About us.

Brandie Andrews, MSW, RCSW is a Registered Clinical Social Worker who has a clinical specialization in children and families and she is qualified to provide provisional diagnosis’. Brandie loves her role of Clinical Counsellor, Supervisor and also Behaviour Consultant. She places strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship, honoring safety and trust as integral in the healing journey. Brandie is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) which is an evidence-based intervention used to treat trauma and has shown benefit to improving symptoms related to trauma, anxiety, depression, and stress.

Brandie has been working in the human services field for over 21 years, working directly with children, youth and adults in educational, mental health and rehabilitative settings. She has experience working with children, adults and families requiring support in the following areas: trauma, depression, anxiety, positive parenting, co-parenting, stress management and self-regulation. Brandie practices a holistic approach and values the importance in understanding history and the environment outside the presenting issue in order to provide the best and most suitable treatment plan possible.

Brandie holds much enthusiasm and has a keen interest in working with individuals with complex needs including: Severe Behavioural Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, FASD and Mental Illness. Brandie works from strengths-based perspective and strives to empower and build hope and capacity in the individuals and team that she serves. Brandie was also named to Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Top 40 Under 40’.

Sonja Miller is a Speech-Language Pathologist with experience working with children, youth, and adults with a variety of disabilities. Sonja has experience working within a multidisciplinary team and has facilitated child and parent programs. In addition, she has provided training sessions and presentations for conferences, in-home support workers, educational teams, and the community.

Sonja has extensive experience in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorder and severe developmental disabilities. She enjoys working with families and team members to create the best possible outcomes. Sonja was also named to Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce’s Top 40 Under 40′.

Kent Hollingsworth is a Certified Solution Focused Therapist and an Approved Clinical Supervisor with over 25 years of counseling and consulting experience with children, adults, couples and families, agencies, and school divisions. A 3-time presenter at the SFBTA North American Solution Focused Therapy Conference, his main areas of focus include family and couple counseling, grief, trauma, and loss, and supporting individuals of all ages with neurodevelopment challenges, including FASD, ASD, ODD, and ADD.

Trained in EMDR and Somatic Experiencing, he also incorporates the empowering Response-Based Therapeutic Approach in counselling with those who have experienced violence, domestic abuse and trauma. A passionate and popular workshop presenter in the areas of Supporting Challenging Behaviours, Sol Foc Counselling and Grief and Loss, Kent and his wife are the parents of two wonderful children with developmental disabilities who have Fragile X. He is honoured to provide Lethbridge and the surrounding community with counselling and consulting services as a part of Key Connections’ unique collaborative, multidisciplinary team approach.

Briana Thielen is a registered Speech-Language Pathologist with experience working with children and youth with a variety of (dis)abilities.  She completed her degree at the University of Alberta and is happy to be working in the community she grew up in.  She has experience facilitating child and parent programs.  She has a passion for working with children and their families to help children reach their full potential.

Christie Archer, a former member of our team, is pleased to continue her connection to KCC  by providing a number of psychological assessments to individuals in the Lethbridge area that we serve.  

In addition to her role at Key Connections Consulting, Christie has been working as a Registered Psychologist in a local school division since 2015.  Prior to that she worked as a behaviour consultant with KCC working with individuals with developmental disabilities and severe behaviour challenges.  She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology as well as her Masters of Education in Counselling Psychology at the University of Lethbridge.  Christie has a strong understanding of various disabilities such as Autism and FASD, as well as the challenges that can come with diagnoses such as ADHD and Anxiety.  She specializes in working with individuals with challenging behaviours, as well as psycho-educational assessment and inclusive programming.

In her spare time, Christie enjoys spending time with her family, dancing with Ammena Dance Studio, golf, yoga, and reading

Emily Bennett is a registered social worker with 14 years of experience in a variety of areas including play therapy, group therapy, and medical social work. She is passionate about helping people live up to their potential and beyond their expectations. Coming from a strengths-based and client-led perspective, Emily believes that individuals and families are the experts of their own situations.

Having been trained in EMDR and Synergetic Play Therapy™ Emily is skilled and honoured to help individuals of all ages move towards healing. Combined with her skills in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy and mindfulness allow Emily to provide guidance to those who have encountered trauma, stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression or are in need of more coping and adjustment skills. Having lived in Lethbridge for over 15 years she is personally invested and involved in the community. Emily is excited to be part of a multidisciplinary team that can address multiple needs by providing holistic assessments and interventions.

Frederique (Freddy) is a Behaviour Consultant and Counsellor at KCC. Freddy completed her Masters of Counselling degree through Gonzaga University. She has experience working with children and families in a variety of capacities. She has had the opportunity to work in the education system as a school counsellor/child and youth care worker supporting students at school and helping them discover their strengths and abilities. Freddy is passionate about working with individuals and families to find their strengths and to live meaningful lives. Freddy believes that all people have unique stories and experiences and that people have the ability to make change. Freddy works from an Emotion Focused, Person-Centered, and CBT lens when working with her clients to validate their experiences and to bring awareness to different emotions they may experience. In her Behaviour Consultant role, Freddy works closely with families and a multidisciplinary team to help determine lagging skills and to enhance resources and skills around supporting their child’s unique needs. Freddy has a passion for working with current and retired athletes as well. She has past experience competing as a rugby player for the University of Lethbridge and has personally navigated the transition from athlete to professional. The grief that accompanies leaving sports is a topic that Freddy is passionate about exploring with clients, as well as working with current athletes in regards to competition, stress, and improving mental skills in their sport. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her dog Ellie, being outside, adventuring in the mountains, being with family and friends, and crafting.

Hailee Faber is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has experience working with individuals with diverse speech and language needs. She completed her Masters Degree at McGill University and is excited to be back working in the Lethbridge area where she grew up. Hailee’s past experiences involved working closely with multidisciplinary teams to support individuals with communication challenges and their families in achieving their goals. She has a passion for helping individuals reach their communication potential by building capacity in both the individuals and those who work most closely with them on a daily basis.  

Jackie has worked in the human services industry in Southern Alberta for over 25 years. Her experience has ranged from front-line service delivery, training, negotiating contracts, licensing and accreditation, mediation/facilitation, school, agency, and home-based clinical behavioral consultation, program development, and management. Jackie has worked collaboratively with School Districts, Children’s Services, Disability Services, Health Services, post-secondary institutions, numerous service providers, and a network of local and provincial bodies to provide a continuum of care in our region.

Jackie believes strongly in working as a team and is passionate about serving individuals, families and caregivers to ensure the best outcomes and most meaningful quality of life. As a behaviour clinician, Jackie has found a niche in incorporating collaborative, think outside the box approaches to consulting to very complex and high needs cases. One of Jackie’s dedicated platforms has been her role as a SIVA (Supporting Individuals through Valued Attachments) Trainer for over 13 years, expanding that role to the only Professional Trainer in Alberta since 2015. Jackie is fully certified as both a Child and Youth Care Counsellor and the Federation of Associations for Counselling Therapists in Alberta.

Are you tired of just existing and ready to start living? Change is possible.

Joanne is a Canadian Certified Counsellor with master’s degrees in both psychology and counselling, and education. Her areas of passion, research and expertise are: Trauma. Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, Grief and Loss

Joanne’s practise is grounded in Emotion Focused Therapy and selectively incorporates several other systems, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy and Internal Family Systems Therapy. She is trained in EMDR, and she is a certified personal fitness trainer. Joanne co-authored two books – Awakening the Workplace, and Sink or Swim: Stress Management Strategies to Ensure Your Survival. She runs both group and individual counselling sessions. She has presented internationally, working with department heads in corporations such as the Mirage Hotel and Casino, and the Monte Carlo Hotel in Las Vegas.

Joanne is passionate about health and wellness. As a two-time cancer survivor, she firmly believes that wellness is more than just an absence of illness, and that a healthy lifestyle involves more than taking care of our physical needs, but our emotional needs as well.

Joanne has a deep respect and compassion for all individuals, and considers it an honor to walk on the difficult and rewarding journey of healing with her clients. Her personal philosophy is based on being a therapist who is willing to accept individuals where they are at, and who they are, without bias or judgment in helping them to attain their true potential. She believes that in the quiet moments of contemplation the answers will come, with the help of a therapist who is guided by a strong theoretical background, continued learning from evidence-based studies and an open heart and mind to the discovery of the human condition.

Joanne’s absolute favorite things to do are playing with her grandbabies, spending time with her family, working out, and gaining new knowledge.

Favorite Quote: Life is short.  Live your dream, and wear your passion. 

–The Holstee Manifesto

Kristen Harrold is a Speech Language Pathologist who is a certified member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and the Speech-Language and Audiology Canada (SAC). She has experience working with a variety of populations and disorders. She received her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma in 2012.

She moved to Dallas, Texas where she had the opportunity to work with children in the school setting with a wide range of communication disorders. She is passionate about working with individuals with ASD and other communication disorders to support their communication goals, as well as with their families to facilitate the best possible outcomes. She understands the power of literacy and the SLP’s crucial role of addressing speech/language impairments to promote literacy skills. Kristen is happy to be back in Canada and she is excited to be a part of the KCC team.

Mariko Boulet is a registered Occupational Therapist who has experience working with individuals with diverse occupational needs. She completed her Masters of Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta and is excited to be back home working and giving back to the Lethbridge and area community where she grew up. Her past experiences involve collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to support individuals in different settings such as pediatric outpatient clinics, home care, supportive living, inpatient psychiatry, and return to work.

In addition, she has had the opportunity to work with various demographics from children to geriatrics. She utilizes a family-centered care approach to provide children the opportunity to use their strengths and interests to foster independence and continue to strive toward a meaningful quality of life. Mariko has a passion for adventuring to new places which gave her the opportunity to utilize her Occupational Therapy skills and knowledge during a pediatric clinical placement in Indonesia. In her spare time, Mariko also enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, trying new foods, coaching ringette, and being outside.

Mark Scheffelmair is a registered social worker who completed his Bachelor of Social Work through the University of Calgary and his Child and Youth Care Counselling diploma at Medicine Hat College. Mark has worked in a variety of settings offering support, strategies, and advocacy to individuals that have disabilities, mental health concerns, and substance use issues. …He works from a strength-based and person-centered approach to assist individuals in creating specialized plans ensuring open communication and collaborative goal setting is a focus throughout the process. Mark brings his group facilitation experience and passion for working with youth to the Project I.C.E. program and is driven to participate in the continual development of the already exceptional and established program.

Michele Currie is a graduate of the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care program from the University of Victoria. She has been working in the human services field for over 25 years and has filled roles from direct support worker to supervisor in BC, Alberta, and overseas. During the years she worked in Lethbridge she gained a lot of knowledge about the resources this community has to offer and she is excited about using this knowledge to better support KCC clientele.