Mary Widmer

Mary Widmer

Founder and Principal
BSc, BRE, BSW, MDiv, RSW

Becoming a grief and loss counsellor was probably the furthest thing from Mary’s mind when she graduated from Salmon Arm Senior Secondary School in 1964. Initially drawn to the field of medicine, she chose Physiotherapy as her career path, graduating from UBC with a BSc in Rehabilitation Medicine and beginning her professional life at Royal Inland Hospital.

After two years, Mary returned to school at Prairie Bible Institute, earning her first theological degree. These academic paths led her to Thailand, where she worked in a mission hospital and leprosy clinics. Her involvement in medical missionary work shifted after marrying her husband, Ken, and becoming a mother to Sarah and Pamela. Together, they continued living and working in Thailand, providing pastoral care and counselling until 1989.

Upon returning to Canada, Mary found her physiotherapy credentials were no longer accessible and began exploring new directions. She trained as a school secretary, launching her into the computer age, before later working at Ponderosa Lodge—first in reception and then as a Social Service Assistant. It was there that social work captured her heart, particularly supporting seniors and families navigating profound loss and life change. She pursued further education at Thompson Rivers University, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Social Work.

In the years that followed, Mary founded and managed NeighbourLink Kamloops, co-founded Changing the Face of Poverty, operated a private care home for seniors, and became a Certified Celebrant specializing in non-religious services celebrating the lives of those who had died. Through this work, she became deeply aware of the lack of follow-up care for grieving individuals, which led her to establish her private counselling practice, C&C Resources for Life. This journey also prompted her to complete a Master of Divinity through Carey Theological College, focusing on Family Systems Theory and Pastoral Care.

Mary was awarded the Heart of the Grasslands Award in 2014 by the Thompson/Nicola branch of BCASW, recognizing distinguished service to the community and the social work profession. At her graduation from Carey Theological College in 2015, she also received the award for Pastoral Care.

Maintaining her certification with the BC College of Social Workers has kept Mary committed to ongoing professional development. She has completed post-graduate training in Satir Family Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Observed and Experiential Integration (OEI), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to better support individuals navigating grief and trauma.

Mary loves living in Kamloops and places a strong value on family life with her husband and two daughters. Their time together includes shared meals, movies, table games, coastal trips for Bard on the Beach, and the adventure of renovating their home. Mary enjoys reading, sewing, playing word games, gardening, cooking, and baking, and feels especially grateful to now work alongside her daughter Sarah while Pamela pursues her studies in Fine Arts.

Mary’s bucket list is short but meaningful: to establish and grow Living Bridges Therapy Collective as the primary centre for bereavement support in Kamloops and the surrounding region, and to leave it as a lasting legacy to her team and the community she loves.