Judith Kerr, M.Ed, Registered Clinical Counsellor (Clinical Director) : We are pleased to have Judith Kerr join our team as Clinical Director. Judith has worked in community based services in both urban and rural settings for over 25 years. She has an extensive background in clinical supervision, program development, community capacity building and training, as well as in clinical counselling and group therapy.
Through a diversity of roles at the Federal, Provincial, and Community level, Judith has fostered the development of many successful grassroots programs to meet community needs. Prior to moving to Whitehorse, she had a successful private clinical practice in Victoria, BC. She has also been Director of Counselling, Victim Services and Specialized Services for Family Services of Greater Vancouver, and, was a Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth in BC where she held the Justice and Addictions portfolios.
Judith brings many years of clinical experience to Many Rivers and the Yukon and is excited to be living in the North again. She feels privileged to have worked for many years with First Nations and Aboriginal communities and is extremely grateful for the learning she received from those communities. She particularly values her many years on Haida Gwaii where she raised her family and worked in program management, clinical counselling, training and capacity building for many communities in the Northwest.
Awards/ Honours
Adopted member of a Haida Eagle clan and recognized as the return of the “Raven’s Wife”
National Volunteer award: Health Canada 1987
Building Safer Communities Award- Province of BC 2000
Other: Past Chair- BC Institute Against Family Violence
About her Counselling Approach
Judith’s approach is described by clients and colleagues as genuine, and one that embodies presence, humour, curiosity, insight and empathy. She believes in the healing capacity in everyone. She brings over ten years clinical supervision and management experience, and over 25 years of experience in clinical counselling, group therapy, and training. Judith also has brings her training and interest in both Traditional and Western approaches to healing, as well as her valuable personal insight. She models a lifelong commitment to learning about how best to nurture and support authenticity in self and others.
Judith is skilled in both solution focused and in depth therapy. Her style is client-centered, creative, and holistic. Judith’s gentle yet focused directness provides a grounded framework of powerful acceptance for oneself. She assists people as they discover a ‘self-map’, and as they learn effective tools to support a deepening connection and integration of body-mind-spirit, and, recognition of their innate wholeness. She loves her work, and feels a profound respect and gratitude for the people she works with.
Credentials:
M.Ed - James Cook University, Australia (joint degree program between Vancouver Island University and JCU)
Registered Clinical Counsellor (1987), BC Association of Clinical Counsellors
Specialized Training in:
Family Therapy (with Virginia Satir)
Group Therapy
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (Advanced)
Sexual Abuse Intervention & Counselling
Relationship Violence
Addictions
Relationship Violence
Mindfulness Therapy
First Nations Counselling
Community Development & Capacity Building
Adolescent Therapy
Instructor/ Trainer for:
Justice Institute, Colleges, First Nations, Native Education Center, Organizations, Communities.
Testimonials
- Not only does Judith possess a range of therapeutic skills and the wisdom harvested from her own life experiences, but it’s her exceptional gifts for generous listening that makes her practice both empowering and life-changing. (E. Brady, PHD)
- Every once in awhile we come across a truly iridescent professional such as Judith who make us wish we were within their sphere of influence on a daily basis. (R.Tobin, PHD)
- Judith helped me re-claim my humour, joy, passions, and words. She helped me deepen my relationship with myself and my children. (M.D., Researcher)
Lindsay Brown, BA(Dawson City, Mayo and Pelly Crossing) : started his counselling career by working five years at an inner-city Community Health Centre, where he worked in an outreach capacity serving a large street population. He spent the next eight years with the Baie James Cree in Nemaska, a small semi-isolated northern community in Quebec. Lindsay joined us in 2005. His experience with a variety of people and environments has given him a culturally sensitive, client centered and generalist approach to individvuals, couples and families with a variety of issues and circumstances.
Phillip Dupuis BA, BSW, MSW (Haines Junction, Burwash Landing, Destruction Bay and Beaver Creek): serves his many communities with his strong background in psychotherapy with individuals and families, mental health, trauma, violence prevention and intervention, alcohol and substance abuse screening, referral and relapse prevention He provides support and advocacy for the economic, vocational and social needs of clients and capacity building through support to community members and resources.
Pat Supeene BA (Watson Lake). started his counselling career working in Youth Corrections and child protection Social Work in BC. Most recently, Pat was involved in the development of a family intervention/therapy centre which utilized Social Constructionist and Narrative approaches. Pat continues to make use of these approaches in his work in Watson Lake. He is also very interested in Social Justice, Appreciative Inquiry, Buddhist Psychology, and other strength-based, collaborative approaches.
Kim Rogers , BSW (Whitehorse) has 10 years of experience working with youth, individuals, families and groups both in and outside of the Yukon. Her counselling
background is rich in feminist principles assisting with self
exploration and self esteem, assertiveness and identity-building,
abuse prevention and intervention, relationship dynamics and
communication, grief and loss, and family of origin issues.
Kim has a comforting yet straightforward and down-to-earth
style and most often uses Solution-focused, Cognitive-Behavioural,
Psycho-educational and Supportive counselling techniques.
Andrej DeWolf BA (Watson Lake). is a Youth Outreach Counsellor. Andrej began working with youth in 2006 in Prince George, BC. He moved to Watson Lake in July 2009. He practices a collaborative, client centered, narrative approach to counselling. Andrej uses motivational interviewing to help ensure that youth focus on reaching their optimum potential.
Sharon Moore BA, M.Ed. (in progress)(Whitehorse, Teslin, Carmacks): Sharon provides weekly counselling services in the communities of Teslin, Carmacks and Whitehorse. She began her counselling career working with at-risk youth and over the past 25 years has worked with a wide range of clients from many cultural backgrounds. Sharon is experienced at providing one-to-one therapeutic support in an office environment and in facilitating groups in both urban and wilderness settings. She recently moved from Dawson City where she spent 7 years as the Counsellor for Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Sharon’s range of professional and personal experiences has increased her understanding of human change processes which helps inform her practice and enhance her counselling abilities. She approaches her work from a client-centered, psychodynamic perspective and she integrates expressive therapies to assist clients with problemsolving and personal development.
Zoë Armstrong B.A., D.K.A.T.I.- thesis pending (Whitehorse) Zoë is an art therapist with a humanistic, phenomenological approach and an emphasis on self actualization through creative expression. She completed her Masters level program and internship at the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute. Zoë is experienced in working with children, high risk adolescent, adults and seniors, using art therapy, sand tray therapy and play therapy. She has experience as a Women’s transition house counsellor as well as a child and youth counsellor in Canada and England.
Jorge Gonzalez MA (Whitehorse )Jorge is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with years of experience working with children, adolescents, couples, families and individuals. He came to join the Many Rivers team from Vancouver where he worked in child and family agencies as a clinical counsellor. He uses a variety of methods and works in collaboration with clients to develop a treatment plan, which is targeted to addressing presenting issues as well as tailored to the client's specific needs. Jorge has extensive experience in supporting those dealing with a wide range of emotional difficulties including anxiety, depression, grief and loss, anger and self-esteem issues. As well, he assists couples and families in developing healthy relationship dynamics and problem solving skills. In his work with children and families, Jorge uses art and play therapy to assist children in expressing their feelings. Jorge has experience working with children and adolescents around issues of abuse and trauma. Jorge has also led psycho-educational groups for parents, as well as provided consultation services to school personnel on supporting children with various behavioural and emotional difficulties in the classroom.
Therapies
- Relationship Counselling
- Family Counselling
- Individual Counselling
- Child and Adolescent Counselling
- Parent Education
Specialized Training
- Child and Youth Sexual Abuse (Level I-IV)
- Gordon Neufeld’s Attachment Model (Power to Parent I-II, Making and un-making of bullies)
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy (Level I)
Please ask individual staff about their experience and qualifications.
