on their journey towards healing, growth, and flourishing.

Nathalie Bertrand

Nathalie is a bilingual, English-French clinical psychologist who has worked with young adults for more than 25 years. She has also been working with athletes as a sport clinical psychologist.

Adopting an integrative approach, Nathalie explores students’ emotions, thoughts, strengths and values to identify practical concrete coping strategies that can help them navigate harder periods of their lives. She works to make sessions feel validating, warm and educational. The therapeutic alliance “the connection” is really important for Nathalie. Her great concern for others, her energy, her authenticity and her empathy ensure that everyone quickly feels safe in her presence.

Polly Cheng

Polly is a psychologist and earned her PhD in Counselling Psychology from McGill University. She practices within an anti-oppressive and trauma-informed framework. Polly’s approach to therapy facilitates a collaborative exploration of both individual and systemic factors to encourage students to thicken their understanding of themselves and their challenges. Drawing from a range of evidence-based approaches, she aims to support students in developing emotion regulation skills and fostering a deeper connection with themselves. Polly strives to motivate change through her warmth, compassion, and curiosity.

Tomas Jurcik, PhD, R. Psych

Tomas completed his doctoral training in clinical psychology at Concordia University in Montreal, and has been a registered psychologist in BC since 2014. His counselling work has been mostly in the area of cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety, stress management, and depression, with a focus on providing his clients with evidence-based and practical strategies to tackle their issues. Dr. Jurcik has experience working in numerous clinical and academic settings over the years and publishes research in the area of culture and mental health.

Dia, Queer and Gender-Affirming Counsellor, RCC (they/them)

With over a decade of experience working in queer and trans communities, Dia brings both lived and learned experiences to this role. They believe that community care and solidarity are integral to wellness and that queer and trans people deserve joy, belonging, and liberation. Dia’s relational approach combines recent research on neurophysiology and attachment within an intersectional and social justice framework. Dia finds joy in swimming, baking pies from scratch, and snuggling other people’s dogs. They feel honoured to support students in understanding and embracing their truest selves.

Craig Lee, MCP, RCC (he/him)

Craig is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and a Professional Art Therapist. His approach to therapy is to create a safe and non-judgmental space for students to collaboratively explore their goals with the belief that people generally wish to improve their situation. He practices therapy through an integration of different techniques including a person-centered approach, asks students to foster a different relationship with their thoughts and feelings, and utilizes art-based approaches in healing. Additionally, he recognizes the intersectionality of diverse identities, and acknowledges the importance this has in the therapy process. 

Nicole Santos Dunn, PhD, RP, CCC (she/her)

Nicole received her doctorate in Clinical and Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto and is a Registered Psychotherapist. She has been involved in various post-secondary counselling settings and enjoys supporting people with a diversity of concerns and experiences. Nicole’s approach is non-judgmental and collaborative. Her therapeutic practice is process oriented and integrates a number of evidence based therapies. She is committed to an anti-oppressive practice and is grateful to have the privilege of doing this work. Outside of work she enjoys gardening.

Nicole Adoranti, MEd, CCC (she/her)

Nicole is a Canadian Certified Counsellor with an Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto. Her counselling approach is based first and foremost on the clinician-student relationship, as she feels an authentic connection creates the platform for meaningful change. With years of experience working with people in different countries and from a variety of cultures, she aims to remain humble in her approach while integrating trauma-informed and decolonial practices into her work.

Asmae El-Bouhali, MEd, MSc, CCPA member (she/her)

Asmae is the Embedded Counsellor within the Faculty of Medicine (FoM) dedicated to the clinical care and support of FoM graduate students. She offers a collaborative, safe, compassionate therapeutic space in which students can explore self-awareness, mindfulness, and personal growth. Asmae facilitates change and goal attainment utilizing a trauma-informed lens and several theoretical and research-based methodologies. Asmae also has extensive experience in cross-cultural therapy and is able to offer services in Moroccan-Arabic and Dutch.

Serena Ewe, MA, CCC, RCC (she/her)

Having lived in five different countries during her formative years, Serena brings a unique richness to her practice. This international upbringing has instilled in her a deep appreciation for the complexities of human experiences and a profound sense of empathy, enabling her to navigate and embrace the intricacies of students’ identities and journeys. Serena seeks to foster a safe and inclusive environment and is committed to building a relationship of trust and collaboration for all. Depending on one’s needs and goals, she helps optimize strengths, build resiliency, and cultivate growth by drawing from an eclectic range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches.

Laura Harvey, MSW, RSW (she/her)

Laura is the counsellor embedded in the Faculty of Arts. She believes that meaningful connection with others is essential and that we can heal and grow in connection with community. She is committed to student success in all its forms. She strives to provide a safe space for students to show up just as they are. She works with each student to identify practical and effective coping strategies that are unique to them. Students have shared that they felt fully seen, heard and validated in their sessions with her. Laura also facilitates wellbeing workshops through the Arts Compass.

Lisa John, MEd, RCC (she/her)

Lisa is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with an Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from UBC. Lisa works from a person-centred and strength-based therapeutic approach which focuses on bringing awareness to thoughts and felt experiences. She works collaboratively and seeks to create a safe and supportive space in which students can share, reflect, and integrate their self-knowledge in ways that are helpful and aligned with their values, needs, and goals.

Gordon Lai, MEd, RCC (he/him)

Gordon is the embedded counsellor in the Faculty of Applied Science. He is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from UBC. Gordon’s therapeutic approach integrates acceptance and commitment while also taking a strengths-based and solution focused approach when working with students. While Gordon appreciates the outdoors and nature, he is described as an "indoor cat" who loves the modern conveniences that the indoors provide.

Michelle Lim, MSW, RSW (she/her)

Michelle is a Registered Social Worker with the BC College of Social Workers. With cultural humility, she strives to foster a welcoming, caring, and trauma-informed space where students can express themselves and feel heard. Her counselling approach emphasizes the mind-body connection, and is responsive to her students’ needs.

Sabina Lupasco, MEd, RCC (she/her)

Sabina is a Registered Clinical Counsellor holding a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from UBC. Sabina’s focus in therapy is to create a space where students feel safe, validated, and accepted; where students feel comfortable to share and explore all the parts of their identities, as well as the internal and external barriers preventing them from reaching their goals. Sabina believes that people get hurt and healed in relationships with others, and her approach includes helping students develop a sense of connection and belonging within themselves and with others. Sabina’s counselling style integrates person-centered and strengths-based approaches.

Thoko Moyo, MC, RCC (she/they)

Thoko is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with many years of experience supporting folks with a diverse range of lived experience and social locations seeking mental health support. Thoko’s counselling approach is strengths-based, anti-oppressive, intersectional and trauma informed. Their practice is influenced by evidence-based approaches that are adapted to be culturally relevant and provides support for each students’ unique needs. Thoko’s master’s research reviewed intervention methods for equity-deserving students navigating systemic oppressions and racial trauma. During sessions, she prioritizes transparency, collaboration, empowerment, and building trust. They would be honored to join your journey of self-discovery as a supportive co-pilot.

Whitney Sedgwick, PhD, R. Psych. (she/her)

Whitney is a Registered psychologist and the Mental Performance/Mental Health lead for UBC Athletics. She has degrees in sport and clinical psychology and has worked with various sport organizations. Whitney works collaboratively with students to clarify their concerns, identify their strengths and further their effective coping strategies. She believes that mental performance skills transfer outside of sport and assists students toward value-driven lives. Whitney is also committed to helping students increase their awareness of mental and physical interconnection. She strives to be compassionate, kind, and genuine and is grateful to work in this role.

Cassie Smith, MC, MBET, RP, CCC

Cassie is a Registered Psychotherapist and Counsellor who serves as the Embedded Counsellor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in addition to her role within the main Counselling Services at UBC. She has spent over a decade working in post-secondary counselling services at multiple universities with a particular focus on supporting students studying in professional programs. She is passionate about taking a curious and collaborative approach to her work with students in creating meaningful and sustainable change.

Jen-Mai Wong, PsyD, R. Psych. (she/her)

Jen-Mai is a Registered Psychologist in BC, receiving her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University. Since 2004, Jen-Mai has been involved in counselling services across a variety of post-secondary settings in both Canada and the United States. Jen-Mai works from a number of evidence-based models of care, while also approaching counselling from a strengths-based perspective focusing on the unique needs of individual students. Jen-Mai enjoys working with students from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Her love of travel is fueled by the belief that seeing more of the world makes for good mental health. Jen-Mai serves as a supervising psychologist and an embedded counsellor at Vantage College.

Nafiza Ali, MA, RCC (she/her)

Nafiza is the embedded counsellor for the Sauder School of Business. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Adler University. Nafiza is a first- generation Fijian-Canadian clinician who believes in authentic and genuine connections to create safety, belonging, and community. Nafiza takes a person-centered and strength-based therapeutic approach where she brings focus to mind and body and encourages student success to come from a place of healthy self-worth. Nafiza works collaboratively to create a safe space for her students to explore their wellbeing, ensuring they feel validated, heard, and accepted. Outside of work, Nafiza loves to explore other countries and cultures and play sports with her husband when she’s not chasing her two wonderful kiddos around.

Myra Mangadap

Myra Mangadap is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with experience spanning 26 years across health systems in mental health and substance use. She has a longstanding passion for, and commitment to diverse populations, rooted in Indigenous and Black communities and knowledge systems. Myra provides culturally responsive and holistic evidence-based counselling that is person-centred, strengths-based, and honours traditional ways of knowing and cultural identity in healing. Mindfully, she has chosen a helping profession in mental health, where her actions reflect her belief that access to equitable health services is a human right.