Hi! I'm Keren 

I am a dual qualified Family Nurse Practitioner (#0914063) and Registered Clinical Counsellor (#20029) with over two decades of experience in mental health, substance use, and harm reduction. I have worked with youth and adults with a focus on recovery from addiction, trauma, mood disorders, psychosis, ADHD, and concurrent disorders, primarily via inner city outreach and in community settings.  My years as a Harm Reduction Nurse Practitioner taught me to walk beside patients and support their process, with no specific expectations that they change or do anything in particular.  Rather, I believe that each person holds the secrets to their own healing, which we can explore together in the safety of the therapeutic container.  I have a special interest in working with physicians, NPs, nurses and other health care professionals, since I have first-hand experience of the trauma, culture, and double-binds these professionals may experience in the course of their work.

I hold a Master of Nursing from the University of British Columbia (2011), which I supplemented with coursework from the Master of Counselling Psychology program through Yorkville University (2023). I have also completed additional psychedelic and somatic focused training including MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy through MAPS, Psilocybin and MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy and Prescriber's training through TheraPsil, Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Prescribers Training and Intermediate Level Counselling through Polaris, Level One Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and the Internal Family Systems Online Circle.   I am a Medical and Psychotherapy Associate with TheraPsil, which is a non-profit advocacy and education network that is committed to making legal Psilocybin and MDMA-Assisted Therapy accessible to Canadians in need. 

My core values include harm reduction, trauma-informed practice, and a non-pathologizing approach to understanding mental health and distress. I blend solid education in mainstream psychopharmacology and psychiatry with training and extensive personal experience navigating non-ordinary states of consciousness. I aim to support clients to move towards greater psychospiritual integration through counselling, working with medicines, and psychedelic preparation and integration.

My practice is characterized by innovation and life-long learning. I approach every client with an attitude of curiosity and compassion, viewing each as a unique individual with the capacity to heal. I combine a Radical, Biopsychosocial-Spiritual, Relational, and Somatic approach to help clients access their inner strengths and wisdom, and to support their resilience as they work towards their definition of recovery.

You and I are the force for transformation in the world.  We are the consciousness that will define the nature of the reality we are moving into.   - Ram Dass