Mental Health and Counselling

Our team includes a diverse group of practitioners who take a variety of approaches to support your personal and wellness needs.

Stephanie Dinsmore, MSW RSW (OCSWSSW) (she/her)
Stephanie is a counsellor on the Brantford campus.  She holds a Masters degree in social work from Wilfrid Laurier University and is passionate about mental health and whole wellness.  She has worked in the mental health field for over thirteen years.  With a dedication to professional development, she is pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership from Capella University. Stephanie has trained in a variety of therapeutic modalities, and her approach is eclectic with a strengths-based focus in her work with students.

Brian Doyle, M Ed RP (CRPO) (he/him)
Brian is a counsellor on the Brantford campus.  He has a Masters in Counselling Psychology degree from the University of Toronto, graduating in 2010. Prior to becoming a counsellor he taught at Humber College in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department for over 30 years.  Drawing from a variety of modalities (but always with a client-centred, collaborative perspective), Brian works with students to help them cope, and ultimately thrive, as they experience mental, emotional, and relationship challenges in their lives.
Fun Fact: In 2017, Brian achieved a lifelong dream of learning to shoot pool when he joined The Ontario Pool Players League.  In his first season, he was part of the team that achieved the lowest ranking (this is not good) in the Thursday Night League!

Chris Kardol, MSW RSW (OCSWSSW) (she/her)
Chris is a Counsellor/Therapist and a Registered Social Worker on the Waterloo campus.  She obtained both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Laurier. She enjoys working from an integrative perspective to better understand the diverse and unique experiences of each student.  Chris is collaborative and introspective with students to support them in making sense of their experiences.  She uses a range of different approaches such as mindfulness, cognitive-behavioural, and short-term psychodynamic to help students take steps to overcome challenges, build confidence, and achieve their goals.

Sam Katerji, MA RP (CRPO) (she/her)
Sam is a counsellor on the Waterloo campus and a Registered Psychotherapist whose therapeutic approach is informed by her diverse background and training in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT).  Prior to joining Laurier’s wellness team in 2011, she worked at a community out-patient mental health clinic.  She works collaboratively with students to articulate their unique struggle, to be present with it in a safe therapeutic environment, and to move toward their desired effective living through change and acceptance.

Heather Landells, MSW RSW (OCSWSSW) (she/her)
Heather is a counsellor/therapist on the Waterloo campus.  She has an undergraduate degree in biology and psychology from Brock University and a Masters degree in social work from Wilfrid Laurier University.  Working with both the Department of Residence and the Student Wellness Centre, Heather counsels first year students living in residence using a variety of therapy modalities and an anti-oppressive, client centred approach. She enjoys assisting first year students to make strides in their development and in coping with change as they adjust to university.  Heather is committed to ongoing un/learning about equity and diversity issues. 

Lauren MacGregor, MSW RSW (OCSWSSW) (she/ her)
Lauren is a counsellor on the Waterloo campus.  Lauren practices from an anti-oppressive and trauma-informed lens and likes to use a strengths-based and solution-focused approach to counselling.  Lauren enjoys working with a variety or therapeutic approaches and getting to work with Laurier's diverse and vibrant student population.

Carrie Pollard, MSW RSW (OCSWSSW) (she/her)
Carrie is a psychotherapist on the Waterloo campus who has been providing counselling to students at Laurier since 2004.  She has a strengths-based, compassion-focussed approach to her clinical work and uses various therapeutic modalities, including (but not limited to) dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and compassion-focussed therapy (CFT).  She views therapy as a safe, non-judgemental space to be heard and understood, and to be empowered to develop insights and skills to foster self-growth and positive change.  Carrie has been a member of the Waterloo-Wellington Eating Disorder Coalition since 2007.  She enjoys listening to audio books and doing yoga in her spare time.  Carrie is on parental leave for the 2021/22 academic year.

Sherrie Steinberg, MSW RSW (OCSWSSW) (she/her)
Sherrie is a psychotherapist (OCSWSSW) at the Student Wellness Centre on the Waterloo campus.  She  has been providing support to Laurier students since 2011.  She works collaboratively with students to move toward the goals they choose for themselves.  Sherrie works with from a broad base of various modalities and believes in a journey with students, neither pushing them ahead nor pulling them along, but walking beside offering compassion, perspective, and tools to support growth.

Shevaungh Thomas, MSW RSW (OCSWSSW)
Shevaungh is a counsellor/ psychotherapist and a Registered Social Worker. She completed her Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto and her Bachelor's degree in Psychology at the University of the West Indies.  Shevaungh works from an anti-oppressive framework as she understands the complex history involved in oppression and its impact on individuals.  She is passionate about equity and diversity issues and believes in creating a therapeutic space where students feel a sense of belonging.  Shevaungh is trained in different modalities and her approach with students is integrative.

Some services are outside our scope of practice, extend beyond our scope of care, or require very specialized providers. Examples may include:

• Students who are already receiving ongoing therapy with another mental health provider.
• Students who cannot be stabilized with short-term crisis intervention; or who consistently need service more than once per week and/or frequent require consultation after-hours
• Students who require intensive outpatient or inpatient treatment (for example, impairing eating disorders, supervised medication administration, a history of multiple hospitalizations, chronic suicidality and/or self-injury behaviours, a history of repeated suicide attempts)
• Students seeking on-going mandated treatment
• Students seeking formal psychological assessments (for example, for learning disabilities or ADHD)
• Students who require counselling to meet an academic requirement, or are interested in counselling solely to gain clinical experience

When off-campus therapy is recommended or preferred by a student, a counsellor will support the student through the process of getting connected. We will help to identify several referral options selected specifically for the student’s personal situation. Local counselling options include providers within walking distance to campus and some that provide low or sliding scale fee services.