Team
Deborah Irvine
Deborah’s career has spanned the public, private and non-profit sectors. With 20 years in executive and senior management roles, she has led philanthropic grant-making of more than $27 million annually and fundraised $47 million in annual campaign and government revenue.
Involved in strategic planning and community relations, Deborah was responsible for establishing the province-wide Better at Home seniors’ program and the United Way Public Policy Institute. She has led marketing, media relations, and strategic communication departments, worked as a speechwriter for corporate executives and cabinet ministers, and as a journalist.
Her roles have included Vice-President, Grants & Community Initiatives, Vancouver Foundation; Chief Operating Officer, United Way of the Lower Mainland; and Vice-President, University Relations, Royal Roads University. In addition to operating her own consultancy, Deborah has been a communications director with CIBC’s Global Human Resources Division and senior advisor/policy analyst to the Chairman and President of Ontario Hydro.
Deborah has taught as an associate faculty member and sat on numerous governance and advisory boards over the years. Now retired, she is currently a Board director and on the Programing Committee of the national Inspirit Foundation. She has an MA in conflict analysis & management and an undergraduate degree in journalism.
Having worked for community funders that grant to social services, health, research and education, I came to know of many hard-working agencies focused on mental health. Their programs and services differed, but their common cause was deeply-rooted challenges, systemic issues, and outcomes that could signal failure as much as success. Over time, we found that robust research, advocacy, and policy change was key to innovation in the community. The most promising initiatives were those that were multi-disciplinary, participant-informed, and driven by a willingness to learn. I see this echoed in Roots to Thrive. I am interested in the approach and how best to contribute based on my philanthropic and granting experience.
RN, MPH, EdD
Visioning and Development Lead, RTT Innovations Co-Chair & Organization Steward
Shannon Dames (maiden Magnus) is a third generation immigrant with mixed ancestry from Britain, Norway, and Germany. She is a descendant of GT Magnus and Lianne Telnes, the proud mother of Piper and Beckett Dames, and the life partner of Phil Dames. She lives and serves as a Health Professional ...
Lead of Operations & Organization Steward
Phil Dames (he,him), a descendant of diverse European roots, resides on the ancestral lands of the Stz’uminus First Nation. He is the son of George and Leslie Dames, a brother, a father, friend to many and a life partner of Shannon Dames.
Phil is a co-founder, the Lead of Operations and playlist ...
MD
RTT Medical Team Co-Chair, Medical Lead and Organization Steward
Dr. Pamela Kryskow is the medical lead for the Roots To Thrive Program. She is a founding board member of the Psychedelic Association of Canada and the medical chair of the Vancouver Island University Post Graduate Certificate in Psychedelic Medicine assisted Therapy. Pam is also a a clinical i...
RN MscN
Board Member
Andrea has been leading health and wellness programs, serving British Columbians in Vancouver, and Vancouver Island for over 30 years. A specialist in Community and Hospital Mental Health and Addictions, Andrea has practised and led in diverse Specialty Hospital and Community settings, including ...
MD, FRCPC
Co-Chair RTT Medical Team & Organization Steward
Crosbie completed his MA in Psychology at Lakehead University, prior to completing Medical School at McMaster in 1991. Following medical school, Dr. Watler completed his residency in psychiatry at Dalhousie University. Crosbie relocated to Duncan BC in 2001, working with Island Health in diverse ...
Somatic Energy Modalities Lead & Organization Steward
Helen comes to the team with a background in integrative health delivery. She earned advanced certifications in Eden Energy Medicine and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Her work heightens awareness at the level of body-mind, supporting the innate capacity for healing. Helen is playing a lead ...
MD
RTT-KAT physician
Dr. Zhiish McKenzie is Family Physician. She is Anishnabai from Northern Ontario and a member of the Temagami First Nation. She works as a Clinical Instructor & Indigenous Portfolio Co-Director at the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. Zhiish was introduced to Roots to Thrive as a patient particip...
Lead Elder
In my role as a VIU Elder-in-Residence, I work directly with students and Faculty/Professors in Health and Human Services programs at VIU and the Shq’apthut/Gathering Place. I share my Traditional Knowledge to work with all programs within the Health & Human Services and within the Shq’apthut...
RN(c), MN, DMin
Co-Chair RTT Medical Team, Medicine Administration Nursing Lead, PAT Facilitator
Gail brings nearly 50 years of nursing experience to Roots to Thrive. Much of her career has been working with and for Indigenous people and communities. Gail promotes awareness of physical, mental, and spiritual health issues associated with past traumas and walks beside people as they reconnect...
PATGC
Development Chair, Facilitator
Wes’s core practice is recognizing the heart and beauty in everyone. Joining in the early days of the Roots to Thrive team was therefore a no-brainer. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, he worked as a therapist in addiction and trauma recovery in the US and Australia. He focused on providing advanced No...
RPN, BSN, MBA
RTT KAT Program Chair, Intake lead, Nurse Facilitator
Julia comes to the Roots to Thrive team with over twenty years experience as a front-line registered psychiatric nurse. Julia completed her nursing training in New Zealand before becoming certified in California and then Canada. Julia has practiced in a wide variety of clinic areas including inpa...
RN, MSN
Program Nurse
Jo comes to the Roots to Thrive team with a nursing background in palliative, psychiatric, medical and minor-surgical patient care. Years of disrupted mental health inspired her to seek healing in a variety of alternative treatments. This lived experience informs her deeply compassionate approach...
M.Ed., RCC
Facilitator, Facilitator Support and Therapist
Todd is a Registered Clinical Counsellor. He entered the field of mental health and substance use as a peer support worker in 1998 and his work since that time, has been focused supporting humans heal impacts of trauma, mental health, substance use challenges. Todd brings experience in various r...
Somatic Energy Modalities
Darlus has always been curious about the mind/body connection. Working 30 years as a fitness and Stott Pilates instructor, Darlus noticed how emotional energy affected mobility, strength and motivation.
This prompted her to start reading Donna Eden’s work on Energy Medicine. When her two year ol...
MA, RCC
RTT Training Program Chair, Operations Integrator, Facilitator
Krys is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, and she has worked in the Mental Health and Substance Use field for 25 years, managing teams in various leadership capacities. This varied experience working in clinical environments offers a thorough understanding of the challenges in health care and a p...
MD, FRCPC
RTT KAT Medical Doctor
Laura is a settler of European descent who is uncomfortable but grateful to live as an uninvited guest on Vancouver Island on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Cowichan Tribes, to whom she offers respect and honour. Laura’s medical background is in respirology and critical...
BHSc, CCAC
Alumni Facilitator
Kelsey first came to the Roots to Thrive team as a patient-participant and is thrilled to transition into a co-facilitation role. She has experience working as a counsellor with adults, youth, and families; her expertise is in the areas of mental health, substance use, and trauma. Kelsey is passi...
RPN BscN
Nurse Facilitator
Kerrie has been a Registered Nurse for nearly 20 years, working in inner city public health for nearly a decade, before moving to Vancouver Island where she has worked in mental health and substance use, primarily as a crisis nurse.
Kerrie has been part of the Roots to Thrive team since June 2021...
MA, RCC
RTT Alumni Program Chair, Alumni Facilitator
Graham comes to the Roots to Thrive team with a passion for supporting people on their journeys of healing and growth. He has worked as a clinical counsellor since 2011 using an integrative therapeutic approach that includes the mind and body while honouring people’s inherent wisdom to heal thems...
M.Ed., B.H.Sc., C.C.C
Facilitator and SFN Liaison
Ryan lives and works on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw people. Ryan grew up in Northern Alberta, moving to Nanaimo, BC in 2018. Ryan has a strong passion for working with diverse and often times marginalized populations and loves being connected to people who are engaged in their own...
RN, BScN
Nurse Facilitator
Laura joins the Roots to Thrive team as a co facilitator following patient participation in cohort 3. She is accompanied by her 25 years as an oncology registered nurse specializing in Leukemia\ Bone Marrow transplant as an inpatient RN, outpatient RN and most recently a case manager. Having iden...
Facilitator
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 c...
MA, RCC
Research and Development
As a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Tamara has worked and taught in the field of trauma healing for over 20 years, using somatic therapies, expressive arts therapy, EMDR, and other modalities, in a wide variety of settings. She is particularly interested in healing personal, intergenerational, c...
Participant Navigator
Rebecca was born and raised in Maple Bay on Vancouver Island. She is a student at UVic where she is completing her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology. She works as Participant Navigator coordinating intakes and communications between program participants and the Roots to Thrive Team. She is pass...
BSW, MSW
Emmy Manson is a proud Snuneymuxw member dedicated to developing strong leadership and opportunities to live their best life. As an elected Council woman for her Nation Emmy has been a champion of addressing trauma and finding pathways to bring love and joy to her community.
Emmy brings a wealth ...
BScN MPH
My traditional name includes Emintchante from my father’s side, and Huukwamiis from my husband’s family. I am the great granddaughter of the late Xax’lip Chief Thomas Adolph, signer of the Declaration of the Lillooet Tribe and member of the 1916 Delegation of the Indian Rights Association.
I have...
Scott is motivated by a deep desire to make transformative change in the lives of people with HIV, mental illness, addiction, poverty and complex medical needs. Scott joined the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation as Executive Director in 2017 and brings 30+ years in the non-profit sector. He has served as...
Participant Navigator and Intake Coordinator
Claerwen joins the Roots to Thrive team, filling the position of Participant Navigator and Intake Coordinator. Claerwen currently attends Queen’s University, working towards a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree with a goal of continued medical education. Her passions for patient advocacy, rural h...
MD, FCFP(EM)(PC) GPO
RTT PAT Physician
I am a palliative care physician and general practitioner in oncology working in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. I am an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of British Columbia and working on a clinical trial demonstrating the feasibility of delivering psilocybin t...
MA, RCC
Facilitator
Jolene is of mixed Northwestern European descent and feels grateful to live, work, and play on the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territories of the skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and shíshálh (Sechelt) First Nations; colonised as The Sunshine Coast, BC.
She is a Registered Clinical Couns...
MD, CCFP(PC,AM), FCFP, cGTT, CMAc, CAPM, PGcPain
KAT Physician, Facilitator
Barb is thrilled to be a part of the RTT team as a facilitator after being a participant in Cohort 5. She is of European (German) ancestry living on the unceded territory of the K’omoks First Nations in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island since 1998.
Barb has been a Family Physician for 25 years...
MD, MPH
Researcher Lead
Dr. Tsang is a physician specializing in psychiatry. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia (MD), the University of Toronto (ICD.D), and Harvard University (MPH). She is recognized as a National Schulich Scholar, TEDx speaker, and WE Day National Speaker. Dr. Tsang is the researc...
RN
Facilitator
I am a Metis woman from Northern Alberta; my mom is a Cree residential school survivor, my dad is an Irish farmer and 3rd generation Canadian. I was fortunate to grow up a little wild as a farm kid before much technology existed, thus I have a very active imagination and can daydream like a cham...
Participant Navigator
Susan comes to Roots to Thrive with over 15 years of experience in supporting non-profit administration. Susan also works at Vancouver Island University as the Program Assistant for the Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Post Graduate Certificate Program. Passions include painting, singing, gardening a...
MSW, RSW
Facilitator
Hi, my name is Lindsay. I am a settler and a grateful guest on the unceded territory of the K’omox First Nation, living on a rural acreage in Black Creek, with my wife and two dogs. My ancestry is Scottish and British.
I am a social worker by training and education; I have a BSW from UBC and a ...
BA (Psych), MPCC, CHT, RPC, HHP
Somatic Practitioner, Mentee Facilitator
Jill has worked in private practice as a Registered Professional Counsellor since 2007 and has been personally and professionally involved with psychedelics since 2014.
Jill is a graduate of Vancouver Island University’s Post-Graduate Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Program. She was a practicum stud...
RCC
Facilitator
Sarah gratefully lives on the Traditional and Unceded territory of the Quw'utsun Peoples. She has been working in the field of somatic and trauma therapy for the past twenty years. She believes that an attuned and redsonant compassionate relationship can be part of the transformation and healin...
BLit, MAGL
Board Member
Jimena Achalchiuitl Garcia-Paniagua (Astur/Mayan) is a researcher and Indigenous knowledge holder focused on models and systems for intercultural collaboration between Indigenous peoples for mental, spiritual and planetary health. She is conducting research on the traditional knowledge, philosoph...
Board Member
Steve Fraser has over 28 years as a first responder. Starting his journey as a volunteer firefighter on the Sunshine Coast, he transitioned to Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services where he retired in 2023 after 25 years of service. During this time with Vancouver Fire, Steve was the co-ordinator of...
Ph.D
Advisor to the Board
Julian is a scholar-practitioner who has spent his life exploring and guiding others at the complex crossroads where psyche and systems transformation meet. A grateful guest in the Treaty Seven territories of the Canadian Rockies, Julian’s work is seasoned by a love for the bardic traditions, wea...
Advisor to the Board
Steve is a VP for the BC Professional Firefighters Association and is the vice-chair of the BCPFFA's Mental Health Committee, as well as their Occupational Health & Safety Committee. He has over 30 years of experience in the fire service and was hired as a full-time firefighter in Coquitlam i...
Participant Navigator
Kaarina joins Roots to Thrive with many years of administrative experience in medical and not-for-profit organizations. She is a "behind the scenes" type of person, quietly making sure participants and team members alike have the things they need to succeed. Kaarina finds joy in being resourceful...
MD, FRCPC
Psychiatrist
Matthew is a psychiatrist working in Vancouver. He did his psychiatric training in Toronto, and since medical school he was inspired by the potential for psychedelic medicine to help people in new ways and deepen the psychological work that can be done during therapy. During his training, he soug...
