Our awards recognize outstanding leadership, lifetime contributions, innovation, research, and volunteer service in the field of clinical counselling and psychotherapy across British Columbia. Through these awards, we honour those who make a difference in advancing the wellbeing of individuals and communities throughout our province.
These are the awards that we’ve offered:
Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Clinical Counselling and Psychotherapy
BCACC Impact Award for Mental Health Organizations
Volunteer Award
Clinical Supervisor Award
Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research
Practitioners’ Award
Student of the Year Award
Joan Campbell Award
2026 Recipients
BCACC recognizes outstanding contributions to the counselling profession through our annual awards program. The 2026 recipients represent excellence in clinical practice, leadership, and dedication to advancing mental health care in British Columbia.
Angela Burns MA, RCC
Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Clinical Counselling and Psychotherapy Award
Angela Burns, RCC, served as BCACC’s Registrar for more than three decades and played an important role in shaping both the Association and the profession of clinical counselling in British Columbia.
Angela’s history with BCACC reaches back to the early days of the Association, when a small group of clinical counsellors gathered around kitchen tables with a shared understanding that the public needed protection and that the emerging profession needed strong standards. Angela became BCACC’s Registrar in 1991, when the Association had approximately 350 members. It is probably not a stretch to say that Angela reviewed the applications of almost every RCC in this room tonight. For generations of members, she was one of the first people they encountered on their way to becoming an RCC.
Over more than three decades, Angela helped establish and steward the standards, registration and professional conduct processes that protected the integrity of the RCC designation. She was also part of BCACC’s longstanding work toward regulation and greater recognition of clinical counselling in British Columbia. So much of what BCACC became, and what the RCC designation represents today, was shaped during Angela’s remarkable career of service.
Dr. Daniel Vigo
Humanitarian Award
Dr. Daniel Vigo is an associate professor at the University of British Columbia and a psychiatrist and public health specialist. His work focuses on improving access to effective care and strengthening mental health systems
He serves as BC’s Chief Scientific Advisor for Psychiatry, Toxic Drugs &
Concurrent Disorders, and holds several clinical and medical
leadership roles focused on mental health and substance use care in
BC. Dr. Vigo leads provincial and global mental health initiatives, including e-mental health and service planning, and chairs the services and policy work group of the WHO World Mental Health Surveys Initiative, a major international research collaboration.
Steve Farina
Honorary Membership Award
Steve Farina spent 32 years in the fire service, including nearly three decades with Coquitlam Fire Rescue and a decade as a Fire Captain. Alongside that career, Steve spent nine years in leadership with the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, ultimately serving as Executive Vice President, where he became a tireless advocate for the mental health of first responders.
Steve was a founding contributor to the Blueprint First Responder Resiliency Program, helping shape the program from its earliest days, secure funding and connect first responders with meaningful peer support. He was also a strong advocate at the bargaining table, working with unions to improve mental health benefits and, in particular, advocating for Registered Clinical Counsellors to be included as eligible providers. Through this work, Steve has helped build an important bridge between the first responder and RCC communities and improve access to counselling for those who need it.
Steve works as a mental health consultant, helping organizations strengthen their training, policies and approaches to first responder mental health, and he brings his experience into the classroom as a sessional instructor at the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
Foundry BC
BCACC Impact Award for Mental Health Organization
Foundry BC is a province-wide network supporting young people aged 12 to 24 and their families. They offer integrated mental health and substance use services, in addition to physical health, peer support, and social services, all in one place, making access easier. Early intervention is an area where Foundry BC has had huge success. Just last year, 17,000 young people used their services, demonstrating their province-wide reach.
This award was received on behalf of Foundry BC by Co-Executive Directors, Karen Tee & Steve Mathias (co-executive directors)
Cody Rueger
BCACC Student of the Year Award 2026
Cody Rueger is a Master of Counselling student at Athabasca University.
Cody designed and launched a therapeutic tabletop role-playing group inspired by Dungeons & Dragons to address a gap in accessible care. The group built a year-long waitlist in just one week and even received CBC coverage for public recognition.
Clinical Supervisors of the Year:
Shauna Paynter, MA, RCC, ACS
Shauna Paynter is a dedicated clinical supervisor, educator, and mentor who has supported counsellors in developing their skills and professional identity.
Since 2014, she has provided both individual and group supervision, helping to foster a supportive supervision culture. Her supervision style emphasizes ethical, relationally attuned practice, and she actively supports the growth of thoughtful, grounded counsellors.
Distinguished Professional Contributions
to Applied Research Award Recipients
Deirdre McLaughlin Ph.D., RCC, ACS
Deirdre McLaughlin is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Approved Clinical Supervisor and sexual health educator who completed her PhD in Clinical Sexology in 2025.
Through her doctoral research, Deirdre identified a gap in how counsellors are prepared to support sexual assault survivors who may be navigating both the therapeutic and justice systems. Rather than allowing that research to end with her PhD, Deirdre turned it into a six-module curriculum designed to give counsellors practical knowledge they can use with clients. That curriculum has now grown into professional training, a self-directed course and ongoing supervision cohorts, with Deirdre continuing to develop the work toward a textbook for Master’s-level counselling education.
Heesu J. Jeon Ph.D., RCC
Dr. Heesu Jeon is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Registered Canadian Art Therapist, educator and researcher specializing in dementia care and art therapy.
Jinnie’s research addresses an important question in dementia care: how can we continue to provide meaningful therapeutic support when cognitive decline makes traditional verbal counselling increasingly difficult? Through a randomized controlled trial, Jinnie studied the use of art therapy with older adults living with dementia, with promising findings for both cognitive functioning and quality of life.
Her research has since been peer-reviewed and published, presented internationally, and applied to graduate education, dementia care and interdisciplinary work spanning counselling, gerontology and neuroscience.
Shirley Giroux Ph.D., RCC, ACS
Dr. Shirley Giroux is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), school counsellor, educator and researcher whose work focuses on supporting the well-being of people working in education.
Shirley’s research addresses an important gap in school counselling: counsellors often have little time or opportunity to process the emotional and relational impact of their work.
Since 2019, Shirley has been developing and refining Intervision, an accessible peer-supervision model that creates that space. It brings school counsellors together to reflect on difficult aspects of their work, learn from one another and consider how they can continue to support students in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Excellence in Practice Awards
Ed Chen, M.Ed, RCC, ACS
Ed Chen is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and the founder of the DBT Centre and Clinic of Greater Vancouver, where he specializes in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Through his specialized practice in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Ed supports people experiencing complex and high-risk mental health challenges, helping them reduce crisis behaviours, better regulate their emotions, strengthen relationships, and build greater resilience and stability in their daily lives.
Ed shares his expertise through clinical supervision, consultation and DBT training for professionals and organizations across Canada, as well as through workshops, published resources and the This is DBT podcast.
Robin Willis, MCP-AT, RCC
Robin Willis is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), educator and former professional actor who has built a specialized counselling practice supporting performers and people working in the arts.
Robin’s impact extends throughout the performing arts community. She has served as company counsellor for Bard on the Beach since 2022, teaches future performers about psychological well-being and resilience, offers reduced-fee counselling to members of professional arts organizations, and raises awareness of performer mental health through her writing. By bringing specialized care, education and advocacy directly into the community she serves, Robin demonstrates an exceptional commitment to excellence in practice.
Volunteers of the Year Recipients
Awarded for their longstanding volunteer commitment to BCACC
Dr. Janine Orlando Ph.D., RCC, ACS
Dr Janine Orlando Ph.D., RCC, ACS is the founder and Director of Magnolia Health and Wellness Inc. & The Canadian Therapist Network. She is a dedicated and committed therapist, school counsellor and fitness educator, holding an Honours Bachelor of Psychology, a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Counselling, a Certificate in Sport Psychology, and a Ph.D. with a focus on Mindfulness in Education.
Sylvie Hamel MC, RCC, ACS
Sylvie Hamel has been a BCACC volunteer since 2017. Her work focuses on impact trauma, medical trauma, relational trauma and global activation. As an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) with the BCACC, she also offers supervision, consultation and supervision of supervision.
Kimberly Dyson MA, RCC
Kimberly Dyson’s career has spanned clinical practice, program development, operational leadership, and strategic service delivery within both public and private-sector organizations. She currently serves on the Board for the BC Association of Clinical Counselling and is also a longstanding advisory member of the First Responder Mental Health Committee.
As a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Kimberly is passionate about improving access to high-quality mental health care, fostering psychologically healthy workplaces, and creating systems that support recovery, resilience, and meaningful return-to-work outcomes.
Dr. Chasidy Karpiuk Ph.D., RCC
Dr. Chasidy Karpiuk, PhD , RCC, CAP is a counsellor, presenter and educator. Building Strength is the guiding principle of her practice and she uses a variety of therapies to assist clients meet their goals. She has a PhD in Human Development , two Master of Arts degrees (Human Development & Counselling psychology), and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology.
Ellahae Keshmiri MA, RCC
Ellahae is an RCC with over 16 years of experience. Her work focuses on trauma, anxiety, depression, self-esteem/self-image, perfectionism, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, sleep issues, burn out/stress management, life transitions and relationship issues.
She worked on the ‘Practicum in a Box’ project – a toolbox created to give organizations and counselling practices a clear, practical pathway for becoming practicum sites and helping to train the next generation of counsellors. The impact of this work extends well beyond practicum training. Every new practicum site creates another opportunity for a student to learn, for an experienced counsellor to mentor, and ultimately, for more people in our communities to access much-needed mental health support.
Tyler Ringdahl M.Ed, RCC
For the past 16 years, Tyler has worked within Northern Health, supporting youth, adult mental health programs, and individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, substance use, and life transitions. In addition to counselling, he provides supervision to graduate students in the Master’s in Counselling program at the University of Northern British Columbia, helping them develop confidence and competence as they work toward certification.
