Hello Fellow Roots to Thrivers, My name is Allan Campbell and I am excited to be a part of the Roots to Thrive team. I come to this work as a curious participant with a desire for other means of supporting those I work with. I have been a counsellor over 20 yrs and have spent the majority of my career working with First Nations communities. I have been fortunate to have supportive and caring mentors over the years and feel privileged to have been invited to work in their territories. During this time I have come to terms with the reality the western methodologies fall short in terms being culturally safe and have spent much of my career exploring my own bias in worldviews and attempting to decolonize my work. As such, I am keen to learn of new ways of improving mental wellness that not rely on these old and culturally biased approaches. I currently live, work and play in the unceded territory of the Southern Laichwiltach Nations and call Campbell River my home. For the past 12 yrs my partner Catherine, 9 year old son Léo and I have come to love island life. My interests away from work revolve around being active and enjoying the outdoors. I am an avid mountain biker and in the winter I enjoy snowboarding which are both passions I have had since childhood. I played soccer all my life but in recent years the aches and pains of getting old has resulted in me having to slow down. To me, the outdoors is a place of healing for mind, body and spirit and I cherish every moment. I look forward to getting to know the Roots to Thrive community!