About us
Dr. Cara Samuel
I have a combined PhD in Clinical & Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto and MSc in Clinical Lifespan (Developmental) Psychology from the University of Victoria
I completed my doctoral residency with the Rural Consultation Program, Young Offender Team, and Correctional Service Canada in Saskatoon. I also worked for 10 years in community mental health.
I’ve lived in remote and rural communities on Haida Gwaii, Tla-o-qui-aht and Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ lands (Tofino and Ucluelet area), and Treaty 3 (Saskatchewan) and Treaty 1 (Manitoba) lands, and also worked in Nunavut, Yukon and Tahltan and Taku River Tlingit territories.
I currently live on Haida Gwaii and the lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) peoples (Victoria), and am available for remote, in-person and fly-in psychological services.
Our communities’ own experiences of colonialism elsewhere in the world provide a path to empathy, and instil us with sense of solidarity with and responsibility to the Indigenous Peoples here. We offer our skills and knowledge as tools to support Indigenous self-determinism and well-being. When they are free we will all be free (Combahee River Collective).
Cara is a multi-racial queer femme (they/them/she/her) and a settler on the lands on which they currently live. Their father is Black from ancestral ties to Trinidad, Nigeria and Nepal, and her mother’s family is from Finland and Sapmi (northern Scandinavia).
Dr. Drexler ortiz, R. Psych
I received my PhD in Clinical Psychology (Lifespan Emphasis) from the University of Victoria.
I completed my residency in the Rural-Generalist Stream at the University of Manitoba where I focused on receiving a broad range of clinical expertise. My training has primarily been community focused, which to me means being able to provide a level of support and empathy to anyone who seeks support.
I am grateful to have been invited to work in several remote and rural communities, including the ancestral lands of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation (Prince George area); Haisla First Nation (Kitimaat area); Secwepemc, T'exelcemc, and Xat'súll First Nations (Williams Lake and surrounding regions); Nak'azdli Whut'en First Nation (Fort St. James area); and Treaty 1 Territory (rural Manitoba).
While I am currently living on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples (Richmond, BC), I am available for in-person, remote and fly-in psychological services.
“Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul be just another human soul”
— Carl Jung
Are you passionate about accessible, sustainable and ethical care that prioritizes a relational, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive approach?
Are you a psychologist, school psychologist, counsellor, speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, nurse practitioner, nurse, doctor or other service provider?
Or, are you a provider looking to develop more in-community mental health and health services where you live?
Send us an email!