Priscilla Jabouin M.A., C.C.C., c.o.

After a career change in 2010, Priscilla returned to school to complete her Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She then embarked on a new path as a Career Counsellor in university career centers in Canada and the USA, and is now in private practice helping creative professionals who are unhappy at work, wake up to a career they love.

In addition to her private career counselling practice, Priscilla has offered workshops at yoga retreats; presented her work at Cannexus; and has shared her expertise on various panels and podcasts. She has also been featured as an expert on the Canadian national radio show, CBC Listen. She’s honoured and excited to be the President of the Career Counsellor’s Chapter and is looking forward to what the board will accomplish during the next 2 years.

Tanya Bilsbury is currently a PhD candidate at Saint Mary’s University, where they teach introduction to psychology and organizational development. They are researching the connection between career development and university student retention, and look forward to establishing a private practice.

Vocational psychology and its applied practice of career counselling help individuals achieve well-being by contributing their skills to their community. There is a strong need for knowledge dissemination, because quality information and good practice can change lives; for example, by helping people design a total lifestyle that acceptably balances the multiple social roles that constitute a career, identifying what kind of company culture is a fit for their values, or successfully navigate challenges and transitions. There’s also a need for myth-busting, because people struggle with cultural myths that teach them that failure is bad, that they need to find and pursue their passion, or that they should pursue self-esteem. We also need to be aware of what career development tools are and are not evidence-based, and how research and practice in vocational psychology serve marginalized workers. I hope that this chapter will become a knowledge dissemination hub that celebrates inclusion and critical thinking.  

Dawn Schell (she/her) has been a career counsellor for over 25 years and counting!  She has worked with people in varying stages in their careers – from finding a first job through to retirement and beyond.   Dawn has a deep passion for empowering people to find meaning and purpose in their work and their lives.  She has served on our executive for the past eight years in several roles – Member-at-Large, social media, President and is now our Past-President.  Dawn has contributed at both the provincial and national levels to the conversation about the importance of career counselling and the connections between career and mental health.

Jen Davies, RP(Qualifying) currently serves as the Director, Co-op, Career and Experiential Learning at Georgian College. For 8 years she served as Manager, Career Development Services at the University of Toronto Scarborough’s Academic Advising & Career Centre. She has worked in post-secondary and community-focused career services since 2007, except for a stint teaching English in South Korea. In her spare time she completes Massive Open Online courses, and teaches online for one of her alma maters, Conestoga College. She has also studied at Queen’s (Psychology) and McGill (Counselling Psychology), and completed OISE’s Doctorate in Education in Counselling Psychology for Community and Educational Settings in 2019.

Judith Mackinnon hails from Eastern Canada and has been faculty member and

career counsellor at Sheridan College for over 20+ years. She is passionate about

career and student development and has had the opportunity to present at numerous

provincial and national conferences. She has also worked as teacher and guidance

counsellor in all three Maritime provinces. Judith is qualified to administer and interpret the STRONG, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Personality Dimensions, and Strenghtsfinder to name but a few.   AA dedicated life-long learner, Judith is completing her Ed. D in Social Justice at the University of Toronto with an emphasis on disability and social justice issues. She has been a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) and member of CCPA since 2001. She assists the CCPA Career Chapter with social media communications and acts as liaison for Canada Career Month. Fun Fact: Judith is an avid runner and outdoor enthusiast who avidly supports community volunteering with activities ranging from tree planting in the great outdoors to assisting Newcomers to Canada with their personal and career transitions.

Christine Frigault (she/her/hers) has worked as a post-secondary counsellor for the past 22 years, currently at Dalhousie University where she primarily provides career counselling and also does some personal counselling. Christine loves helping students discover their strengths, values, interests, preferences and overcome challenges as they shape their career path while in post-secondary and beyond. She has received national and regional awards related to diversity initiatives and leadership in the field from the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) and does research related to career development and core competency development through experiential learning. In her free time, she loves coastal hiking with her family and black labrador retriever.  She is excited to be a new member-at-large with the Career Counsellor Chapter and looks forward to connecting with other chapter members.”