Validity Counsellors
Through validation and exploration of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, clients achieve a foundation for a better life. Successful living requires that we have the skills needed to trust our emotions, logic, and gut instinct.
Specializes in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
*Not currently accepting new clients
Jenny is founder and owner of Validity Counselling. Prior to creating Validity, Jenny worked for 12 years as a counsellor at Walmsley Counselling Services.
Jenny received her Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of Calgary. She has completed comprehensive and advanced training in DBT. Jenny maintains a small caseload, focusing on individuals who have difficulty regulating their emotions, thoughts, behaviour, and relationships.
Jenny focuses on the way that emotions, thoughts, and behaviours interact together to form either effective or ineffective methods of coping.
Professional Association Membership: Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) - Registration #17849.
Jenny DeReis
Founder and MC Psych, RCC
Teresa DeReis
Co-Owner and MC Psych (Candidate)
Works with children and teens. Specializes in anxiety and depression.
Teresa has a BSc. in Psychology from UNBC and is currently completing a Master of Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University.
Teresa works with children and youth and has completed specialized training through the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI) on play therapy, DBT skills for children and youth, anxiety in children and youth, and self-injury in youth. She has also taken specialized training on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) therapy.
Teresa uses a child-centered approach and play therapy with younger children. With older children and teens, she uses a person-centered approach and incorporates a variety of CBT, DBT, and/or art therapy techniques to suit each client's needs.
Teresa provides a safe, supportive, and accepting counselling space where children and teens can build confidence, learn to understand and regulate their emotions, develop healthy thought and behaviour patterns, and heal from trauma.
LOKI
Therapy Dog
(In-Training)
Works with children and teens.
Loki is a 1-year-old Border Collie who is currently completing Therapy Dog Training through Caring K9 Institute.
Loki works with his mum, Validity Co-Owner and Counsellor, Teresa DeReis. Although he is just starting his training, Loki is a natural. He loves people and is a very sensitive, intuitive, and gentle boy.
Loki helps young clients feel safe and connected within the counselling space, and through their interactions, he helps them to relieve stress, develop trust, and build confidence.
In order to be mindful of clients who have anxieties around dogs, Loki does not roam free in the office, and he is only in attendance when scheduled with clients who have requested to see him.
Specializes in trauma and culturally-informed practices
Laurel has a Master’s in Indigenous Studies and has worked in the social services field for over 20 years. Her work is strength-based, person-centred, and holistic. She has worked with children, youth, families and communities, working from a trauma and intercultural informed practice.
She has worked with youth and adults who have been sexually exploited and who have experienced gang violence. She is skilled at working through the many layers of psychological, physical, sexual, and spiritual abuses.
Laurel believes building trust and holding safe space for individuals is paramount to healing. She focuses on expressional therapies such as play, art, crafts, writing, movement, and mindfulness practices.
Laurel Collins
MA in Indigenous Studies
Jane Daigle
MEd. - Counselling
(Candidate)
Specializes in anxiety, trauma, grief and loss
Jane has a BSc. Honors in Psychology and is currently completing a Master of Education in Counselling at UNBC. She is also currently receiving training in Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST).
Jane works with adults and youth, using a client-centered approach to find the best style of practice for each client. She draws upon Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP), and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) as the foundation of her work.
Jane provides empathy, unconditional positive acceptance, and warmth to build trust and rapport with clients, offering a calm, safe space to work through grief, childhood trauma, or other unresolved issues that impede one's ability to cope.
Ishnoor Ghuman
MA Psych
Specializes in youth anxiety, depression, and addiction
Ishnoor has a Master’s Degree in Psychology and a Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology from Punjabi University in India.
He has been counselling children and youth since 2019, helping them manage complex needs across a variety of issues, including depression, anxiety, and addictions. He also has experience working with children and youth on the Autism spectrum.
He uses a variety of treatment strategies to foster positive change and healthy development. With children, he uses Play Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy, and with youth, he uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).
Ishnoor helps clients find their strengths, build confidence, and develop helpful and healthy thoughts and behaviours.
Professional Association Membership: Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) - Registration #20006.
Ida Alleman
MSc, RCC
Specializes in teen, family, Indigenous, and women’s issues
*Not currently accepting new clients
Ida is a dedicated and experienced counsellor who has worked with children, youth, couples, and families in Prince George since 1994. She is an Adlerian Therapist with vast experience working with individual and family issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief/loss, learning disabilities, medication management, and domestic violence.
Ida excels in conflict resolution, group process, and child advocacy. She has worked extensively with Indigenous persons on and off reserve and is approved to see Indigenous persons through First Nations Health Authority.
Professional Association Membership: Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) - Registration #2869.
Sarah White
MEd - Counselling
Specializes in grief and loss, illness, and addictions.
Sarah has a Master Degree in Counselling from UNBC. She is also a certified End of Life Doula and Grief Educator.
Sarah has worked in the social service field since 2005. She has experience in many different areas including domestic violence, critical illness, mental health, harm-reduction, cancer, and loss/grief.
Sarah has an integrative approach to counselling and works from a strength-based, person-centred perspective. She is trauma-informed and utilizes mindfulness, narrative, and a variety of other approaches based on the unique needs of each client.
Barb Buch
MSc. Health Ed.
Specializes in holistic and resource/strength-based approaches
Barb has a Master of Science degree in Health Education and has worked for several years in the areas of mental health, health promotion, psychoeducation, family support, addiction/recovery, and individual counselling.
Barb utilizes a solution-focused, neuroscience-based approach to address a variety of issues including anxiety, shame, depression, stress, relationships, addictions and recovery, body image, and physical challenges/illness.
Barb’s approach is holistic (body-mind-spirit), personalized, collaborative, and trauma-informed, drawing from a variety of modalities based on clients' wishes, needs, and abilities. Her modalities include CBT, DBT, narrative therapy, positive psychology, mindfulness, eco-therapy, and somatic-based techniques
Barb provides a non-judgmental space to enable client awareness and re-connection of body, mind, and spirit. She believes we all carry inner wisdom and resources within us, which can be brought to awareness and activated through the counselling process.
Specializes in youth and children
*Not currently accepting new clients
Sean has been counselling children and youth for over a decade. He obtained his Psychology Degree from UNBC and his Masters in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University.
Sean has extensive training and experience in working with Autism and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He uses play therapy, Rogerian counselling, and developmental psychology to help children find their way through the challenges of growing up.
Sean finds that with the proper support, children can discover themselves and find their own unique path to a healthy childhood.
Professional Association Membership: Registered Clinical Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) - Registration #10006118.
Sean Hogan
MA Psych, CCC
Savita Jaswal
RSW
Special interest in a holistic approach to health problems and grief/loss
*Not currently accepting new clients
Savita earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Simon Fraser University, and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from UNBC.
Savita specializes in grief and loss and has a special interest in supporting individuals and families experiencing serious illnesses. Her practice is built on a person-centred philosophy, while also drawing from methods such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), attachment theory, harm reduction, solution-focused and trauma-informed practice.
Savita believes individuals have the strength and abilities to live happy and healthy life. Her role is to provide a safe, empathetic, and authentic space to support individuals in achieving their goals.
Professional Association Membership: Registered Social Worker with the BC College of Social Workers (BCCSW) - Registration #15124
Kiran Saran
MC Psych
Specializes in youth and children
Kiran has a Master of Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University.
She has worked primarily with elementary students. However, over the last two years, she has worked with Indigenous at-risk youth helping them develop and pursue their future goals.
Kiran utilizes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Strength-Based Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and mindfulness practices.
She loves to learn and adapt to new situations. Her counselling approach is client-focused, holistic, open-minded, and warm.
Olivia McEwen
RSW, MEd.
Specializes in body image and eating disorders
Olivia has a Master’s degree in Education Counselling from UNBC.
She has experience working with mental health, trauma, and addictions and has special interest and training in eating disorders and body image. She is passionate about helping clients find peace with body, mind, and food.
Olivia has a client-centred, holistic approach that is trauma-informed and strength-based, utilizing CBT, DBT, and Narrative Therapy techniques. She tailors her approach to meet the individual needs of each client, and her warm and caring spirit create a safe therapeutic environment.
Professional Association Membership: Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) - Registration #19792.
Call and we will listen to your needs and match you to the right counsellor.
Office Staff
Kirsten Muxlow
Co-Owner, Office Manager
When you call our office, the friendly voice on the other end of the line is Kirsten. She can answer any questions you may have, help you find the right counsellor for your needs, and get you booked quickly and confidentially.
Kirsten has a caring and non-judgmental personality and a passion for helping others. She has several years of experience working with troubled youth, people with disabilities, and those dealing with trauma and other mental health issues.
Kirsten brings her compassionate nature to everything she does, and she excels at helping others in her role at Validity.