West Vancouver Associates – Counselling

Andrea is a counsellor with over 25 years experience working with people with developmental differences and their families.  She completed her Masters in Health Psychology at the University of Southampton in England, and subsequently worked as a supervisor-in-training in a program providing Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) in the UK.  She continued to follow her interest in ABA through an internship in California, before returning to Vancouver in 2001.  Since then, she has worked alongside children, youth, young adults and their families in BC, Alberta, and Yukon.  Andrea compassionately supports children and youth who struggle with anxiety and social skills through a creative and individualized approach.   She has completed training in the Sibshops model, and offers individual and group supports for siblings of people with developmental differences.  She is the proud recipient of the 2020 Edna Nash Scholarship at UBC, where completed her Masters in Education in Counselling Psychology in April 2021. Andrea loves living and playing in nature on the North Shore with her husband and her two children.

Alessia Lista is registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and holds a master’s degree in psychology. She is currently completing her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Adler University. Alessia has extensive experience providing psychoeducational assessments and therapy to individuals of all ages with emotional, behavioural, and developmental needs. She has conducted psychoeducational assessments in both English and French in a variety of settings, including private practice, community support centers, and schools. Alessia’s therapeutic approach is open and non-judgmental. She uses a number of evidence-based interventions that are flexible and tailored to her clients’ individual needs. Alessia is trained in multiple treatment modalities including, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical-behavioural therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), psychodynamic therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches.

Dr. Leslie Zanette, RCC, completed her doctoral training at Adler University and is currently pursuing registration with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia. She has experience in several clinical settings, including private practice, community organizations, and correctional, inpatient and outpatient settings. Leslie uses evidence-based interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral and dialectical-behavioral techniques, to inform her clinical practice. She specializes in working with individuals with disrupted mood, anxiety-related behaviors, conduct and behavioral problems, post-traumatic stress, and substance misuse. Leslie helps individuals with symptom management and helps guide clients through the core of their issues. She develops treatment plans based on the specific individual needs of the client and incorporates both psychoeducation and therapeutic techniques to inform change and impact self-growth. She has experience working with individuals from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, ranging across the lifespan. Leslie also has an extensive background in psychological assessment. She works with clients and families to provide diagnostic clarification, recommendations, and treatment plans to support individuals with their emotional, behavioral, and academic needs.

Passionate about neurodiversity, Alison is a coach and consultant working with parents to provide the support they need to embrace their neurodivergent children and empower them to live fulfilling and authentic lives. She also works with children and youth to help bring awareness to their own strengths and support for their challenges. Alison assists families with a range of neurodevelopmental conditions, with a specialty in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She assists with all aspects of the journey from understanding and accepting a child’s diagnosis, finding resources and supports, advocating for a child at school, improving the relationship between the parents and child, managing challenging behaviours, and improving a child’s executive functioning skills. Instead of seeing neurodivergent people as broken or flawed, Alison encourages each of us to embrace the brilliance of differently wired minds.

Alison has a PhD in Health Care and Epidemiology from The University of British Columbia with 20 years of experience in academic health research where she studied integrative health care for chronic illness and the mind/body role in health and healing. It was when she began learning about neurodiversity firsthand through raising a son with neurodifferences, she decided to transfer her analytical and innovative skills into a commitment to making the world better for neurodiverse kids—starting with her own. She completed her ADHD coach training at the ADD Coaching Academy in New York, with a specialization in parent and family coaching.

Robyn holds a Master of Social Work Degree (MSW). She is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) in the Province of British Columbia and is also a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC). Robyn approaches her work from a trauma-informed, systems and intersectional lens, recognizing the intricacy and uniqueness of each of her client’s lived experience.

Over the past 15 years, Robyn has worked in various capacities within the mental health field. She has supported children, youth, and adults across the lifespan, working through issues related to anxiety and depression, adoption transitions, adjustment to medical diagnoses, abuse and neglect, trauma, LGBTQ2S+ identity, grief and loss, separation and divorce, and complex familial relationships. More recently, Robyn has specialized in gender affirming and transgender care, supporting gender diverse children and youth, and their family members. In addition to her work as a therapist, Robyn works as a social worker at BC Children’s Hospital.

Robyn’s therapeutic approach is anti-oppressive, strengths-based, and client and family centred. She is flexible and integrative in that she incorporates various therapies to best serve her clients unique needs. She has been trained in Attachment Theory, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotionally Focused Family Therapy and Solution Focused Therapy.

Dr. Andrea Araujo, RCC holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and currently is in the process of registration with the College of Psychologists of BC. Her training includes a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy, and her thesis work on trauma treatment for sexual abuse was published in the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice (2008). Her doctoral work at the Pontifical Catholic University of Goias in Brazil (PUC-Goias) focused on the acculturation process and life satisfaction in immigrants, and was published as a book in 2018.

At ABLE, Dr. Andrea provides a variety of psychological assessments, psychotherapy and treatment planning for children, youth and adults. Areas of assessment include ADHD, Autism, intellectual disability, mood disorders, personality disorders, and trauma. Dr. Andrea utilizes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Internal Family Systems approaches, and encourages and supports the development of each client's potentials and weaknesses into strengths.

Dr. Araujo is under the supervision of Dr, Todd Mason, R. Psych, and Dr. Glen Davies, R. Psych, and works in the West Vancouver ABLE location both in person, and online.

Paola (she, they) holds a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology, specializing in School and Youth counselling. Her expertise lies in supporting neurodivergent children and adults. Paola believes in creating a safe and supportive space for her clients to explore their emotions, needs, and values. She understands that building a trusting therapeutic relationship is crucial. By taking an empathic, honest, and non-judgemental stance, Paola strives to build a collaborative relationship where her clients can feel heard and understood. Paola is multilingual and can comfortably provide counselling support in English, Spanish, and German.

Clients can expect a strength-based approach to help understand and cope with the specific challenges they are facing. By leaning on what’s already working, the client can view situations realistically and look for opportunities that support and complement the individual. Her holistic approach views challenges from multiple perspectives, including the individual and environment, such as history, culture, and lifestyle. The goal is to be affirming to the client, which includes using sensory and other accommodations, while respecting that everyone has unique needs. Paola draws from various counselling approaches, including synergetic play therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), narrative therapy, and mindfulness. This allows her to accommodate each client's unique needs and goals.