About
Welcome
This is our brand promise and we exist to bring you, your family, and your community back to a healthy societal life.
We realize each person walks their own journey of healing, and the road may feel difficult and confusing at times, but you don’t have to do it alone. In our collaborative care, you will find a supportive foundation of belonging, love, and safety as your life transforms.
Our Team
Mary Widmer
(she/her)
BSc, BRE, BW, MDiv, RSW
Founder and Principal
An accomplished & highly recognized career social worker; certified with the BC College of Social Workers; member in the BCASW; recipient of the 2014 Heart of the Grasslands Award, 2015 Carey Award for Pastoral Care; Master of Divinity; co-founder Changing the Face of Poverty; founder of Living Bridges.
Sarah Widmer
(she/her)
BSW, MSW, RSW
Owner / Counsellor
A graduate from Thomson Rivers University with a BSW degree and MSW in 2021 through Dalhousie University. At Living Bridges, Sarah grew from business management to a managing partner; continually furthered her career with grief and trauma training and numerous therapeutic programs.
Tennille Phipps
(she/her)
RPC, MPCC
Owner / Counsellor
With 15-years experience in the field of mental health and addictions; certificated in trauma informed practice, and Observed Experiential Integration (OEI) trauma treatment; has an educational background in counselling and psychology, leadership, and is currently working on her Masters of Social Work.
Tara Caffelle
(she/her)
CPCC, PCC
Market and Business Development Counsellor
A Registered Professional Counsellor (RPC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Tara is trained in Observed & Experiential Integration (OEI), Organizational and Systems Relationship Coaching; is an Educator for the Gottman Institute in charge of growing Living Bridges. Tara is seeking a publisher for her first book.
Cristela D’Elia
(she/her)
BA, MSc, MFT, CAMFT
Counsellor and Associate
Cristela has a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy; is a member of the Canadian Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, and her experience includes working with couples, individuals, and adolescents with relationship issues, divorce, depression, anxiety, addictions, and other mental health issues.
Mark Chase
(he/him)
BSc, MA, RCC
Clinical Counsellor and Associate
Mark is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. He is also an avid and devoted coach in the sport of hockey and holds an NCCP High-Performance coaching certification and has coached at various elite levels of youth hockey.
Elaine Corea
(she/her)
BA, MC, RCC
Clinical Counsellor and Associate
Elaine holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UVIC and a Master of Counselling from City University, Vancouver. She has a varied background in helping professions, having worked in Mental Health and as an Employment/Career Counsellor and an Academic Advisor at TRU.
Tatyana Dikareva
(she/her)
BTM, PBDTM, MACP, RCC
Clinical Counsellor and Associate
Tatyana is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (#21489) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and holds a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology. She comes from a field of education and having lost both parents to cancer in her late twenties, Tatyana knows grief firsthand and understands the complexity of grief and the road to healing. Through an empathetic, grief and trauma-informed collaborative approach, Tatyana helps clients on their transformative journey towards self-compassion, empowerment, emotional and bodily attunement and improved relationships with self and, as a result, with others.
Robin Collins
(she/her)
MSc, RCC
Clinical Counsellor and Associate
Robin Collins is certified as an Equine Facilitated Wellness Professional (EFW) having married her lifelong love of horses and her interest in psychology and counselling with a Master of Science in clinical counselling from Prescott College in Prescott, AZ. She has been supporting clients with a specialized team of horses since 2017.
Rachel Gerhardt
(she/her)
BSc, BA, MHS, MACP
Founder and Principal
Rachel is a recent graduate from the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP) program. Offering couples, family, and individual therapy, Rachel is focused on supporting anxiety, depression, self-esteem, body image, relationships with food, grief, and much more. She is certified in the Safe and Sound Protocol and currently taking extra training with the Gottman Institute in couples and family therapy. Rachel loves to connect with potential clients in a free 15-minute consultation.
Sobia Noreen
(she/her)
MACP, BSW, RSW
Associate and Counsellor
Sobia is a Registered Social Worker with the BC College of Social Workers and holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. As a Registered Social Worker, Sobia has years of experience working with youth and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Through her work in prevention social work, she recognized high need for mental health services for our younger generation.
Small Seeds Grow Tall
Mary pioneered the addressing of grief and loss in that little room and from those humble seeds we have grown into an entire group of caregivers dedicated to wellness and mental health in Kamloops, BC. We use a unique companioning model of holistic care with each one who comes our way. This means we advocate for your mental health and whatever you may need to build a living bridge to your own strong tomorrow.
If you’re unsure who on our team would be best suited to support you, please allow our Admin team to find a match for you. Every counsellor, associate, and staff member is committed to your healing.