VCFI - Key Persons
Carol is currently not taking new clients and her waitlist is closed until further notice.
Carol has deep respect for the courage shown by clients in seeking therapy. She sees her role as one of providing support, guidance and skills to make change possible, helping clients live more joyful lives. Her style is direct and transparent, incorporating compassion and humour. She is a Registered Psychologist with over 20 years of experience in individual, group and couples psychotherapy. She integrates well-researched methods such as cognitive-behavioural, interpersonal and emotion-focused approaches to assist clients in understanding their concerns and finding solutions.
In couple and group formats, Carol supports clients in finding ways to better communicate with one another. She creates a safe place for exploring, providing feedback, and growing together. In addition to practice within sessions, Carol emphasizes ways to transfer new skills and behaviours to the "real world". Carol is skilled at helping all clients feel heard, understood, and respected.
Carol completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at UBC and has practiced in numerous hospital and outpatient settings. She has acted as a program coordinator and provides supervision for pre- and post-doctoral therapists. Carol is a Clinical Associate of the Simon Fraser University Psychology Department.
Carol's areas of practice include:
Job Titles:
- Registered Clinical Counsellor 1868
When you meet with Francine, you will be greeted by her warmth, openness and authenticity. She holds a deep curiosity and respect for people's struggles. Her clients appreciate Francine's candor and astute guidance, as they navigate their challenges together. She helps them to understand themselves better, which ultimately leads to a greater sense of well-being and becoming the person they truly want to be.
Francine brings over 20 years of experience to her work as a therapist. She studied counselling and somatic psychology at JFK University in California, where she earned her Marriage and Family Therapy license in 2000. Francine has extensive training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy. She carries a mindfulness-based approach in all of her work, helping people to become more self-aware, compassionate and comfortable with their emotions.
While she has worked in a variety of community-based settings with groups and families, Francine currently focuses on working with couples and adult individuals. She is committed to meeting people wherever they are at, and welcomes clients from diverse backgrounds, including gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. She recognizes the importance of helping people with their significant relationships, as well as with their relationship to themselves. Francine believes in the importance of ongoing training for all clinicians and is passionate about mentoring new therapists by providing supervision of their general counselling skills.
With a calming and compassionate presence, Jennifer invites couples and adult individuals to address their concerns with her in counselling. Her warmth, empathy, and acceptance of individuality foster a safe environment in which to delve into personal questions from past and present. By considering attachment experiences and sociocultural context, Jennifer assists you in finding new pathways to well-being and healthy relationships. Her optimism about your potential will support you in drawing upon your inner strengths, while her gentle persistence challenges you to create lasting personal changes of which you can be proud.
Jennifer holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is registered as a psychologist in the province of British Columbia. She has been offering Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) to couples since 2006, when she trained for two years under the supervision of Dr. Sue Johnson, the developer of the EFT couple therapy model. Jennifer also greatly enjoys offering Hold Me Tight® relationship enhancement workshops for couples. In her work with individuals, she draws from a range of research-based therapy approaches, including emotionally-focused, short-term psychodynamic, and cognitive theories.
Jennifer has published articles and chapters regarding couples' cooperation, relationship memories, and remarriage. Prior to private practice, she provided therapy in outpatient mental health, university counselling, and forensic settings.
Jennifer's areas of practice include:
As a psychologist, Jocelyne is passionate about her work with children, teens, and adults alike. At once warm and practical, she helps you make lasting changes with confidence. A mother herself, she appreciates the challenges today's parents face in raising healthy, competent children.
Jocelyne's study of relationships and experience with a number of special populations have led her to recognize the fundamental role that our relationships hold in overcoming adversity. Jocelyne is committed to helping you and your loved ones identify and build on your own sources of resilience through therapy.
Jocelyne completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Simon Fraser University. For over twenty years, she has conducted therapy with people from all walks of life. She is well versed in a number of therapeutic approaches including Emotionally Focused Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Narrative, Developmental, and Solution-focused therapies. She has worked in several community, hospital and forensic settings as a clinician and supervisor. She continues to enjoy supervising and training interns and graduate students.
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Jocelyne is fully fluent in French and always welcomes the opportunity to work with Francophones.
Jocelyne's areas of practice include:
With a gentle and inviting nature, Julie creates a safe, genuine, and non-judgmental environment from which to support clients in addressing their concerns. She respects the courage it takes to seek therapy, and greatly values giving her clients the space they need to feel heard and understood. Her clients appreciate her warm guiding nature, and her use of humour and transparency when supporting them in exploring their experiences. In working with Julie, you will feel that she deeply believes in your inner strengths and inherent resiliencies, and values working alongside you and your family collaboratively.
Julie offers therapy for couples and adult individuals. She draws from a range of research-based approaches, including Emotionally Focused Therapy, Mindfulness Self-Compassion, Narrative Therapy, Family/Systemic Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She understands the importance of significant relationships and will help you re-connect with yourself and your loved ones. Personally, and professionally, Julie is passionate about connecting with people, and recognizes the contextual and sociocultural dynamics that inform their everyday lives. She believes that understanding the links between culture and well-being is important and supports her clients in feeling empowered to better understand and voice their needs. Julie is a staunch advocate for social justice initiatives and welcomes clients from all backgrounds. Whether you are a couple or an individual, Julie's compassionate presence will support you in building a deeper sense of awareness, while her calm determination will encourage and challenge you to create the long-lasting changes you want to see in your life.
Julie completed her Ph.D. at the University of Calgary and has a breadth of experience working in various mental health settings with individuals, couples, and families. She has been a sessional instructor for cultural and social justice issues in professional practice, and has authored articles on navigating cultural identities in Canada and on multicultural and social justice training in Canadian counselling psychology. Julie's doctoral thesis centered on the experiences of multicultural and social justice training of culturally non-dominant doctoral students in Counselling Psychology in Canada.
As the first point of contact at VCFI, Lorene brings a friendly and outgoing personality to her role as our Office Administrator. Our clients and office staff feel her positive "can-do" attitude.
Lorene's sensitivity in working with people comes from her extensive experience in HR and administration in the home health care industry and also in the general labour sector. Her professionalism and dependability is exemplified in her key role
Job Titles:
- Canadian Certified Counsellor
Acknowledging the courage it takes to come in for counseling, Rikki is committed to creating a safe, nurturing, and accepting environment for his clients. He listens to connect with your experience, understand your challenges, and offer support rooted in evidence-based practices. Clients value his soothing presence and guidance as they carve out their own path.
Having grown up in South Asia, Rikki is empathic to the intricacies of a more involved family dynamic. He welcomes individuals and couples from various cultural and spiritual backgrounds. Drawing from his personal experience, Rikki also recognizes the distinct hurdles faced by LGBTQ+ clients. He strongly believes that all persons, regardless of their differences, are deserving of dignity and thus strives to provide all his clients with the same high standards of care.
Along with a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology and extensive training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Rikki is deeply passionate about the science of attachment. He focuses on helping clients build a meaningful connection with their inner world and nurturing stronger relationships with the people who matter most to them.
Rikki's areas of practice include:
Job Titles:
- Registered Clinical Counsellor
When you meet Shalet, you can expect to be put at ease by her warm and compassionate presence. Her genuine care will allow you to unburden your mind and explore past and present concerns. She will work with you towards finding answers to your problematic issues by drawing on your own strengths. Whether you are a couple or an individual, adult or adolescent, Shalet's gentle and steady style will ensure that together, with her steady guidance, you are working towards making a lasting difference in your life.
Previously, Shalet completed a Master's degree in Psychology from the University of Mumbai, and worked as a counsellor in India for three years before undertaking a second Master's of Education here in Canada at the University of British Columbia. She has specialized training in trauma, immigration, and life transitions. She has worked extensively with individuals with anxiety, depression, history of sexual abuse and psychological trauma. Shalet is also passionate about working with individuals and families with chronic illness. She is actively involved in research on a peer support model of delivering psychosocial support to adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) living in rural and remote communities of Interior British Columbia.
Shalet's training includes:
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Rational Emotive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (RECBT)
Veronica is on an extended medical leave and her waitlist is closed at this time.
The first qualities that will strike you about Veronica are her warmth and genuineness. You will be put at ease by her solid, calm presence. As a psychologist, Veronica's naturally intuitive questions will engage you to explore your inner world and life experiences as she helps you resolve your problems. You will be held by Veronica's compassion as she guides you to self-reflect, tune into your feelings, and make sense of your personal obstacles so that you can overcome them. During counselling sessions, Veronica is often heard saying "I want to help you become who you are, not turn into someone you're not!" You will be encouraged to use the self-knowledge you've gained to create fulfilling relationships and follow solid, life decisions that nourish you.
Veronica has been practicing as a Registered Psychologist in British Columbia since 1997. In 2005, she co-founded the Vancouver Couple & Family Institute (VCFI) where she continues as a Director. Apart from realizing a professional dream for Veronica, VCFI has earned a reputation within the community it serves for providing exceptional clinical service and training to therapists.
Regarded as an expert in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Veronica is sought after as a clinician, educator, and consultant to therapists around the globe. Her first book, co-authored with Jennifer Fitzgerald, An Emotionally Focused Workbook for Couples: The Two of Us, is receiving high praise and being recommended by counsellors across the continent. It has been translated into six languages, including Dutch, German, Polish, Hungarian, Korean and Japanese. As a Certified EFT Trainer, Veronica travels within Canada, the United States, and Australia to provide training. She offers long distance consultation electronically and presents her work at professional conferences and in scholarly journals. Veronica enjoys presenting relationship education workshops based on EFT, such as Hold Me Tight® for couples and Hold Me Tight - Let Me Go® for families with teens to public audiences. Veronica is also a Registered Circle of Security® Parent Facilitator. She delights in helping parents, along with their infants and toddlers, to bond deeply and securely.
Veronica brings her experience and expertise to individuals, couples, and families who wish to resolve their struggles and enhance their lives.
Veronica's areas of practice include:
Individual Therapy for: Life transitions, Stress and coping, Identity and self-esteem issues, Depression and anxiety, Interpersonal concerns, Grief and loss, and Counselling for family of origin and traumatic experiences.
Couples Counselling to: Improve relationship conflict, tension, and communication problems, Strengthen couples' enjoyment, appreciation, closeness and intimacy, Recover from affairs and clarify commitment.
Family Counselling for: Helping parents tune into and bond with their baby, Maintaining parent-child relationships through adolescence, Addressing relationship issues between adult children and parents or siblings.
Veronica is on an extended medical leave and her waitlist is closed at this time.