Academic Introduction

Education and Credentials

Ph.D., Counselling Psychology, University of British Columbia
M.A., Psychology (Specialization: Forensic Psychology), University of British Columbia
B.Sc., Psychology (Specialization: Biopsychology), University of British Columbia
R.Psych (College of Psychologists of BC)

Academic and Professional Profile

My research interests include: Traditional Indigenous healthcare practices, cultural competency and cultural safety, mental health and addictions, and Indigenous offenders and the Criminal Justice System. I am an experienced researcher with an extensive program of research. I enjoy both the challenges and triumphs that research offers. The most recent large research project that I completed was an Indigenous Health research project, funded by the Vancouver Foundation. The project was titled: Sharing our Wisdom: a Holistic Aboriginal Health Initiative. Goals and outcomes of this research project included: creating an impact on social and health policy in reference to Indigenous health care strategies, promoting Indigenous knowledge and practices, and providing a voice for the community through research. I have also been awarded prestigious research grants from both the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institute of Health Research. I have experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. For future research, I would like to continue my work with Indigenous health and wellness. Specifically, I would like to collect more data on Indigenous participant’s experiences of traditional health care practices and the impact traditional health care practices have on mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health.

I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, therapist, teacher, and researcher. I am honoured to work on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples on the west coast of British Columbia. It is on this land that I am able to be a faculty member at Douglas College, as well as, a registered psychologist with an active therapy practice. I am driven by the facets of Indigenous epistemologies, community psychology, and social work, which allow me to understand and engage with people/communities from a broader systemic and socio-political perspective. I describe myself as a social justice educator and I have been working in the field of mental health and addictions for over 15 years. In my clinical practice, I have experience working with: trauma, mental health/illness/wellness, abuse, grief and loss, stress, residential school issues, the impact of colonization, relationship challenges, domestic violence, substance misuse and addictions. My work as a therapist informs and enhances my teaching practice. I would describe myself as a social justice educator and unique in my teaching style. I try to teach from an experiential perspective and I encourage students to be engaged and embrace the process of not only learning about the material/theory, but to learn about themselves as well.

Professional Affiliations and Community Service

2011- present, Member, College of Psychologists of BC (#1955)
2011-present, Member, British Columbia Psychological Association
2010-current, Pro-bono Psychological Services, PHS Community Services Society

Subscribe to Teresa Howell RSS feed