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Meet our Team
Our Founders
(Fatima) Natascha Lawrence, M.A., R.C.C., BCRPT
I use she/her pronouns and am a BIPOC first-generation Canadian settler of mixed Asian ancestry, an ADHDer, Queer and have a mobility disability due to a chronic pain neurological condition.
When I started as a clinician, I was stunned and disappointed that many mental health services, organizations, and programs did not meet the needs of neurodivergent clients or those who have experienced complex trauma. I founded FASD Counselling and co-founded The FASD Institute to provide the services I could not find.
Some therapy modalities prescribe interventions that do not consider equity-seeking populations. At the FASD Institute, we believe that counselling should focus on meeting folx where they are and that counsellors should walk alongside clients, honouring intersectionality and empowering lifelong holistic healing.
Natascha is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, BC Registered Play Therapist, Certified Synergetic Play Therapist, and EMDR Practitioner who works from a somatic, attachment-based, decolonized, neurodiversity-affirming, and anti-oppressive framework.
Kyle Lawrence
I use he/him pronouns.
My mother's mother was born in eslhá7an, a Squamish village community located on the shores of North Vancouver.
Growing up, I knew only a small portion of my Skwxwú7mesh lineage and only recently understood the impact of my grandmother's attendance at the Residential School system in North Vancouver. Feelings of loss and not belonging were always present.
I had thought that the Indian Act had succeeded in eradicating my connection to my ancestors and their wisdom. As I learn more about this Intergenerational Trauma and reconnect with my traditional teachings, the drive for recovery resonates with me. I do this to honour my ancestors.
I am the past, present and future; I am Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw.
Experts
FASD Expert
Sibling Expert & Helper
Sibling Expert & Helper
Jocelyn
Hello, my name is Jocelyn and I also have FASD. :) Thank you for wanting to learn more about FASD and how to help people.
Sibling Expert & Helper
Sibling Expert & Helper
Sibling Expert & Helper
Consultant
Courtney Farrow-Lawrence
Gwe’. My ancestry lies in what is now referred to as Nova Scotia in Turtle Island. I am of the Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian, Japanese and Acadian French peoples. I previously lived on the territory of the Sto: lo people in British Columba, where I married into the Fraser family of the Snnuneymuxw Nation. I have two beautiful Indigenous children.
Over the last 11 years, it has been my pleasure to specialize in FASD support, training, and advocacy while working from an Indigenous worldview to address concurrent and colonial trauma, including the removal from the land and upholding the importance of traditional Indigenous knowledge. I focus on holistic wellness, which starts with our connection to the land. It is also vitally important to me that our youth have a voice, a positive sense of identity and advocates within our communities. I am most grateful to learn from my children and the youth I support, who have given me the opportunity to walk alongside them, for a moment in time, as they journey to becoming our next knowledge keepers – Wela’lin, all our relations hold you up.
Please get in touch with me at courtneyfraser84@gmail.com to discuss consultation services.
Administration
Athena Affan (she/her), BSW
Athena Affan (she/her) is a fat, queer, Black, Afro-Caribbean femme living with gratitude on the unceded and stolen homelands of the
hən̓ q ̓əmin̓ əm ̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples.
For over a decade, she provided crisis and trauma support to women survivors of violence and currently works with PeerNetBC as a community developer and facilitator. She was a founding Director of ARC CommUNITY; an educational enrichment program prioritizing BIPOC learners, educators and experiences, and is the current chair of Burnaby Pride. She is a neurodivergent parent to two wonderful ND kiddos and is working towards her MSW at the University of Calgary.
She enjoys Queer culture, science fiction and fantasy, listening to audiobooks and dreaming about collective liberation.
Associates
Amanda Iaci, MC, RCC (she/her)
Available in person on Saturdays and virtually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
I am a Canadian settler living on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. I obtained my Master of Counseling Degree at City University and am a Registered Clinical Counselor.
I am passionate about play and connecting with children in a fun, grounded, and patient way. I love creating new and creative activities to empower kiddos using their special interests. I use an attachment and strength-based approach in my practice that affirms each individual’s neurodiversity.
For over 20 years, I have worked with children and families in private and community settings. I specialize in working with autistic children, those with Pathological Demand Avoidance, and kids in foster care. I am trained in a multitude of modalities, including Synergetic Play Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, and Expressive Play Therapy.
Catherine Aoyama (she/her), Med., RCC
I am a third-generation Japanese-Canadian, and I am grateful to have been born and raised on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations.
My mother immigrated from Japan as a young woman. My Canadian-born father and his family were interned during WW II at the Lemon Creek Internment Camp in the West Kootenay Region, 26 km south of New Denver. My father and his family eventually made their way back to the Lower Mainland after the war. I have experienced and worked with and through the generational and cultural differences that come with growing up Canadian in a Japanese family. With these experiences, I have been blessed to learn and reflect on the effects of intergenerational trauma within families.
I am a BC teacher, school counsellor and a Registered Clinical Counsellor passionate about inclusion and creating wraparound supports for all people. My work as a teacher is with neurodivergent children and youth. I work very closely with an FASD initiative to support children and youth with FASD. As a counsellor, I work from a person-centred, trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, family systems and internal family systems lens. I welcome learning from the stories and histories of every individual I meet. I am very honoured to learn from each person I work with, and I am thankful that counselling allows me to walk alongside others for a time.
Pamela Wallberg (she/her), MA, RCC, ECE/ITE, CPT
Available virtually Mondays through Thursdays.
The grandchild of Polish-Jewish immigrants who arrived in Canada post-WW2, I was raised on my grandparents' active farm in BC. I currently live with my three children on the unceded and stolen lands of the ʷməθkʷəy̓əm, sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and sel̓íl̓witulh peoples.
I hold a Master of Arts from the University of British Columbia, where my thesis focused on multimodal approaches to emotional literacy in preschool-aged children. I am a licensed Early Childhood / Infant Toddler Educator, Certified Infant Development Consultant, DiRFloortime practitioner, Registered Clinical Counsellor, and CAPT Certified Play Therapist.
Prior to shifting my career to providing counselling services, I worked within the early childhood sector, delivering inclusive support services and parent coaching to children and their families. I have extensive experience working with neurodiverse children and their families in school, childcare, nature/outdoor and home-based settings. I specialize in working with Autistic children and their families, providing a strengths-based approach to recognizing and meeting emotional, sensory, regulatory and attachment needs.
I am particularly interested in incorporating mindfulness, play therapy and expressive arts approaches. I work to provide a safe space for children and their families to recognize, understand and celebrate their sense of self and identity. I emphasize a warm, authentic approach tailored to meet the individual child and family needs while affirming their strength.
Students
Intern Counsellor Dana Patterson MCP in Progress
I use she/her pronouns. I am a third-generation Canadian settler of European-decent, living and studying on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.
I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus in Kelowna within the beautiful Syilx territory. I moved to Vancouver in the summer of 2023 to attend Adler University and pursue my Masters of Counselling Psychology with a concentration in School and Youth. My path to counselling has been paved through a lifelong personal interest in child psychology, mental-health, and passion of disability advocacy.
My approach to counselling draws from the strengths-based model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, incorporating attachment and somatic interventions to best personalize each session to each individual. I am excited to connect with children and families in such a way that fosters safety, understanding, and affirmation. As a practicum student, I am excited to grow my expertise in different play therapy and counselling modalities, and to learn from the exceptional FASD Institute staff, associates, and clients!
Intern Counsellor Jasleen Mann MCP in Progress
Hi there! My name is jasleen and I’m currently pursuing my Master of Counselling Psychology with a focus on supporting children and youth. I’m passionate about creating safe, welcoming spaces for young people to explore their emotions and overcome challenges. As a South Asian woman, I understand the stigma surrounding mental health in many minority communities, and I’m committed to breaking that silence by offering culturally sensitive and inclusive care.
With my background in Psychology and my experience working with children, I believe in a holistic, person-centered approach to mental health. I’m all about recognizing each child’s unique strengths and helping them build on those. Whether a child is dealing with anxiety, trauma, or just needs help navigating the ups and downs of growing up, my goal is to offer support that meets them where they are. I use tools like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and trauma-informed care to create a nurturing, individualized approach that promotes healing.
I’m passionate about making a difference in young lives and helping families feel empowered and supported through every step of the journey.
Parent Coaching
Jill Crichton (she/her), MA, Parent Coach/ Consultant
Available virtually on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
I am a mother, sister, aunt, and daughter born and raised in Vancouver.
I have completed two degrees from the University of British Columbia. An undergraduate degree in Linguistics (specializing in language acquisition in children) and a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education.
I have been an infant development consultant for 14 years and a Key Worker for the CDBC Program in the Lower Mainland for 11 years. I have certifications in STAT, a screening tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children, Watch, Wait, and Wonder, Group facilitation, and Developmental Parenting. I have developed groups for parents, children, and youth and facilitated trainings for school district personnel, ministry social workers, and foster parents.
I have a passion for working with caregivers of individuals with FASD. I believe in working collaboratively to expand understanding, help navigate systems, develop support systems, and find appropriate resources. Expanded knowledge of FASD and networking with other caregivers are necessary for families to feel supported and build strength and resiliency.
In my work, I have found that “it takes a village to raise children” is especially true. I hope to help families find and develop their village.