Heartwood Healing Centre is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who provide guidance and set direction for the organization.
Our staff is made up of a team of dedicated, qualified therapists, counsellors, and administrative staff who are passionate about our mission and work we do. Each staff member brings unique strengths, life experiences, and knowledge to our organization.
See our Relationships Diagram below to learn about our organizational structure and the relationships between different groups of Heartwood, or click here to download the PDF.
Board of Directors
Jennifer Keith
(she/her)
Chair
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Jennifer Keith
Chair
Jennifer joined the board in February 2020 and serves on our Personnel and Board Development Committees. She works primarily with Indigenous Governments and organizations on self-government negotiations, strategic planning, policy development and organizational leadership. Jennifer is a settler Canadian who is passionate about removing barriers for equity seeking populations to access services that contribute to their health and wellbeing. She is a Mom, an amateur photographer, and an avid sports fan.
Kara Moore
(she/her), BBA, JD
Vice-Chair
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Kara Moore
Vice-Chair
Kara Moore joined the Board in December 2023. She is a civil litigation lawyer practicing at Pitblado LLP. Through her legal work, Kara has experience representing victims of childhood sexual assault. In addition to her work with Heartwood Healing Centre, Kara is currently the Chair of the board of Bravestone Centre.
Theo Martin
(he/him)
Treasurer
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Theo Martin
Treasurer
Theo Martin is a CPA working for Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company in finance. He is a passionate volunteer with years of experience on non-profit boards who believes firmly in giving back to his community to build a better sense of community. Heartwood Healing Centre is important to him because of the critical resources they provide in helping those affected through their healing process.
Kai Ladd
(she/her), BA
Secretary
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Kai Ladd
Secretary
Kai joined the board in 2022 as a shiny new board member. Born in Calgary on treaty 7 land, her hobbies include baking, and photography. She’s always been passionate about volunteering in many different organizations and avenues. She was a Big Sister for 5 years, was a reoccurring volunteer at the Kerby Centre and the Palliative Care unit in Calgary, AB.
She volunteered for Global Fest 3 years in a row and got muddy as a volunteer with Tuff Mudder raising money for Cancer Care Alberta. It was therefore, a no brainer that when she moved to Winnipeg to pursue her master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, that combining her passion for volunteering, her care about humanity and her dreams of non-profit work in the future, she found herself honoured to be apart of this organisation. Her background in Criminal Justice and time as a Catamount Fellow ignited a deep desire to become a local changemaker by supporting local efforts to improve the lives of the people who share the same land and space with her. She understands the value and responsibilities to being a steward of both the land and her neighbours. She hopes that the lessons and relationships she will forge as a board member for Heartwood will not only sustain the amazing efforts of Heartwood and her fellow board members but will be lessons and relationships she can take with her into her career and other efforts to bloom a life and reality we can all dream of..
Sivananthan “Rouban” Sivarouban
(he/him)
Director
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Sivananthan “Rouban” Sivarouban
Director
Rouban is a lawyer specializing in criminal law. He has experience working with victims of childhood sexual abuse and helping them through the criminal process. In his spare time, he loves to play games whether they be board games or video games, travelling the world, and reading terrible novels.
Thomas Linner
(he/him)
Director
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Thomas Linner
Director
Thomas Linner (he/him) is a long-time strategic communications professional for progressive causes and the Provincial Director of the Manitoba Health Coalition, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the protection, promotion and expansion of universal public health care. Thomas writes and appears extensively in the media as a leading voice against efforts to privatize health care in Manitoba and across Canada, and as an advocate for evidence-based improvements to the public health-care system and community wellness through harm reduction models.
Thomas Walus
(he/him)
Director
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Thomas Walus
Director
Tom is currently an account executive and biosafety specialist for a company that constructs and installs walls and ceilings for high containment facilities around the world. Tom has worked in health care for over 35 years in microbiology. In that time, Tom was involved with a professional healthcare union serving on the board for many years. Tom also served as president and acting executive director of the union. Tom also served on boards of medical laboratory professional associations and societies on a local, provincial, and national level. Tom also volunteers with the Children’s Hospital Foundation (CHF) as golf tournament volunteer co-chair and Teddy Bear Clinic coordinator for the CHF Teddy Bear Picnic. Tom’s interests are golf, curling, reading, old movies and long walks. Tom has learned over the many years of working with people, in and out of health care, is that all opinions matter and that everyone’s story deserves to be heard.
Shamin Brown
(she/her)
Director
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Shamin Brown
Director
As the Director and Lead Therapist of Shamin Brown Consulting, Mimi (Shamim) Brown is a therapist, author, and poet with over 20 years of experience. Shamin is dedicated to empowering individuals, particularly women, in building self-esteem and self-love. She employs a trauma-informed approach that integrates self-compassion and harm reduction, using expressive arts like art, storytelling, and dialogue in a culturally sensitive way. Shamin is also actively involved in anti-human trafficking efforts as a practitioner with lived experience, chairing the G100 Anti-Human Trafficking Wing in Canada and advocating for gender equality and safer environments for vulnerable populations. As a registered social worker, therapist, and certified life and health coach specializing in wellness in trauma recovery, she brings a wealth of expertise to her practice. Shamin’s work also includes being an author, national coach, trainer, and group facilitator in the anti-trafficking movement, where she applies feminist, trauma-informed, and person-centered methodologies to create a compassionate and supportive environment.
Tim Banera
(he/him)
Director
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Tim Banera
Director
Tim joined the Board in February 2024. Tim is a Supervisor in Information Technology with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. As a father of 2 Type 1 Diabetic children, he understands the need to educate and raise awareness of programs that offer support, guidance, and healing for those in need. He is excited and eager to help Heartwood Healing Centre continue their journey in providing a safer space for healing. Tim enjoys running, fishing, pickleball and the occasional game of billiards.
Sydney Wallace
(she/her)
Director
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Sydney Wallace
Director
Sydney is completing her final year of a four-year honours degree in the Human Rights program at the University of Winnipeg’s Global College. She started her commitment to community and volunteering at the age of 13 as a junior counsellor at Fort Whyte Alive’s summer day camps. She spent another two summers making sure children had an amazing camp experience. In high school, Sydney was selected by her peers and teachers for the Natural Helper program where she gained the skills to help support the mental health and well-being of her school community. Sydney gained a new perspective on volunteering when she became the summer volunteer coordinator for the World Police and Fire Games where she helped to recruit over 3000 Manitobans needed to support one of the largest sporting events in the world. Following completion of her degree, Sydney is interested in pursuing further studies in social work and the law. In her spare time, Sydney enjoys going to the gym, hanging out with friends and cuddling with her rescue dog Aspen.
Kathryn Niebuhr
(she/her)
Staff Representative
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Kathryn Niebuhr
Staff Representative
Kathryn Niebuhr (she/her) has been with the agency since 2020 as a Therapist in the long-term therapy program and comes from a clinical social work education background. She is passionate about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy modalities. In her spare time, she enjoys singing in the U of M Concert Choir. Kathryn also joined the board as the staff representative in 2023.
Christine Mayor
(she/her), PhD
Director
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Christine Mayor
Director
Christine Mayor, PhD (she/her) is thrilled to be joining the Heartwood Healing board in 2025. Born and raised on the island of Bermuda, she is a white settler who moved to Winnipeg to be an Assistant Professor in the Inner City Social Work Program at the University of Manitoba. Her research focuses on the intersection of trauma, anti-racism, educational equity, and drama therapy. Previously, she served as the Director of ALIVE (a multi-city trauma and drama therapy program in K-12 schools), the Director of Public Health and Social Policy, and the Assistant Clinical Director of the Post Traumatic Stress Center in New Haven, Connecticut. She loves all things outdoors (swimming, hiking, kayaking) and her puppy named Ginger.
Cara (she/her) is one of the Interim Co-Directors at Heartwood. She holds a Master of Human Rights degree and also a Bachelor of Arts with a double-major in Political Science and History. While she is new to Heartwood, Cara has been researching and working in the areas of gender-based violence and family violence for the better part of a decade. She is also deeply enmeshed in Winnipeg’s social services and human rights community, volunteering on boards and committees related to human rights and gender equality. In her free time, she can be found visiting friends and family (and their pets!), reading, and engaging in any opportunity for further learning.
Kelsey (they/she) is one of the Interim Co-Directors at Heartwood. Kelsey is a white settler Queer living and working on Treaty 1 Territory, the territories of the traditional territories of the Anishinaabeg, Ininew, and Očhéthi Sakowin, and on the homeland of the Red River Metis.
They have strong ties in the community and non-profit sector as a community member and social justice advocate. At Heartwood, they have the privilege of connecting with other community organizations and building relationships. Kelsey believes that supporting each other, sharing ideas, collaboration, and connection is the key to moving toward a better future.
Kristen is a relational and family therapist, holding a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Winnipeg, and a Master of Arts degree in Children’s Literature from McGill. She is deeply interested in the power of stories and the ways people weave personal and collective narratives to heal childhood trauma and contribute to making a better world. Kristen believes that people are at their best when they are able to align with their sense of purpose and engage in meaningful, supportive relationships with others. In her role as supervisor, Kristen supports clinical staff to show up the best way they can in their work and strives to contribute to a welcoming environment that centres the healing and growth of the people who access our services. Kristen is a settler, cis-gender woman who is honoured to work and contribute to community on Treaty One territory. She currently lives with 2 teenagers and 2 cats in Winnipeg’s vibrant West End!
Mae Sawka (she/her) is a white settler of Mennonite, Ukrainian and French descent living on Treaty 1 territory. She is a Registered Social Worker and holds a Masters in Social Work. She offers long-term therapy through an eclectic approach using elements of relational therapies, internal family systems therapies, eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR), polyvagal theory, somatic therapies, and cognitive therapies.
She is queer and is mom to a dog and a cat. She began her work in social services over 10 years ago, working in sexual violence, crisis and other short-term capacities. Mae has now been at Heartwood for 7 years and continues to find it heartening and rewarding.
Kim (she/her) is the Connect & Thrive Counsellor and Peer Supervisor at Heartwood. She was hired at Heartwood in 2023 and used to work for the agency when it was The Laurel Centre many years ago. Kim is trained as a Psychiatric Nurse but her desire to work with community and provide resources to those who typically have not had access to services moved her into the non-profit sector. She values community care, harm reduction, and models of service delivery that accept and welcome all people in safe(r) and caring ways that work outside of mainstream healthcare systems. She feels strongly that the folks she has met along the way, and the relationships she has formed with folks over the years have been reciprocal and instrumental in her own growth as well. She enjoys learning and challenging herself and is inspired by the folks she works with every day. Outside of work, you can find Kim starting up a bonfire and checking out music in the local scene.
Melissa Kent
(she/her), BA
Short-Term & Parenting Counsellor
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Melissa Kent
Short-Term & Parenting Counsellor
Sonja Stone
(she/they)
Connect & Thrive Facilitator and Counsellor
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Sonja Stone
Connect & Thrive Facilitator and Counsellor
Sonja (she/they) is a Facilitator and Counsellor in the Connect & Thrive Program, coordinating our Moving Forward workshops and support sessions. As a Two-Spirit Michif Local member, citizen of the Manitoba Metis Federation and a lifelong resident on the Red River Settlement, she is offering cultural sessions and in-person support in the Wichihin Niwahkomakanak (Calling Our Ancestors) Program.
Sonja is almost finished her undergraduate degree in social work at the UM Inner-City Social Work Program. She began at Heartwood as a BSW field student in her 3rd year of school, co-creating webinars on chronic pain/illness and self-care, and co-facilitating a 2SLGBTQIA+ psychoeducation group called “Getting Acquainted with Healing”. She has also been active as a member of Heartwood’s Anti-Oppressive Practice Committee.
Along with her recent post-secondary education, Sonja brings a lifetime of experience in systems navigation in Manitoba, 2SLGBTQIA+ activism, living in poverty with disability, and healing from physical, spiritual and emotional trauma. She believes that we will all benefit from wholehearted engagement in processes of Truth and Reconciliation, the medicine wheel and the 7 Sacred Grandparent Teachings. She is excited to walk with people on their healing pathways at Heartwood.
Yousra Benchekroun
(she/her)
Young Adult Therapist
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Yousra Benchekroun
Young Adult Therapist
Sarah Baldry
(she/her), MACP
Long Term Therapist
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Sarah Baldry
Long Term Therapist
Kathryn Niebuhr
(she/her), MSW, RSW
Long Term Therapist
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Kathryn Niebuhr
Long Term Therapist
Kathryn Niebuhr (she/her) has been with the agency since 2020 as a therapist in the long-term therapy program and comes from a clinical social work education background. She is passionate about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy modalities. In her spare time, she enjoys singing in the U of M Concert Choir. Kathryn also joined the board as the staff representative in 2023.
Fiona Smith
(she/her), M.Ed.
Long-Term Therapist
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Fiona Smith
Long-Term Therapist
Many moons ago, Fiona (she/her) began her time at Heartwood as a client. She went on to do the Peer Mentorship Training Program and co-facilitated group therapy in a peer-mentor capacity. Fiona completed a Master’s degree and is now a Long-term Therapist at Heartwood!
Being neurodivergent and diagnosed with multiple disabilities, Fiona is relational in her online therapeutic space, digs narrative, somatic, polyvagal, CBT/DBT/ACT and art therapy approaches to healing, but isn’t boxed in by modalities. She understands every journey is unique, so healing is likely to be unique too.
Fiona has been a professional playwright for over 25 years on 3 continents. She dabbles in photography, AI-prompting, and bakes bread when she is stressed. Fiona plays drums and is re-connecting with the guitar as part of her CSA-recovery.
She identifies as queer; is mother to two queer, non-binary, awesome human beings; has two cats (Pekoe and Princess Lovely) and been married to her partner for nearly 25 years. For the past 30+ years she has been a foster-sister and cousin to over 60 children, but the word “foster” is never used in the family. Family is family.
Tracey Friesen
(she/her), MC, CCC
Long Term Therapist
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Tracey Friesen
Long Term Therapist
Tracey Friesen (she/her) is a Long-Term Therapist at Heartwood Healing Centre. She holds a Master of Counselling degree and uses narrative, solution-focused, family systems and ACT models of therapy to help you navigate life’s challenges with support and insight. Tracey has been practicing for three years, two of which have been with Heartwood. She am a proud cat mom to Sammy and she enjoy movies, games, long walks, and good conversations over good cups of coffee.
Ursula Ferreira
(she/her/they/them), BA, BSW, RSW
Long Term Therapist
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Ursula Ferreira
Long Term Therapist
Ursula (she/her) joined the Heartwood team at the end of 2021. She is a Registered Social Worker and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature as well. In September 2023, she completed the Compassionate Inquiry program with Dr. Gabor Mate, and she is currently working towards becoming a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Ursula loves studying different psychotherapeutic modalities, but the relationship between her and each client is the cornerstone of the work.
Each person’s story is unique, and healing is made possible within the safety of the therapeutic relationship. Ursula enjoys studying philosophy in her spare time. Here is a quote by one of her favourite philosophers Spinoza: “The more clearly you understand yourself and your emotions, the more you become a lover of what is”
Dana Gottzmann
(she/her), MSW, RSW
Long Term Therapist
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Dana Gottzmann
Long Term Therapist
Dana (she/her) is a Long-Term Therapist and Registered Social Worker at Heartwood Healing Centre. Dana has been with Heartwood since 2022. It is her honor to work in the role of therapist, getting to build relationships with the people she works with and to walk alongside them in their journeys. In addition to individual therapy, Dana loves to be involved in group therapy, workshops and public education. Dana believes the most important and foundational things in therapy are to feel trust, safety and comfort with your therapist and a sense of being heard and in the driver’s seat. In her free time, Dana loves to sing in a choir, play ultimate frisbee, read books on the couch and spend time with her loved ones.
Alexandra Bolton
(she/her), MA, CCC
Long Term Therapist
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Alexandra Bolton
Long Term Therapist
Brynne Frohlich
(she/her)
Long-Term Therapist
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Brynne Frohlich
Long-Term Therapist
Brynne (she/her) joined the Heartwood team in 2023 as a student, was then hired on as the Engagement and Service Coordinator, and is now a Long-Term Therapist. She is a Registered Social Worker and is currently working towards her MSW. Brynne places each individual client at the center of the therapeutic relationship, and believes that authenticity, trust, and mutual respect are integral to a successful therapy experience.
Brynne practices from a bio-psycho-social-spiritual, strengths-based, feminist, and trauma-informed lens, integrating awareness of the nervous system and creating internal safety into the therapeutic space. Brynne believes that clients are the experts in their own life, and that it is a privilege to be able to walk alongside amazing people on their healing journey. Outside of her roles as Social Worker and MSW student, Brynne is a self-proclaimed foodie, lover of musicals, podcasts, sunsets, the Folk Festival, baked goods, and spending quality time with good people.
Go to quote/affirmation is the simple but true, “we can do hard things” – Glennon Doyle.
Michelle Du Croix Sissons
(she/her)
Short-Term Counsellor
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Michelle Du Croix Sissons
Short-Term Counsellor
Students
Lee Sanderson
(he/him)
Student
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Lee Sanderson
Student
Lee (He/Him) is a new Student Therapist from the University of Winnipeg’s Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program. He is a proud father to a 15 year old son as well as a happy fiancée to a pretty great Anishinaabe human. Lee was born and raised in rural Manitoba. His Anishinaabe father is from Pinaymootang (Fairford) and his Cree/Dutch/Scottish mother has roots in Kinosao Sipi (Norway House) and Winnipeg.
The catalyst for Lee pursuing a Therapist profession was going through a healing journey with his son from the loss of his son’s mother in 2015. Lee has facilitated grief groups for children and adults as well as offering grief and trauma ceremony/counselling for our community members who struggle with homelessness in Winnipeg. As a continual practice of self care Lee engages in his spirituality and ceremony that has been cultivated from many Anishinaabe and Cree teachers. Lee is super grateful that Heartwood Healing Centre has allowed him to be a student in their space where he will approach his work with people in the same heart space as he does with those he loves most.
