Teachers at Bethlehem Centre
Bethlehem Centre Teachers
Catherine M. Kelly, M.Div.
Witnessing people fall in love with God in their own unique way energizes me. My passion is to catch people where they are most alive like a kingfisher of souls (Matthew 4:19). My ministry in Ignatian spiritual formation helps people identify that place within themselves where God has planted their deepest desires. I encourage people to invite God to animate their lives so their good and holy desires come to fruition and they flourish in fullness of life (John 10:10). – Catherine M. Kelly, M.Div., Retreat Director Catherine is the Director of Spiritual Formation, Retreats and Christian Life Community and…
Diane MacCormack
Diane MacCormack is trained and experienced in “Soul of Aging” facilitation. She is a retired public health nurse and a spiritual seeker who found the “Circle of Trust” approach helpful in her own growth. After the life-changing diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer in April 1999, Diane’s entered spiritual exploration, which began in the United Church to deepen her understanding of Christianity. From there, she continued her growth through practices like centering prayer and contemplative practices. She found meaning in pilgrimages, Celtic Christianity, Taize, visiting cathedrals, attending hermitages and walking labyrinths around the world, including right here at Bethlehem Centre. Through nature…
Emily Gambling, Occupational Therapist
Emily Gambling is an Occupational Therapist, certified Forest Therapy Guide, and mindfulness facilitator. She is passionate about health promotion, quality of life, mental health and wellness, and providing holistic and evidence-based care. Emily practices mindfulness and forest bathing in her personal life and continues to experience the value of these practices on both a personal and professional level. She hopes to share these practices with the community, open the doors for others to experience the powerful effects of nature, and learn from others in the process. In her clinical practice, Emily takes a client-centred approach to care and integrates a…
Glenn Inglis
Glenn Inglis is an ordained clergy with the Presbyterian Church in Canada. He is officially ‘retired’ but is currently an Associate Pastor with Living Faith Lutheran Church in Sechelt. He provides spiritual direction to a number of individuals and maintains accountability through a circle with 9 other active directors in BC. who meet monthly. Glenn has served pastorates in BC and as well, with his wife, Linda, served over 16 years in Malawi as a Pastor, Human Rights Coordinator and Director of the Church’s Development Programme, focusing on AIDS Orphans, sustainable agriculture, maternal health care and ecumenical cooperation. Glenn has…
Leah Hokanson
Leah is a lifelong adventurer of music, sound and listening—as a group facilitator, community choir leader, pianist, improviser, singer/songwriter and certified sound healing practitioner. She is co-founder (with Lynette Jackson) of Sound, Belonging & Wholeness, offering programs that explore vocal sounding and intentional listening as portals to Presence, healing and transformation. She also directs the Song Keepers Women’s Choir (Gabriola) and is Music Director at the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. She’s worked with many esteemed vocal artists and sound healing pioneers, including Chloé Goodchild, Jill Purce, Rhiannon, and Karina Schelde. Leah holds a master’s degree in piano performance and…
Lynette Jackson
Lynette has decades of experience as an adult educator, spiritual spelunker, and program “midwife”. Her facilitation of intercultural graduate-level leadership and capacity-building programs in Africa and the Middle East, as well as innovative collaborations with tribal councils, post-secondary institutions, federal and provincial governments, non-profit, personal and professional growth centres, and organizations as diverse as Apple, Unicef, and the World Bank, have afforded many opportunities to apply spiritual principles in innovative contexts. She devoted eleven years to residency in a Canadian spiritual centre, exploring both Eastern and Western maps of consciousness with leading-edge teachers. Along the way, she has earned an…
Lynne Carroll & Jaspaul Khalsa
Lynne and Jas completed the transformative five-year journey of the Level 2 Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training program. Lynne brings her experience as a massage therapist with a Bachelor of Health Science, while Jas combines a background in mental health and addiction counseling with deep knowledge of Sikh heritage. Together, as a dynamic team, they reside in Nanaimo’s Old City with their four children. Guided by mentors with over 50 years of experience, Jas and Lynne aspire to share the practical wisdom of Kundalini Yoga with others. Weekly Classes will be led by Lynne Carroll. Workshops will be led by Jaspaul Khalsa…
Murray Groom
Murray Groom is a graduate, former staff member, and one-time interim Director of the Pacific Jubilee Program in Spiritual Direction. He is a practiced spiritual director and regularly co-conducts extended silent retreats at Bethlehem and Naramata Centre in the Okanagan Valley.
Nan Goodship
Nan is an artist, spiritual director, retreat leader, and thorough Vancouver Islander. She is interested in the adaptations and evolutions we make in our lives to find joy, understand suffering, and ponder our own hearts and minds. She considers herself a contemplative and finds a daily connection to the natural world both a significant source of inspiration for art-making and a spiritual home. As far as academic training goes she holds a BA in Japanese and Asian studies from UBC, Waldorf teacher training, certification from the Pacific Jubilee Program for spiritual direction, and a Masters in interdisciplinary arts from Goddard…
Russell McNeil
Russell McNeil, a senior fitness instructor for the City of Nanaimo’s parks, recreation, and culture department, said neglecting some muscle groups can lead to several health problems later in life that affect mobility and overall health. He designs his classes for people who experience difficulty doing floor exercises and the class will be done seated in a chair. Yoga exercises have benefits on the body’s well-being and yoga positions stretch, relax, open the joints, release tensions, energize, and revitalize.
Guest Teachers
Adrianne Ross
Adrianne Ross is a retired family physician who has been involved in meditation and healing since 1976. She has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 1984 and began teaching in 1995. She is influenced by both Thai and Burmese streams of the Theravadan tradition, as well as Tibetan (Mahamudra and Dzogchen) practices. She teaches classes, weekend and residential retreats in Canada and the US. She has been involved in teaching and mentoring students in the Dedicated Practitioner and Advanced Practitioner Programs through Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. She co-founded BCIMS with the late Joanne Broatch over 20 years ago.
Allannah Dow
Allannah has been playing the cello since she abandoned the idea of becoming a dancer at age 14. She emerged from classical training to play in the classical world and then at midlife found her voice accompanying singer song-writers, subsequently becoming a singer song-writer herself. She particularly enjoys playing chants!
Andrew Twiddy
Andrew Twiddy works as an Anglican priest, teacher, writer, speaker, and musician. The contemplative and mystical traditions of the West have influenced him since his youth, and have set the tone for his leadership and versatile style in parish-based ministry in Central Vancouver Island for over 20 years. His degrees in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew led him into teaching and educational administration, and he has enjoyed animating biblical languages for seminary students and others. Andrew is an avid wordsmith and Scrabble player and represented Canada in the Commonwealth Scrabble tournament in Glasgow in 2014. He is a veteran supporter of…
Basha Nemeskeri
“I have been teaching yoga for the past 12 years both in British Columbia and Mexico. While the physical practice of yoga (asana) was where I first found my passion, over time this interest has expanded to include pranayama, meditation, yoga nidra and philosophy. I am an experienced Teacher Trainer, providing Teachers insight based on passion and interest amassed over many, many years.”
Carma Gjerning
Carma Gjerning ministers as a spiritual director, retreat leader, storyteller, writer, illustrator and as a ministry consultant in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has also served as a Children and Family Pastor for 30 years! She is a creative soul who loves to use play and creativity in discovering the Sacred. Carma enjoys biking, attending to the inner life, music, being in God’s glorious creation, caring for the earth, living as a beloved one of God and the blessing of family, friends and relationships.
Charles Kaplan
Charles has been passionate about music for 65 years! These days, he plans Jewish musical events and plays classical and flamenco guitar, solo and with two ensembles. He’s also a prayer leader, with or without an instrument in his hands, and his happiest moments are when co-leading with his beloved, Laura.
Christina Feldmen
Christina Feldman is a co-founder of Gaia House and a guiding teacher at Insight Meditation Society, Barre, Massachussetts. The author of a number of books, she has been teaching insight meditation retreats internationally since 1976. She is one of the teaching faculty of the CPP programme, dedicated to the study and application of the early teachings of the Buddha and is engaged in teaching the Buddhist psychological foundations of mindfulness to those training to teach mindfulness-based applications in England, Belgium and the Netherlands. She is a co-founder and teacher of Bodhi College.
David Bodaly
David Bodaly is a Snuneymuxw Knowledge Keeper and Elder, photographer, harvester, tour guide, genealogist and weaver, exclusively making Coast Salish-style hats and teaching our strong spiritual connection to the cedar. He also offers programs for youth who access services through Katimavik as well as many schools and VIU.
Dawn Scott
Dawn Scott has been practicing Insight Meditation since 2008 and served as the Family Program Coordinator for eight years at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She completed the IMS/IRC 4-year teacher training in 2021, is a co-principal teacher of Marin Sangha, and is a core teacher of Spirit Rock’s Liberation, Emptiness, and Awareness Practices (LEAP) Program and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and Insight Meditation’s joint program, Exploring the Heart of Freedom. Dawn has a deep love of long retreat practice and the Buddha’s liberative teachings.
Dr. Cheryl Fraser
Dr. Cheryl Fraser has been studying Buddha-Dharma for 20 years and teaches in the Namgyal lineage tradition. Her root teachers are the Venerable Kyabje Namgyal Rinpoche and Lama Mark Webber She also studied with Lho Ontul Rinpoche and Phillip Moffit, former Esquire magazine editor-in-chief and C.E.O., a Buddhist teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. As a registered clinical psychologist in private practice who specializes in couples, and long-time practitioner in both the Vajrayana and the Theravada Vipassana traditions, Dr. Cheryl draws extensively from Western science and psychology, skillfully applying even the more complex teachings of Buddha-Dharma and meditation to “real life.” Dr, Cheryl…
Dr. Kristy Williams MD
Kristy is a teacher of mindful self-compassion family physician and parent who is continually humbled by the breadth of being human in these times. She is passionate about learning and sharing in community and finds MSC skills essential for her personal well being. She offers one on one care as a physician and has offered programs since 2018 to the public (specifically to those training and working in health care.) She has trained in trauma-sensitive mindfulness, embodied practice, attending to grief and socially engaged Buddhism and strives to integrate and embody these concepts into her teaching.
Dr. Mark Sherman
Dr. Mark Sherman is a parent, family physician and mindfulness meditation teacher who lives in Victoria, BC. Mark is a founder of the BC Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM) and has been instrumental in developing programs on mindfulness-based stress management, mindfulness in medicine, mindfulness in education, workplace wellness and mindful parenting. He has facilitated over 150 courses, workshops and retreats and is a popular speaker on mindfulness and wellness at conferences and workplaces. Mark is currently working on his first book on Mindfulness in Medicine.
Gen Kelsang Zopa
Gen Kelsang Zopa is the Resident Teacher at Kadampa Meditation Centre Victoria (Bodhichitta Buddhist Centre). He is a Canadian Buddhist monk who has been presenting the profound and practical teachings of the Buddhist path for over 25 years. He teaches introductory classes, Foundation Program, Teacher Training Program and conducts retreats on Vancouver Island. Renowned for the clarity and depth of his teachings, his warmth and practicality bring to life the ancient art of meditation.
GuruMeher Khalsa
GuruMeher has taught and trained teachers internationally in Kundalini Yoga for 40 years. His personal quest for healing and decades of clinical experience as a certified Yoga Therapist and Professional Life Coach led to the discovery of the positive use of ‘negative’ emotions as keys to our natural system of psychological self-healing. His book, Senses of the Soul: Emotional Therapy for Strength, Healing and Guidance, offers a complete exposition and training in this simple and effective method to use difficult feelings as tools for personal growth. Emotional Liberation – Life Beyond Triggers and Trauma is a practical guide to self-regulation,…
Guy Armstrong
has been leading meditation retreats since 1984 in North America, Europe, and Australia. His training included living for a year as a monk in the Thai forest lineage. Guy is a guiding teacher at Insight Meditation Society and the author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators. He lives in Woodacre, CA.
Heather Ruce
Heather, M.A., is a wisdom spiritual director companioning individuals and facilitating wisdom practice circles, groups, retreats, and wisdom schools focused on learning and practicing the Christian Wisdom Tradition. She offers teaching and guidance in various wisdom and mindfulness practices including Centering Prayer, Christian meditation, sacred chanting, lectio divina, conscious work and embodiment in service of waking up and putting on the mind of Christ.
Holly Carnegie
Holly Carnegie BSc. O.T. Veriditas Certified Labyrinth Facilitator brings her 30 years of experience in Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual Health and Wellness into her ongoing Labyrinth Work as a Veriditas Certified Labyrinth Facilitator. Holly provides support and guidance as you navigate this winding journey, putting one foot in front of the other. You will have the opportunity to learn a bit about labyrinth history, reflect on values, meaning and purpose, and acknowledge “Walking on the Edge of the Inside” and the challenges faced these past few years. We will set personal, group and global intentions as we walk the…
Jay McDaniel
Jay McDaniel is Chair of the Board of the Cobb Institute for Process and Community. He taught the world’s religions at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, for 39 years. He is the author or editor of more than fifteen books, including Living from the Center: Spirituality in an Age of Consumerism and Gandhi’s Hope: Learning from Other Religions. Jay also curates and edits the world’s largest website on the ideas and practice of process thought: Open Horizons (www.openhorizons.org) Working in mainland China as a leader of workshops on process thought, he is also a member of the Board of the…
Jay Suttonbrown
Founder and Director Manipura Yoga College Senses of the Soul Facilitator Teacher, Trainer, Coach BA, B.Ed, ERYT-500, RPYT, YACEP Jay Suttonbrown has been a teacher of transformation for the last 25 years. Founder and Director of Manipura Yoga College, she uses her decades of Teaching, Training and Coaching to guide others to embrace contentment, connection and clarity. Her love of accessible Yoga and Meditation are evident to all who meet her. Jay’s mission is clear: offer people the tools they need for inner guidance so they step into personal empowerment and peace. Jay harnesses her decades of experience to guide others to recognize, and truly meet, their…
Joanne Sales
Joanne Sales is a certified Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) dance leader and has been leading DUP gatherings on Vancouver Island almost every month since 2003, with her husband Richard providing live music as support. Joanne and Richard are also called upon to lead larger regional retreats in the Pacific Northwest. They are lifelong spiritual pilgrims, with in-person experience over many decades in both Western and Eastern mystical and religious traditions. Joanne is an award-winning columnist, and also the executive director of Broombusters Invasive Plant Society (www.broombusters.org), a successful non-profit environment group that she founded in 2006. Richard and Joanne…
Kristina Baré
Kristina Baré is an insight meditation teacher, therapist, and Somatic Experiencing practitioner. She has trained primarily in the Burmese lineages of Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw and Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw. She enjoys supporting students in deepening samadhi and insight. Opening the door to an expansion of the heart and to liberating wisdom. In support of the Buddha’s teachings, Kristina also draws on knowledge from Western psychology and Somatic Experiencing. She invites a kind, patient, and embodied approach as a base for samadhi and insight meditation practices. Kristina lives in Victoria, BC where she offers mediation guidance, somatic experiencing support, and therapy…
Lama Mark Webber
Lama Mark Webber (Lama Yongdu Chokyi Gyaltsen) has been studying and teaching Buddha Dharma (the teachings of Liberation through the traditions of Buddhism) for over forty years. He was born in 1956 in Toronto. Through a strong interest to understand awareness by using the mind to study the mind, he started practicing meditation at the age of 16. He used the only book on meditation in his local library for his instruction; “Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines” edited by Evans-Wentz, a collection of Kagyu, Nyingma and Mahayana meditation texts and teachings. In the same year, determining that he needed an…
Mary Ann Moore
Mary Ann Moore (she/her) is a poet, writer, and writing mentor who lives on the traditional lands of the Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo. She has been leading writing circles since 1997 including in a First Nations community; for the mental health community; for women, elders, and youth. Mary Ann offers poetry workshops in Nanaimo as well as a weekly women’s writing circle called Writing Life. Her poetry, essays, and book reviews have appeared in numerous publications. Mary Ann has written two writing guides: Writing to Map Your Spiritual Journey (available as a digital workbook from iajw.org) and Writing Home:…
Pandit Tejomaya
Pandit Tejomaya was called to a spiritual life from early on. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science in Health from the University of Wisconsin. Following in the tradition of his upbringing, Tejomaya entered a Christian monastery as a Dominican Monk, but the hand of the Guru was already at play in his life. Following the monastic life, Tejomaya had a 20-year career in occupational health research. But a stage III cancer diagnosis in 1995 re-awakened his call to spiritual living and thus led him to the Eastern philosophy…
Pearl Gervais
Pearl is a teacher, writer, and speaker, based in Nanaimo, BC, who facilitates a variety of spiritual retreats and workshops and has expertise in the Enneagram typology of human personality and in Enneagram spirituality. Pearl has travelled widely and co-operated as an associate in ministry for many years with Bishop Remi De Roo. Together with Remi and Diane Tolomeo, she is co-author of Biblical Characters And The Enneagram: Images of Transformation. Pearl sees Vatican II as an inspiration for all humanity, and a call to action for lay and ordained ministry development and leadership, in helping us embrace our calling…
Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, spiritual director and award-winning teacher, is Director of Inter-Religious Studies at Vancouver School of Theology. Her recent books include The Infinity Inside, a guide to spiritual practice, and Mouth of the Donkey: Re-imagining Biblical Animals, an exploration of Biblical ecology. Laura lives in Vancouver on Coast Salish territory with her husband Charles, who is a musician, chant leader, and retired child psychologist.
Rachel Lewis
Rachel Lewis began practicing insight meditation in 2003, while completing her physics PhD at Yale. Since 2011, she has taught dharma and meditation classes and retreats in British Columbia and beyond. She completed the IMS/IRC 4-year teacher training in 2021, and is a guiding teacher of the British Columbia Insight Meditation Society. Her dharma teaching interests include the power of music, humour, and creativity to increase our capacity for learning, as well as the way that practice supports and is supported by social justice work. See her other events at http://rachelmeditates.ca/
Reverend Dan Kirkegaard
Reverend Dan Kirkegaard has led and guided Tsawwassen United Church for over 10 years, implementing some new traditions along with honouring past traditions. Influences for the ministry of Rev Dan come through 38 years of involvement with L’arche and involvement with International Cultures and First Nations work.
Richard Osler
Richard Osler, 72, is an experienced poetry therapist, poetry retreat and workshop facilitator and active poet whose full-length poetry collection – Hyaena Season – was released in 2016 by Quattro Books, Toronto. He has facilitated numerous poetry-as-prayer retreats in Canada and the U.S. during the past fifteen years and many general poetry writing retreats including four ten-day retreats in Italy. Currently, he works as a poetry therapist at a residential addiction recovery center near Courtney/Comox on Vancouver Island. For more information and to read posts from his poetry blog which he has published since 2010 please visit his website at www.recoveringwords.com
Richard Sales
Richard Sales has been a performing musician since the ’60s and a music producer since the early 80s, producing award-winning music for Universal Music (US and Canada), NPR, PBS, ESPN, Nike, The Grateful Dead, Lightning Rod Records, a multitude of holy teachers including Shree Maa, Bhagavad Das, Saadi, Shiva Rudra Bala Yogi. Richard was invited to perform at the first Woodstock. He has recorded Miles Davis and many other noted musicians at his recording studio, GlassWing Studios. Richard and Joanne are lifelong spiritual pilgrims, with in-person experience over many decades of both Western and Eastern mystical and religious traditions.
Rob James
Rob comes to VST from Wells Cathedral in Somerset, in the southwest of the UK, where he has been the Canon Chancellor since 2019. Before going to Wells, Rob was the Vicar of a three-parish benefice in the Diocese of Gloucester. He was ordained Deacon in 2005 and Priest in 2006. As well as his Church of England career he spent some time working for the UK government on security matters, whilst undertaking unpaid duties for the Church. Alongside his work for Church and State, he has usually been involved in teaching theology to undergraduates and to those training for…
Robert Beatty
Robert Beatty is a member of the first wave of Theravada Buddhist teachers who brought Mindfulness from Asia in the 1970s. He is the founder and guiding teacher of the Portland Insight Meditation Community. His life is devoted to helping others discover the profound ways Buddhist practices can transform one’s life, reduce suffering and create happiness. Robert founded the Portland Insight Meditation Community where he is the guiding teacher. His meditation training began with Goenka in India in 1972. He has studied with many teachers in Burma, India and the US. Robert was empowered to teach the Dharma by Ruth Denison…
Sally Armstrong
began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981 and started teaching in 1996. She is a member of the Spirit Rock Teacher’s Council and has served as a co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock. She developed and led Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Program and Advanced Practitioner Program (now LEAP). She regularly teaches retreats on themes such as awareness, metta and concentration, as well as the multiweek retreats at Spirit Rock and the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts.
Sayadaw U Jagara
Sayadaw U Jagara has 43 years of experience as a Buddhist monk, living in Southeast Asia, dedicated to the practice, study, and teaching of Dhamma. He has trained and taught in the U Ba Khin (S.N. Goenka) and in the Pa Auk traditions of Myanmar as well as being familiar with other Buddhist approaches. With heartfelt gratitude, BCIMS acknowledges we are based in what is now known as Vancouver, BC, the beautiful, traditional, and unceded lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, who live on and have stewarded this land for thousands of years.
Seemi Ghazi
Seemi Bushra Ghazi is a lecturer in Classical Arabic at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She has a special interest in Islamic literature, culture, and spirituality, as well as Islam and Gender. She is working on a Feminist interpretation of the Qur’anic narrative of Bilqis (The Queen of Sheba). Seemi follows the path of Rumi and the practice of Sema’ (the turning ceremony of the Dervishes). Ms. Ghazi is also a student in the Rifa`i Ma`rufi, Chishti, and Rifai Sufi spiritual lineage and a performer of traditional Islamic arts, including recitation of the Qur’an and Hamd, or…
Sophia Said
Sophia Said is a transformational interfaith leader and visionary program manager who has led teams, executed ground-breaking projects, and engaged key stakeholders. Sophia has worked at the cross-section of interfaith and public policy for 15 years and has advised faith leaders, government officials, and CEOs about topics ranging from diversity and inclusion, women’s empowerment, interfaith relationships, and community development. Currently, she is serving as the founding executive director of the Interfaith Center of Arkansas which has the mission to reduce the fear and prejudice among world religions by providing education and enhancing public dialogue among different faith communities. She is also…
Stephanie Shepard
Stephanie enjoys exploring in-between places with others. She is currently serving as an intentional interim minister at St. Francis-in-the-Wood in West Vancouver, BC. In this role, and in her wider church work, she assists communities in transition to wonder about identities and paths for the future. She finds beauty in quilting, joy in gardening, and humility in almost everything else through Franciscan spirituality. Stephanie lives in Burnaby with her family and cat Abigail No-Tail.
Tempel Smith
Tempel Smith teaches Mindfulness, Insight and Metta meditation with an emphasis on Buddhist psychology and mind-body awareness. He spent a year as a monk in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita and Pa Auk Sayadaw. Tempel serves on the Spirit Rock Governing Teachers Council, organizes the Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP), Concentration, and Month Long retreats for Spirit Rock, and teaches classes online for experienced students.
Tina Jones
Tina Jones has found her true voice! Her nearly 30 year music journey, exploring classical and jazz to disco and JUNO-nominated kids’ music, has finally resulted in an earthy and expressive dive into the world of Canadian folk music. The result is a unique blend of jazz and folk, played on the banjo in the clawhammer style with the addition of some of Western Canada’s finest jazz musicians. Whether playing solo at house concerts and small intimate venues or with a full band at Folk Festivals and Jazz Festivals, audiences are taking notice. With two releases as a singer songwriter,…
Vicki McLeod
Vicki McLeod is a Facilitator, Author, Certified Coach, and Mindful Self-Compassion practitioner. She blends creative tools including writing exercises, collages, visual metaphors, and art exploration into her holistic coaching practice to help clients anchor and embody core insights and concepts. Based on this unique approach she will support participants in using college to enrich their experience of the Mindful Self Compassion training.
Victoria Pawlowski M.Ed., R.C.C.
Victoria is a registered clinical counsellor and certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher who has been practising, studying and teaching MSC at Bethlehem since 2014. She is grateful for her co-teachers, mentors and all the participants who have shared this path of learning to turn towards our difficult experiences with the balm of self-compassion. Victoria is passionate about contributing to a more compassionate world through the development of personal skills and resources that can help us our include ourselves in our big arms of compassion for others.