Catherine Aoyama (she/her), MEd, RCC

I am third generation Japanese-Canadian and I am grateful to be born and raised on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations in the city of Vancouver, BC.

My mother immigrated from Japan as a young woman and my Canadian born father and his family were interned during WW II at the Lemon Creek Internment Camp in the West Kootenay Region, 26 km south of New Denver where his family ultimately ended up before making their way back to the Lower Mainland many years after the end of the war. I have experienced and worked with and through the generational cultural differences that come with growing up Canadian in a Japanese family and with these experiences, I have been blessed to learn more about and reflect on the effects of intergenerational trauma within families.

I am a BC teacher, a school counsellor and a Registered Clinical counsellor who feels passionate about inclusion and creating wraparound supports for all people in my community. My work as a teacher is with neurodivergent children and youth and I work very closely with an FASD initiative to support children and youth with FASD.

As a counsellor, I work from a person-centred, trauma informed, neurodiversity affirming, family systems and internal family systems lens and I welcome learning from the stories and histories of every individual I meet. I am very honoured to learn from each person with whom I work, and I am thankful for the opportunity that counselling allows me to walk along side for a time. Catherine Aoyama (she/her), MEd, RCC

Catherine Aoyama (she/her), MEd, RCC I am third generation Japanese-Canadian and I am grateful t... Read More

Jill works Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays virtually.

I am a mother, sister, aunt, and daughter born and raised in Vancouver.

I have completed two degrees from the University of British Columbia. An undergraduate degree in Linguistics (specializing in language acquisition in children) and a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education,

I worked for 14 years as an Infant Development Consultant. For the past 11 years, I worked as a Key Worker for the CDBC Program in the lower mainland. I have certifications in STAT (screening tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children), Watch, Wait and Wonder, Group facilitation and Developmental Parenting.

I have developed groups for parents, children, and youth. I have facilitated trainings for school district personnel, ministry social workers, and foster parents.

I have a passion for working with caregivers of individuals with FASD. I believe in working collaboratively to expand understanding, help navigate systems, develop support systems, and find appropriate resources. I believe that expanded knowledge of FASD and networking with other caregivers is necessary for families to feel supported and build strength and resiliency.

In my work, I have found that “it takes a village to raise children” is especially true, and I hope to help families find and develop their village.

Jill works Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays virtually. I am a mother, sister, aunt, and daughter... Read More

Myles is currently full and only accepting wait list.

Myles Himmelreich is a Cree and Metis Disability Consultant. Myles, a leading expert in FASD, is a highly sought-after national and international speaker, educator, and consultant. He has facilitated numerous self-advocacy groups for individuals with FASD and offers one-on-one mentoring support for neurodivergent individuals and their families, specifically around FASD. Myles has co-led groundbreaking studies such as the 2017 “Quality of Life Survey FASD Whole Body Diagnosis” and the 2021 “Quality of Life Survey Equity vs Equality Live as we know it”. As a member of the FASD Leadership team, Myles has organized and facilitated local, national, and international FASD research conferences. and was the co-researcher for the BC Office of the Representative for Children and Youth’s (RCY) report on FASD. From a personal perspective and based on lived experience, Myles shares the strategies and techniques needed to support success for individuals with brain and neurological diversity.

Myles is currently full and only accepting wait list. Myles Himmelreich is a Cree and Metis Disa... Read More

Amanda Iaci, MC, RCC (she/her/hers)

Amanda works in-person on Saturdays and virtually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

I am a Canadian settler living on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish,) and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. I obtained my Master of Counseling Degree at City University and am a Registered Clinical Counselor.

I am passionate about play and connecting with children in a fun, grounded, and patient way. I love creating new and creative activities to empower kiddos using their special interests. I use an attachment and strength-based approach in my practice that affirms each individual’s neurodiversity.

For over 20 years, I have worked with children and families in private and community settings. I specialize in working with autistic children, those with Pathological Demand Avoidance, and kids in foster care. I am trained in a multitude of modalities, including Synergetic Play Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, and Expressive Play Therapy.

Amanda Iaci, MC, RCC (she/her/hers) Amanda works in-person on Saturdays and virtually on Tuesday... Read More

I use she/her/hers pronouns.

My father is of biracial Chinese ancestry, and my mother is of mixed ancestry from Macau. As a BIPOC clinician, I recognize the duality of colonial history in my family and being a person of colour. I am a first-generation Canadian settler and a child of immigrants.

I am an ADHDer, Queer, have Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), and have a mobility disability.

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor, BC Registered Play Therapist, Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor, and EMDR practitioner. Over the last 15 years, through FASD Counselling, I have specialized in working with neurodivergent, particularly those with FASD, children, youth, and adults.

My teachers have included Eurocentric theories of somatics, interpersonal neurobiology, trauma-informed, attachment, EMDR, expressive arts, and Synergetic Play Therapy. These teachings have fueled my passion is to help folx connect to themselves, their cultures, communities, histories, ancestors, and creation.

I am inspired by my Indigenous colleagues and the Elder teachers who have blessed and permitted me to share their wisdom and teachings about working with neurodiversity.

As I learn the ancient traditional Chinese medicine principles of connection to breath and movement to balance and cultivate Chi 的气, this connects me to my family and ancestors. It also grounds the roots of somatic wisdom modern theories have claimed.

I use she/her/hers pronouns. My father is of biracial Chinese ancestry, and my mother is of mixe... Read More

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Pamela Wallberg, M.A., ECE/ITE,. (she/her/hers)

The grandchild of Polish-Jewish immigrants who arrived in Canada post-WW2, I was raised on my grandparents active farm in BC. I currently live with my three children on the unceded and stolen lands of the ʷməθkʷəy̓əm, sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and sel̓íl̓witulh peoples.

I hold a Masters of Arts from the University of British Columbia, where my thesis focused on multimodal approaches to emotional literacy in preschool-aged children. I am licensed as an Early Childhood / Infant Toddler Educator and a DiRFloortime practitioner; and have completed the Infant Development Consultant certificate program.

Prior to shifting my career to provide counseling services, I worked within the early childhood sector, delivering inclusive support services and parent coaching to children and their families. I have extensive experience working together with neurodiverse children and their families within school, childcare, nature/outdoor and home-based settings. I specialize in working with autistic children and their families, providing a strengths-based approach to recognizing and meeting emotional, sensory, regulatory and attachment needs.

I am particularly interested in incorporating mindfulness, play therapy and expressive arts approaches. I work to provide a safe space for children and their families to recognize, understand and celebrate their own sense of self and identity. I emphasize a warm, authentic approach that is tailored to meet individual child and family needs while affirming their strengths.

Pamela Wallberg, M.A., ECE/ITE,. (she/her/hers) The grandchild of Polish-Jewish immigrants who ... Read More