Meet the SATA Centre Team

I have witnessed the trauma patients suffer in the investigations, procedures, wait times, treatments and receiving the diagnosis of a terminal illness. I have come to understand that the most profound source of suffering is existential – ‘who am I in the context of a disease where I lose capacity to do the things that I identified as having meaning?’

I joined with Dr. Laura McLean and Andrea Lemp to co-create a different model of care. This model prioritizes service over profit and leverages MSP programs so patients do not have to pay.

Current medical and psychological models do not support the spiritual crisis that is often associated with facing our death. We provide supportive programs which allow us, in the face of our death, to connect with essence of ourselves – WHO we are when we can no longer DO the things that we previously identified ourselves with. We use story and mindfulness meditation techniques which are accessible to those with limited resources of energy.

I co-founded the SATA Centre for Conscious Living with Andrea and Valorie, aiming to collaborate with like-minded individuals in communities of practice that support reconnection to our shared humanity and inherent wholeness. Mindfulness and meditation, self-compassion, land- and nature-based approaches, and ancient knowledge may all play a role. For some, plant or psychedelic medicines may also serve as catalysts for healing. My vision includes integrating these practices into our healthcare system.
I am engaged in compassionate leadership as taught by Shawn and Heather Atleo. From them, I have learned that true leadership means leading from the heart. It is “power with” as opposed to “power over”. It requires building relationships and cultivating connection and trust. This creates a safe environment where team members can be authentic, communicate openly, and work together creatively and efficiently.
I bring a strong commitment to safety, ethics, transparency, and accountability to my work. My intention is to use my unearned privilege and power to create pathways and networks that support all people, especially those who are marginalized, lack financial means, or face barriers to self-advocacy.

Andrea made the move to Vancouver Island, where she developed and managed Community, Tertiary, and Hospital Mental Health and Substance Use Systems for Island Health. Her educational background includes graduating from BCIT’s Psychiatric Nursing and Registered Nursing Programs, as well as obtaining a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Nursing from UBC.

In addition to her nursing qualifications, Andrea has attended training with Eckhart Tolle in Stillness and Presence for Health Care Professionals. She has also completed the full coursework at the Institute for Functional Medicine, and is a Certified Integrative Psychiatry Institute Practitioner.

After a 30-year career in hospital and community settings, Andrea has transitioned from the confines of conventional psychiatry. She now focuses on supporting individuals, groups, and leaders in their journey to recover their full health and unlock their true potential in body, mind, and spirit.

I have worked as a therapist for seventeen years helping adults navigate through trauma, PTSD, grief, depression, addictions and anxiety. I find deep satisfaction working with First Responders and groups, including those who have received an end-of-life diagnosis. My therapeutic approach is integrative, trauma-informed, and centred on trust and safety and I draw from a wide array of modalities, including: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Somatic Therapy & Focusing, Mindfulness, Meditation & Breathwork and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (note: no medicines are supplied).

Alongside my clinical training, I have a deep and enduring interest in transpersonal psychology and the nature of consciousness. I’m drawn to the spiritual dimensions of healing—those aspects of experience that transcend the individual and connect us with something greater. In my practice, I welcome conversations that explore meaning, purpose, and transformation, especially with those facing life transitions, existential questions, or end-of-life reflections. I strive to honour each client’s unique spiritual and cultural lens, and to offer a space where the psychological and the soulful can meet with care and respect.

In addition, to the hundreds of hours of professional development as a Therapist & Counsellor, my education and training include:

Master of Arts (Counselling Psychology), University of British Columbia (2006)

Bachelor of Arts (Economics), University of Victoria (1979)

California Institute of Integral Studies (2023/2024), Graduate Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy

Therapsil – Psychedelic Advocacy & Training

MAPS/Lykos – MDMA-Assisted Therapy Education Program

Before I found my path as a psychotherapist, I enjoyed a successful 25-year business career as an international business leader having worked in over 40 countries and lived for 10 years in Hong Kong and Japan. In addition, I have extensive experience as a President & CEO and as a corporate director and Board Chair. While in business, I was recognized as One of Canada’s Top 100 Business People (Financial Post, 2000), and the Alumni of the Year for Business Achievement — University of Victoria (2000).   

On a personal note, I enjoy family life with my wife Nancy and our daughters Caitlin, Anna and dog Gracie as well as sailing, fishing, golfing, reading and music.

With a diverse career and cumulative work experience gained as a clinic counsellor, a health care quality improvement advisor, the executive director of a Division of Family Practice, and a consultant to a number of provincial health initiatives, Valerie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with a keen focus on the human dimensions of change. For fun, Valerie enjoys hiking, mountain biking, yoga, travelling, and spending time with family, friends, and her dog.

I undertook extensive training in spiritual care of the dying with Tibetan Buddhist teachers and certified as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher with the European Institute (IMA), as well as Mindfulness in Medicine training with Dr Jon Kabat Zinn.

Following my heart, I came to Canada in 2020 to live with my soulful husband Kim in the traditional and unceded territories of the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) tribes. Honoring the ancestors of these lands I commit to supporting my local community in the spirit of reconciliation, with deep and heartfelt awareness of the impact of colonization on indigenous peoples.

In attending to the felt grief and loss of my homeland I had a profound healing session with a shamanic healer at the Medicine Circle on Salt Spring Island. And soon thereafter I began training with this teacher, graduating in October 2025 from 3 years in advanced Shamanic studies.

I am privileged to work as a counsellor at Victoria Hospice since 2021 in a variety of roles across community Palliative Care & Bereavement counselling. This work with both the dying and the bereaved is rich and rewarding and I refer to it as my joyful practice. I utilize a compassion focused, trauma informed, inclusive and mindfulness-based practices in my approach to care. I also integrate ancient Celtic spiritual practices, Buddhist philosophy and Shamanic ceremonies in supporting people in their life transitions.

I love being out in nature, forest bathing, drumming, dancing with wild abandon, and have a deep appreciation for music and poetry. I also enjoy solitude in close connection with the unseen realm with whom I delight.

Sarah brings an interest in embodiment, a practice of paying mindful attention to the wisdom of the body, and an attunement to the energetic and emotional patterns in our bodies as a way to tap into the inner healing intelligence within each of us.

Sarah’s personal and work life has been influenced by living in the liminal spaces of life and death while caring for a medically complex child for many years. Sarah was first introduced to Dr. Valorie Masuda in 2018 when she was the palliative physician for Sarah’s son.

Sarah has recently been influenced by the emerging field of psychedelics for working with trauma and end-of-life care, and is drawn to the teachings of the land, waters and plants in the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) lands, and the energy medicines in Therapeutic Touch, QiGong and breathwork.

Hwiemtun’s connection to the spirit world, passion for story-telling and love of sharing diverse traditions of indigenous knowledge, has made it possible for him to bridge many worlds. Spiritually, Hwiemtun is a sweat lodge keeper, following the Lakota teachings, and a follower of Buddhism and spent two years working with the Maitreya Project throughout North America and Asia.

He believes that we are all related in one way or another and this helps in achieving knowledge once we learn this clearly.

I find a great sense of joy, aliveness, and peace when I am immersed in nature. My favourite pastime is hiking. I live in the tension between deep appreciation for this beautiful planet and the gift of this life, and devastation at the destruction that humans have brought to our world and to each other. My personal spiritual journey has been about coming back into connection – connection to my own self, my heart, my purpose… and connection to other humans and all living creatures, connection to the trees and the forests and the seas, and to the cosmos and the great mystery of this life. I know that healing happens through connection, and it is a privilege to work in this space. 

I am honoured to be able to work with (and learn alongside) this team of incredible humans at SATA, who share a common vision and spirit. I am equally honoured to work and learn alongside patients (fellow humans) through the work that we do together at SATA. 

Guided by a lifelong passion for integrative medicine, Sherri has expanded her work beyond conventional clinical practice. She is also a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Certified Medical Intuitive Practitioner, blending evidence-based respiratory care with mind-body approaches. Her philosophy centers on addressing the whole person — integrating physical health with emotional and subconscious dimensions to foster meaningful, lasting wellness.

Beyond her professional life, Sherri is a wife and mother who feels most at home in nature. Living in beautiful British Columbia, she is beyond grateful for her time spent hiking forest trails, soaking in the coastal air, and embracing the grounding, oceanside energy that  inspires both her life and her work.

Lekha has been offering sound healing journeys for the past 3 years. She is guided by a lifelong passion for music and singing, and she shares a wide variety of ceremonial and devotional songs from around the world.  

She has studied Acupressure, Reiki and Ayurvedic massage and has worked with First Nations elders in their tradition of clearing and brushing off energy. Lekha has developed a strong sensitivity and intuition of people’s energy fields and has implemented this in how she works in sound healing journeys.

Over the past 30 years, she has received extensive training in traditional sweat lodge ceremonies and now leads these ceremonies for women.

Jessica is committed to aiding her patients through their unique struggles, and doing her best to make everyone feel cared for, safe, and respected.

In her personal life she enjoys experiencing the incredible beauty of Vancouver island with her loving husband, and 3 beautiful children. She has weaved herself into the community of the Cowichan Valley, volunteering for sports events, keeping involved in her children’s extracurriculars, and spending time learning about the unique culture of this beautiful land we are lucky enough to call home. Jessica believes in learning and respecting the local First Nations culture and traditions, believing strongly that understanding and respecting this culture and their traditions is incredibly important to aid in forming an even stronger Cowichan Valley.