Hi! I’m Mélanie Boothe (she/her/hers). I am deeply grateful to the Sinxt Peoples and all the Keepers of the land, on whose traditional, unceded territories I have the honour to live, work and play. I am an art therapy student at the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute, and I am so excited to be starting a placement at Movin’ Mountains!

I grew up in rural Manitoba and earned a Bachelor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Winnipeg, followed by a Bachelor of Education at l’Université de Saint-Boniface. I moved to Rossland in 2007 and gained over ten years of experience teaching children and youth of all ages in our local schools. Working with young people with diverse needs really inspired me to explore with them different ways of practicing self-regulation and creative expression, building understanding, and celebrating strengths. These passions eventually led me to art therapy.

My focus is on providing individuals a safe therapeutic space to express and process their emotions so they can discover and benefit from the healing and life enhancing qualities of their own creative process. I present art invitations and materials, opportunities for fun experimentation, and mindfulness and movement exercises as required to foster engagement and meet the needs of individuals in the present moment.

When I am not being creative or studying, I enjoy spending time with my partner, my two sons and our two cuddly cats. I also love connecting to nature as much as possible, especially by hiking, biking, paddleboarding, and just simply admiring the beauty that surrounds me.

My quote: “Trust the process.” We may not always understand where life (or our artwork!) is leading us, but meaning emerges over time. We often discover that the steps we were taking were setting up the foundation we needed to move big mountains all along!

Hi! I’m Mélanie Boothe (she/her/hers). I am deeply grateful to the Sinxt Peoples and all the Keep... Read More

As a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology practicum student, I am thrilled to be joining the talented Movin’ Mountain’s team under the supervision of Katrina Smith where I am offering a full range of counselling services to adults and adolescents. Whether you are dealing with anxiety, depression, learning difficulties, are overwhelmed with stress, or just need someone to listen, my aim is to be a consistent presence to assist you in realizing your strengths and the steps needed to get back on your unique path and develop your full potential.

My journey to this point has included a dynamic range of experiences that support my counselling role. From career counselling and business coaching for four years to working as a certified yoga therapist for over a decade specializing in chronic pain management and disabilities, I enjoy using the skills I’ve acquired in these roles to assist clients in developing achievable goals, reduce barriers to success, and build adaptive coping strategies, emotion regulation and mindfulness. Over the last two years, I have developed an awareness of the cycles of abuse and trauma while working intimately with women and children experiencing intimate partner domestic violence.

My counselling approach is client-centered, recognizing that you are the expert in your own life. My role is to hold space and facilitate the changes that a part of you may or may not already be aware of. I will support you through this process with compassion, empathy, and mindfulness. I work with a trauma-informed lens using the tools of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness, and whenever appropriate, Existential and Emotion-Focused therapies. I am committed to continuous professional development and utilizing the latest evidence-based research and modalities to continue to strengthen my practice.

As a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology practicum student, I am thrilled to be joining the ... Read More

My name is Ashley and I completed my masters in occupational therapy at UBC in 2020. After two years in Vancouver, My husband and I are very excited to have moved back to the small town of Nelson.

During my time in Vancouver I had the opportunity to work in an early concussion program, which led to a deeper interest in helping individuals with their concussion recovery to return to work, sports and school. I hope to bring this knowledge and experience and work together to help those in the Kootenay region who may experience post-concussion symptoms.

In addition to concussions, I have always had a special interest in pediatrics and child development. Prior to my OT school, I spent summers working with children through canucks autism network, Special Olympics, at private autism centers, and through summer camps for children with various abilities. These experiences led to me developing a strong desire to become a pediatric OT so I can help children to build confidence and skills to participate in meaningful activities such as school, play, and daily tasks.

I am very excited to be joining a collaborative team at Movin Mountains which values fun, creative sessions, and a family centred approach. I look forward to using your child’s imagination and unique characteristics to guide occupational therapy sessions.

Aside from work, you can find me hiking, camping, skiing, and exploring our new home mountains. I also love DIY projects and enjoy quiet time painting.

I look forward to meeting you!

My name is Ashley and I completed my masters in occupational therapy at UBC in 2020. After two ye... Read More

My name is River (she/her) and I’m excited to be joining the Movin Mountains team.

I am a registered social worker and will be wrapping up my Master of Social Work in the fall.

I am trained as a Relational Somatic Therapist and Movement for Trauma specialist and have many years and hours of ongoing professional development training that includes cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness-based counselling, queer-focused narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and more.

I have been practicing in mental health and substance use for 15 years – 13 of which I spent as a counsellor for youth and their families. 3 years ago, I shifted to focusing on child and youth mental health and family counselling.

I also had a private practice focused on trauma and women’s mental health.

My practice is trauma-informed and grounded in attachment-based and developmental frameworks– which is jargon for saying I think we are all deeply impacted by our relationships (to all things), our environments (family/social/political/global), and that who we are and how we are changes throughout our lives.

I am passionate about supporting people in their mental health journeys- whatever form they take. However, I am particularly passionate about trauma, 2S LGBTQ+ gender and sexual identity, chronic pain, chronic illness, women’s mental health, youth mental health, and supporting caregivers.

I prioritize harm-reduction, I believe laughter is resistance (I also believe I’m pretty funny), I aspire to be relationally accountable, and I am committed to the ongoing process of decolonizing myself and my practice.

I used to be cool and have hobbies, but as a full-time student with 2 young kids, I am either reading, writing, or late getting my kids somewhere.

My name is River (she/her) and I’m excited to be joining the Movin Mountains team. I am a regist... Read More

I am passionate about mental health and wellness and my own personal mission of empowering and supporting those I work with aligns perfectly with the culture at MM, so I feel incredibly fortunate to have joined this incredible clinic.

My primary focus is anxiety and depression and understanding the role our complex histories and experiences have in how we experience stress and overwhelm and how we can learn to grow and flourish in tough situations. My clinical approach and experience roots primarily in cognitive behavioural therapies as well as client-centered approaches, focusing on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion and behavioural regulation, resiliency and developing adaptive coping strategies

My quote: “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I’M POSSIBLE!”– By focusing on the space just outside of our comfort zone we might be able to realize just how many opportunities lie ahead of us, and by seeing ourselves as capable of more, we can channel our mindset to growing into our full potential and I cannot think of anything more exciting than that!

I am passionate about mental health and wellness and my own personal mission of empowering and su... Read More