Our Wellness Worker Q+A is a new series of profiles of frontline service workers in our region, who are dedicated to wellness. Last week, we met NNADAP counselor Juanita Jacob. Today, meet therapist Kerrie Palmer.

What are your job titles?

I have three different jobs in the area of therapy. My job titles are as follows:

1. Child and Youth Therapist at Xet’olacw Community School, working for the Mount Currie Band (.8FTE)
2. Concurrent Disorders Clinician at Vancouver Coastal Health (casual position)
3. Therapist in Private Practice (Kerrie Palmer Counselling and Consulting)

What do you do?

As a therapist I endeavor to help people address problems in their lives that get in the way of their preferred way of being and get in the way of their preferred self. When people, children, youth or adults choose to speak or work with a therapist they are choosing to empower themselves.

It takes a lot of courage to identify a problem and to stand up to the problem. My role is to honour each person’s lived experience while I work with them to address the problems that are getting in the way of how they want to live their lives.

How do people usually come to see you?

At Xet’olacw Community School, I am a counsellor for children and youth between the ages of 4-18 who attend that school. Sometimes the child or youth asks for counselling, sometimes the parents, guardians or staff refer a student to counselling. At Vancouver Coastal Health, I was hired to serve a select number of clients who self-referred over the course of the summer of 2012 when there was a long waiting list. In terms of private practice, most clients have been referred to me by other therapists or by word of mouth. Currently, in private practice, I have been working with children in their homes with a parent or guardian present because I do not have office space yet.

What kinds of things do you do for them?

Essentially I see my work as sharing a journey with another person who wants to change the impact of a problem in their lives. To identify, explore and move through a problem or issue that is stopping them from living their life to the fullest.

When I am working with children, I use expressive arts and Narrative therapy as well as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). When I am working with Adults, I use a combination of theoretical frameworks including, but not limited to, Narrative, CBT, Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused Therapy.

With all of my clients, I seek to research the problem collaboratively with my client using visual/expressive arts as well as the preferred story and the thoughts, behaviours and actions that reflect the goals identified by my clients and/or their guardians.

What is the best thing about your job(s)?

To bear witness and support my clients as they move through problems or difficult times into their preferred way of being and into their preferred life story ~ that is the best part of my job! I enjoy the opportunity to be creative and to learn as I support my clients during therapy. The honour and trust that is given to me by my clients is a privilege.

How can people contact you?

If people would like to see me in private practice, they are welcome to call me at 604-966-6196 or email me at kerrieap@gmail.com. I hope to have office space soon.

What does ‘Wellness’ mean to you?

Wellness occurs when we are able to respect and honour our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves. The lived experience of wellness occurs when a person feels able to create space for themselves to pursue their goals and dreams.

Is there anything you try and do on a daily basis, as a daily practice or habit or ritual, to keep grounded and healthy?

I remember what I am grateful for (my husband, family, friends, work, nature) on a daily basis and I choose to spend time in nature. I drink a lot of water and I do my best to get enough sleep. Weekly, I choose one friend (many of my good friends live far away) to call and connect with, I am part of a meditation group and I exercise 3-4 times per week.

What, if you could boil it down, would be the single most important or effective thing someone can do to choose a path of wellness?

Be as kind and compassionate to yourself as you would be to a good friend.

What do you wish our communities had more of?

I wish we had the opportunity to have a community kitchen that would bring together all the people in each of our communities. It could happen four times each year to mark the change in each season. Sharing food can facilitate emotional, spiritual, physical and mental wellness as well as increasing opportunities to appreciate one another.

Can you share an inspiring quote or piece of art?

I would like to invite everyone to identify all the ways they honour their own physical, mental, spiritual and emotional wellness…maybe create their own piece of art or we could create a community mural or shared piece of art that was inspired by each of those aspects of wellness.