Danni Lei

President

Danni (she/her) is a registered psychologist, with a Master of Science degree in Counselling Psychology. Danni has been working at post-secondary counselling centres for the majority of her career and is currently working as a counsellor at Mount Royal University. Danni is passionate about providing counselling to undergraduate students navigating various life stressors and concerns, as well as sitting on several institutional committees and providing graduate student supervision.

Danni has previously been part of  the CCPA’s Career Counsellors Chapter and is now excited to join the Post-Secondary Counsellor’s Chapter in the summer of 2023

Vacant

Past-President

Ricardo Avelar

President Elect

Ricardo Avelar (He/They) is a Registered Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University. He holds a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology and has worked as a counsellor, supervisor, or sessional lecturer at non-profit organizations, K-12 schools, and post-secondary settings. While primarily working as a generalist, Ricardo has specialized knowledge in identity development, sexuality and relationships, and sexual violence/trauma. Ricardo is excited to be part of CCPA’s Post-Secondary Counsellors Chapter and is looking forward to collaborating with other practitioners in supporting the unique experiences of students at university counselling centers.

Jeananne Robertson

Member at Large

Jeananne (she/they) is a seasoned counsellor and student affairs professional, with a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Higher Education (UBC) and a Master of Education in Higher Education, Student Development and Student Services (OISE).  In her current role Jeananne works collaboratively with graduate students to support students’ success through developing strategies to mitigate challenges and minimize disruptions to personal well-being and academic success.  She recognizes that students and institutions are partners in post-secondary education and endeavors to advocate for systemic solutions to complement her more individualized student-centred approach to addressing barriers to success.
Jeananne has been a member of the Post-Secondary Counsellors Chapter since 2017, and joined the executive as a member at large in 2020 to participate in the community of practice and contribute to advocacy efforts on behalf of post-secondary counsellors across Canada.

Annelise Lyseng

Member at Large
Annelise is a registered psychologist and has a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology. She has worked as a counsellor at a post-secondary institution in Alberta since 2016. Annelise believes strongly in the importance of providing accessible, strengths-based, trauma-informed counselling services to support students as they navigate their studies.
Annelise has been a Member-at-Large on the Post-Secondary Counsellor’s Chapter Executive since December 2019. She connected with the chapter to meet other Canadian post-secondary counsellors, learn about issues that are impacting counsellors across Canada, and contribute to the chapter’s research and advocacy efforts.

Chloé Miller 

Member at Large

Chloé (she/her) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (BCACC) and Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCPA), with a Master of Arts Degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia. Chloé’s research thesis focused on higher education student mental health, and she draws on her background in economics, HR, management, and staff development, to help students move forward towards their goals. Chloé is passionate about building connections for sharing of best practices, and she is serving as a member at large with the BC Post-Secondary Counsellor’s Association and the CCPA Higher Education Chapter. Chloé has worked at several universities and has lived in a variety of different cultural environments. Her counselling approach is strength-based and coaching oriented, with an emphasis on cross-cultural and diversity issues. Chloé is passionate about helping students to feel a sense of belonging and empowerment, and she is committed to Indigenous Reconciliation. Chloe is interested in the intersection of economics, labour, wellbeing, counselling and workplace psychology, with a focus on healthy workplaces for counsellors and students alike. Chloé is currently working as a counsellor and coordinator at Capilano University in BC.

Jessica Isenor

Treasurer

Jessica is a career counsellor and student services professional, with a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology. Having worked at five Canadian universities as a counsellor and counsellor educator. She currently works at the Nova Scotia Community College as a Manager in their Central Student & Career Services Office, working to deliver equitable, accessible, and meaningful career development opportunities for students and new graduates.
Jessica has been president of the CCPA’s Career Counsellors Chapter and now sits on the Post-Secondary Counsellor’s Chapter as their Treasurer since the Summer of 2021 to continue supporting our counselling community in their ongoing development and building of professional connections.

Cathy Underhill 

Secretary

Cathy is a Registered Psychologist (Alberta) and Canadian Certified Counsellor with over a decade of experience in mental health, trauma-informed care, and postsecondary counselling. She currently supports students at MacEwan University. Her clinical practice integrates evidence-based approaches with advanced training in somatic and mindfulness-based therapies, including Somatic Experiencing, Emotionally Focused Therapy, EMDR, and Mindful Self-Compassion. Cathy has co-developed and facilitated support groups such as Mindfulness and Empowering Women in Relationships.
Cathy’s professional interests include trauma recovery, somatic approaches to mental health, and the integration of mindfulness in postsecondary counselling. She has presented on Mindfulness and Mindful Self-Compassion at the 2018 and 2019 CCPA national conferences, taught Cognition courses at the university level, and contributed to research publications during her time with Statistics Canada.
She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick, an M.Ed. in Educational Counselling from the University of Ottawa, and a Certificate in Addiction Studies from Mount Royal University. Cathy is passionate about fostering resilience, self-awareness, and compassion in students navigating academic and personal challenges. She is an active member of the Psychology Association of Alberta, the Canadian Psychological Association, and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. Cathy is excited to be part of the Postsecondary Counsellors Chapter and values the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across Canada to enhance student support and professional practice.

Cynthia Schoppmann

Board Liaison

Reports

Purpose & History

The Post-Secondary Counsellor’s Chapter was formed in September of 2016 to create a space and representation for post-secondary counsellors all across Canada. With the increasing demand for counsellors in the post-secondary field, including mental health, careers, learning skills and disability, and life skills counselling, the need for this chapter was clear. The objectives of this chapter are:

    • To provide an opportunity for post-secondary counsellors to meet for discussion of critical issues in the area of post-secondary counselling.
    • To provide a forum for ongoing information exchange and professional development (skill and knowledge based).
    • To provide a forum for mentoring practitioners, researchers, and policy makers new to the field of counselling.
    • To provide a means by which post-secondary counsellors can help one another to develop and obtain research support provincially and federally through increased collaboration.
    • To serve as a direct link with the National Association, thereby providing for the presentation of mutually sought aims and objectives.
    • To serve, with full collaboration and consultation with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, as a means to interact with government departments and/or other groups for the purpose of promoting the Chapter.

Constitution and Bylaws

The Post-Secondary Counsellors’ Chapter’s constitution outlines the fundamental principles and objectives of the chapter, while the bylaws explain the rules set for the members and describe the functioning of the chapter. All members are encouraged to review the constitution and bylaws as a chapter member. The constitution and bylaws can be found here.


Practitioner Research Grant

The Post-Secondary Counsellors’ Chapter awards an annual grant to members who are interested in completing research within their role. The application to complete is available here, and for transparency about the creation and assessment of this grant, the proposal and evaluation criteria are available in ‘Reports & Documents’ below.


Chapter Update – Spring 2025 

Spring Greetings Post-Secondary Counsellors,

It is hard to believe that the academic year is now shifting into spring and summer semesters. From those who gathered together for our Community Conversations event in early April 2025, there was a collective sense of validation of how exhausting and also how meaningful it is to be a counsellor in the post-secondary context. Thank you for joining the conversation!

Moving forward, we have lots of updates to share. 

 

Research

We received great feedback from our first paper about Counsellor perspectives. We are excited to share our next one, please see our newest paper, Practitioner Research Series Paper: Student Concerns and Priorities, on the top of this webpage. 

 

Executive Team Vacancies: Call out for Expressions of Interest:

If you are interested in being more involved with our Chapter, we have 3 vacancies on our PSC Chapter Executive Team.

President-Elect (1-2 year): This role supports the President in the performance of duties and steps in as needed. This role progresses to the President role once the President becomes the Past-President.

Secretary (2 year): This role supports the administrative function of the executive, including taking minutes and maintaining records/documents of the Chapter.

Member-at-Large (1 year): This role contributes to various projects and sub-committees, depending on interest.

We encourage you to submit an expression of interest for one of these positions. Please email ([email protected]) the following information by May 16, 2025: Name, Designation(s), Institution, position of interest, and brief description of professional background/interests. 

We’d like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to our wonderful outgoing executive members for all of their contributions: Sheldon Hill, Denyse Lane and Forrest Maridas, it has been a pleasure to journey with you! 

 

CCPA Conference Updates:

Friday May 30 from 12:30-2:30pm

There will also be an opportunity to chat with Danni about the PSC Chapter – come find us at the Chapter table (located by the Registration table).

Sat May 31, 2025 at 3pm

Join us in Calgary to attend a concurrent session on “Navigating Complexity in Post-Secondary Mental Health: Challenges, Opportunities and Possibilities in the Canadian Context.” with Chapter President Danni Lei (Mount Royal University), and Dr. Jon Woodend (University of Victoria). 

For the full conference program, please visit: https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/ccpa-annual-conference/

SAVE THE DATE! CCPA PSC Chapter Annual General Meeting

 

Friday June 27th 10am MST / 12pm EST (online)

Come receive updates from the Chapter, meet the executive, and elect new members to the Executive. There will be an agenda and expressions of interests provided prior.

REGISTER HERE FOR AGM 

Contact

If you want to reach out to the Chapter executive team with any questions, feedback or suggestions, please send an email to: [email protected].

Wishing you a gentle glide into spring, 

Your PSC Chapter Executive Team




Contact

If you have any questions or comments, please email the executive team at [email protected]