Living Through Loss Counselling Society of BC

About Us - Counsellors and Office Staff

Counsellors and Office Staff | The Board | Volunteers | Elsie Palmer | Judy Capes

	Lynette Pollard-Elgert Executive Director and Therapist I have my Degree in Criminology; I am a Family Life Educator; Registered Clinical Counsellor; and a Certified Reality Therapist, I am one of several therapists Certified in BC as a Grief Counsellor and Thanatologist through the Association for Death Education and Counselling, (ADEC). I am also certified in Neurofeedback - a useful therapy for someone dealing with the pain of grief and loss. I have worked in BC for 25 years as an individual and group therapist as well as a Canadian trainer in the field of Loss and Change Management. Some of my areas of interest are working with families who have been traumatized by a homicide, violent crime, accidents, loss of a child or other loved ones. I use the reality therapy model which supports, educates and strengthens peoples coping skills. I am passionate about working with people to bring about personal change that has a positive and sustaining impact on their day-to-day lives. Having experienced many losses myself has assisted me in creating an atmosphere of compassion and understanding for those grieving. It is a very honoring experience for me to be able to share with or walk with my clients on their painful journey of change.

	Cheryl Bucar I have worked in organizational loss and change management in for over 25 years. My work and volunteerism has been for both private and public sector firms, secondary and post secondary school systems, police organizations, hospitals, a library system, municipalities and public utilities. My background is varied which I believe has helped greatly in understanding the challenges, issues and complications that people experience in work organizations. I am committed in my work with people to facilitate the change and recovery from loss and change with compassion, empathy and dignity. Over the past two decades in BC, I have worked with non profit organizations in a consulting and volunteer capacity. I have an undergraduate degree in Business; Graduate education in Business and in the Social Sciences, as well I am a certified therapist. Currently I am completing my PhD in Management in Organizational Leadership. Having experienced personal and work related loss, I have learned that recovery from the trauma of change and loss is a process. In many situations such as a death or divorce the individual is able to label the loss and associated feelings as grief. Often in an organizational context, individuals do not think that the work related change as loss which can trigger profound feelings of grief. Understanding organizational loss in this context, normalizing the feelings that go with this type of change allows the integration of this knowing into my group and individual counselling work. I have been a consultant, volunteer, and Board member to Living through Loss Counselling of BC for over 20 years and have more recently begun to build my individual counselling practice as a therapist and trainer with the agency. My areas of practice and research interest are: Supporting individuals who have suffered a workplace loss due to restructuring, downsizing, death of a colleague, or job loss and associated complications as a result Working with loss related to survivor guilt and fatigue resulting from multiple organizational changes, i.e. rolling downsizing initiatives over years, restructuring, demotions, job change, and a new boss or team, as examples. Working with survivors and victims of workplace bullying

	John Dubé I am a registered social worker with a M.Ed. focus on suicide. I began my work in the area of suicide and bereavement in 1985 responding to family and community needs to a suicide or traumatic death. My areas of interest are working with clients who are struggling to incorporate a health diagnosis, bereavement due to a suicide, traumatic death or homicide and working with men. I work from a gender ecological systems approach that encourages the client to find the answer within and utilize her/his own resources for change and to heal. I provide a respected and safe place that supports the client to do self-reflective work and discover new ways of coping and navigating their world. I am a Level One EMI practitioner. Over the past 20 years, I have conducted numerous workshops and trainings to professionals (therapists, counselors, teachers, social workers, victim services personnel, nurses) on topics such as: Grief - The Basics; Complex Bereavement Issues Bereavement due to Suicide, Homicide and Multiple Loss Bereavement: Sensitivity for Children, Cross Cultural and Unrecognized Suicide Intervention Strategies Professional Self-care, Communication Program Evaluation and Outcomes

	Tatjana Jansen I have a Masters of Counseling and an art therapy degree and have been a practicing counselor and art therapist for the last 18 years. My work has been focused in the field of trauma and I have been privileged to witness how creative expression can help clients reduce stress, communicate difficult issues, and even transform and transfigure traumatic events imaginatively. I believe that everyone has the capacity to be creative and that the arts are a way of making meaning and expressing longing. My training includes EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a form of treatment used with individuals who are struggling with traumatic events such as accidents, abuse and neglect. I have also received training in the Satir model of family therapy, a systems approach to helping families. I have worked extensively with children, adolescents, and adults in a range of programs and have experience in the following areas: Child physical and sexual abuse Adult survivors of sexual abuse (group and individual) Children who have witnessed abuse (group and individual) Selective mutism Children with sexual behavioural issues Attachment issues Group work with individuals who have a life-threatening illness Grief and loss issues such as divorce and separation Palliative care Some of the losses we have are not necessarily traumatic, but cause us to suffer. I have experienced a number of difficult losses in my own life and I believe that in our suffering, we need to be cared for, in order to open ourselves to the world and live our relations in the world.

	Sheryl Kramer Although I have always fostered a keen interest in psychology, a devastating loss I suffered in 2003 was the catalyst for my decision to become a counsellor. Motivated by my desire to assist others in their healing, I obtained my Masters of Education in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia and have worked as a clinician providing therapy to individuals, couples and families. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work involves facilitating groups for women healing from grief and loss. I am gratified and honoured to have the opportunity to accompany others on their grief journeys through my work with Living Through Loss Counselling.

	Kathryn Priest Peries I have been involved with the Living Through Loss Counselling Society in some capacity for the past 16 years. I deliver training workshops for other counselors on how to work with clients experiencing complicated grief or trauma; I have been a consultant to Living Through Loss, and have more recently begun working as a therapist here. I was previously a therapist in private practice for many years. I have advanced level certification in EMDR, and am a certified Neuro-feedback technician. I am also registered as a clinical service provider with Crime Victim Services. I am currently completing my Ph.D. studies in the field of Cognitive Neuro-Psychology which basically means that I have been studying any and all aspects of brain functioning under stress. My areas of clinical interest are: Supporting Survivors of Loss Due to Death Working with Complicated Grief Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Working with Concurrent Disorders Managing Critical Incidents Working with First Nations Residential School Survivors and Their Families Working with Losses and Traumas Related to the Child Welfare System

	Nancy Szastkiw I currently do grief and loss counselling with drop-in groups and individuals in Vancouver's downtown east side (DTES). I also work with military clients in transition and with their trauma experiences. My focus is to help people work through the process of grief and loss and other life changes. Respectful listening and an awareness of multiculturalism are cornerstones in my work with clients. My background includes a business degree in organizational culture, certification as a life coach, an undergraduate degree and a Masters in Counseling Psychology. A focus in my volunteer experience over the years has been in hospice care, psychoeducation, and promotion of healthy activities for people who are working though life changes and grief processes. I am a registered BC clinical counsellor.

	Robin Toma, Office Manager In November of 2003, my life changed dramatically, I lost my best friend of over 25 years tragically in a house fire. Unknown to me at the time, it would lead me on a journey of healing. One year after her death, and me carrying on in my life (thinking I was doing okay) I reunited with a good friend, who suggested to me that I go and seek counselling at an agency in Vancouver that she was going to. I took the card she gave me and stuck in somewhere in the depths of my wallet, and did not think of it again. A year later, another friend, who worked closely to the agency, brought up Living Through Loss Counselling as a place that I should go. This time, I took the advice, and made an appointment. For one year I received counseling in this healing environment, and started making changes in my personal growth. A short time after my counselling a job opportunity opened up at LTLC, for office manager. It seemed to come at a perfect time for me. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and feel truly blessed to be a part of LTLC.