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SURRENDER, ALLOW, TRUST, ACCEPT
ABOUT US
With respect and gratitude, we acknowledge that we have the privilege of working on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Quw'utsun people.
Dr. Valorie Masuda
MD, FCFP (EM)(PC) (She/Her)
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
University of British Columbia
​I currently work in the Quw’utsun territory (Cowichan Valley) as a palliative care physician. Over the years, I have witnessed the loss of patient agency in the hospital. We tell patients, who are exceptionally vulnerable, what is ‘wrong’ with them and what they ‘need’ to do. Patients were not being invited to share their priorities and beliefs and are not given the opportunity to align their medical care with their own goals and priorities in a culturally safe manner.
I have witnessed the trauma patients suffer in the investigations, procedures, wait times, treatments and receiving the diagnosis of a terminal illness. I have come to understand that the most profound source of suffering is existential - ‘who am I in the context of a disease where I lose capacity to do the things that I identified as having meaning?’
I connected with Roots to Thrive, and there I discovered the power of community connection in the discovery of self. I also saw the potential of psychedelics in helping to shift patient’s self-awareness. Unfortunately, their model of care is a private-pay model which was not accessible to the vast majority of people, and certainly those who cannot work because of illness.
I joined with Dr. Laura McLean and Andrea Lemp to co-create a different model of care. This model prioritizes service over profit and leverages MSP programs so patients do not have to pay.
Current medical and psychological models do not support the spiritual crisis that is often associated with facing our death. We provide supportive programs which allow us, in the face of our death, to connect with essence of ourselves - WHO we are when we can no longer DO the things that we previously identified ourselves with. We use story and mindfulness meditation techniques which are accessible to those with limited resources of energy.
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Dr. Laura McLean (She/Her)
MD, FRCPC (Internal Medicine, Respirology and Critical Care),
DipABLM
Consultant physician in Sleep Disorders, Aroga Lifestyle Medicine
Facilitator, Mindfulness Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia Groups
I am a settler of mixed European ancestry, and I am privileged and humbled to live as an uninvited guest and caretaker on the stolen land of the Quw’utsun people. I am grateful for the teachings I receive from this land and its people.
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I cofounded SATA with Andrea and Valorie with the goal of bringing together like-minded individuals with common intentions. The purpose is to co-create communities of practice to facilitate reconnection to our shared humanity and our innate ability to heal. These practices may involve mindfulness and meditation, self-compassion, land- and nature-based approaches, and ancient ceremonies. For some, plant or psychedelic medicines may also serve as a catalyst for healing. My vision includes integrating these practices into our healthcare system.
I bring a strong commitment to patient safety, ethics, transparency, and accountability to my work. I am dedicated to following evidence-based practices and engaging in continuous quality improvement.
My intention is to use my unearned privilege and power to create pathways and networks that support all people—especially those who are marginalized, lack financial means, or face barriers to self-advocacy. This includes individuals who experience stigma, bias, racism, and the effects of colonialism and the ableist, white, cis-hetero-patriarchy. My goal is for all of us to have access to love, belonging, safety, and community support, which are our birthrights as human beings.
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Andrea Lemp
RN, MSN (She/Her)
Andrea has dedicated over 30 years to leading health and wellness programs, serving the people of British Columbia in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. She is a specialist in Community and Hospital Mental Health and Substance use, with experience in various Specialty Hospital and community Settings, including Forensic Psychiatry, UBC Hospital, and Vancouver Coastal Health.
Andrea made the move to Vancouver Island, where she developed and managed Community, Tertiary, and Hospital Mental Health and Substance Use Systems for Island Health. Her educational background includes graduating from BCIT’s Psychiatric Nursing and Registered Nursing Programs, as well as obtaining a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Nursing from UBC.
In addition to her nursing qualifications, Andrea is a Chopra Certified Meditation Teacher, and a Chopra Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Certified Yoga Teacher. She has attended training with Eckhart Tolle in Stillness and Presence for Health Care Professionals. She has also completed the full coursework at the Institute for Functional Medicine, and is currently completing a year long program at the Institute for Integrative Psychiatry.
After a 30-year career in hospital and community settings, Andrea has transitioned from the confines of conventional psychiatry. She now focuses on supporting individuals, groups, and leaders in their journey to recover their full health and unlock their true potential in body, mind, and spirit.
OUR TEAM
Our programs are facilitated by trained an knowledgable professionals in their fields including registered clinical counsellors and physicians.
Physicians working in this centre are licensed and registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia . Credentials may be verified through the registrant directory at www.cpsbc.ca
Kim Adzich has been working as a community palliative care physician in the Cowichan Valley since October 2020, after three decades of work as a rural family doctor prior to focusing his practice on his passion for palliative care in 2017. He has worked in various locations across Canada from rural Nova Scotia, Niagara, Central Alberta and Haida Gwaii, as well as in New Zealand and Ethiopia. He is married and loves to travel, photographing landscapes on the Island and around the world. At home in Cowichan Bay, he is creating a new garden and sanctuary for the years ahead.
Dr. Kim Adzich (He/Him)
MD CCFP(PC)
Dr. Duncan Grady’s professional experience includes 14 years of post secondary education and 31 years of psychotherapy in addictions, trauma, death and dying. He has a Masters Degree in
Counseling Psychology and a Doctorate of Divinity specific to Creation Spirituality.
He is an elder of the Circle of Indigenous Nations Society, West Kootenays, BC. He currently co-leads retreats, works with communities impacted by lateral violence and provides training and consultation using western and non-western approaches to health, well-being, spirituality, trauma, dying and death.
Dr. Duncan Grady
Doctorate of Divinity
Masters in Counselling Psychology
Sarah Corrin
Registered Clinical Counsellor
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Sarah gratefully lives on the Traditional and Unceded territory of the Quw’utsun’ Peoples. Sarah has been working in the field of somatic and trauma therapy for the past twenty years. “Connection is Medicine” - and that is what the heart of this community is about - authentic, heartfelt, spiritual connection.
Sarah brings an interest in embodiment, a practice of paying mindful attention to the wisdom of the body, and an attunement to the energetic and emotional patterns in our bodies as a way to tap into the inner healing intelligence within each of us.
Sarah's personal and work life has been influenced by living in the liminal spaces of life and death while caring for a medically complex child for many years. Sarah was first introduced to Dr. Valorie Masuda in 2018 when she was the palliative physician for Sarah’s son.
Sarah has recently been influenced by the emerging field of psychedelics for working with trauma and end-of-life care, and is drawn to the teachings of the land, waters and plants in the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) lands, and the energy medicines in Therapeutic Touch, QiGong and breathwork.
Hwiemtun (Fred Roland)
Cultural Ambassador
Cowichan Tribes
Born and raised in Khowutzun (the ‘Warm Land’) by a Coast Salish mother and Hawaiian lineage father, Hwiemtun (Fred Roland) received many teachings of his Coast Salish culture. Through spending many years with elders of his territory, Hwiemtun learned the cultural and spiritual traditions of his ancestors. During the last 20 years, he has journeyed around the world to explore and share ways of being with elders and
healers of many indigenous tribes in North America, South America, eastern Europe as well as from the elder monks in Nepal and Tibet. He has been acknowledged as the Cultural Ambassador for Cowichan Tribes.
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Hwiemtun’s connection to the spirit world, passion for story-telling and love of sharing diverse traditions of indigenous knowledge, has made it possible for him to bridge many worlds. Spiritually, Hwiemtun is a sweat lodge keeper, following the Lakota teachings, and a follower of Buddhism and spent two years working with the Maitreya Project throughout North America and Asia.
He believes that we are all related in one way or another and this helps in achieving knowledge once we learn this clearly.
Confidentiality
Your confidentiality is repected. Your demographic data such as your name, date of birth, address, phone number, email and personal health number as well as the physician notes from the weekly group sessions will be held in a secure Electronic Medical Record. Your medical record is only accessible by the facilitators and physicians involved with your group.
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Each group program cohort consists of a small group which will have a maximum of 10 participants. Each small group will have 2 facilitators present each week. These facilitators are trained medical doctors, nurses and therapists and will not change over the 8 week program period.
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All participants are required to keep one another’s experiences and sharing confidential within the group and to protect group agreements for creating and maintaining a safe and supportive environment. These group agreements will be reviewed in the first group session to ensure the agreements are something all group members are comfortable with and agree to.
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The group gatherings can feel vulnerable and/or emotionally challenging at times and you may find you become upset or fatigued following group sessions. If you require additional support in and around these sessions, you may reach out to your facilitators.
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Email addresses will only be shared with other members of the group with the permission of each group member.
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