KELSEY PUDDISTER (she/they) | DIRECTOR | COUNSELLOR

Kelsey is our team lead here at The Jacob Puddister Memorial Foundation and holds a master’s degree in counselling psychology. She is a certified professional member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

Kelsey has experience working in acute psychiatric care, addiction recovery, and informal clinical settings and enjoys working with people through a non-judgmental, compassionate framework. She enjoys listening to the stories of people’s lives and taking a look into how the story we tell about ourselves impacts our feelings and emotions. Kelsey is an advocate for social justice and self-compassion and aims to bring warmth, empathy, and thoughtfulness to each counselling session. Kelsey has additional training in narrative therapy, addiction, trauma, and queer theory. She is a trained birth and postpartum doula and Reiki Master and enjoys incorporating these ideas and teachings into her counselling work.

Kelsey has been the managing director of the foundation since it began in 2017. Her brother, Jake, is our namesake and one of the main reasons she entered the field of counselling psychology. Since his death by suicide in 2016, Kelsey has been working to create suicide safer communities on the Avalon Peninsula.

Kelsey shared, “Helping others and standing with them and holding space for their pain is a privilege. I feel incredibly lucky to do the work that I do with the foundation, with Jake’s heart”.

In her spare time, you can find Kelsey hanging out with their spouse and two Frenchies, Lucy and Violet. They love to read, listen to podcasts, write and send snail mail, and craft. 

HEIDI LUBY (she/her) | COUNSELLOR

Heidi joined our team in September of 2019 upon completing a masters degree in Counselling Psychology and is a certified professional member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

Heidi’s passion within the counselling relationship stems from creating a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment for whomever she has the privilege of working with. Through the lens of narrative therapy and a trauma informed perspective, Heidi thrives in creating a compassionate space for clients to spend time with their individual and unique experiences. Heidi is also trained in Deep Brain Reorienting, which focuses on healing trauma through accessing the origin of the body’s response to a traumatic event.

Before joining this foundation, Heidi spent 6 years as a volunteer firefighter which strongly influenced her decision to become a therapist. Heidi also completed a 200 Hour Certified Yoga Teacher Training in Costa Rica in 2018 which is also an aspect she enjoys incorporating into the counselling setting with clients.

In her free time, you can typically find Heidi in the company of her dog, Polly and spending time flying through the air with her circus friends!

ROBYN LAMSWOOD (she/her) | COUNSELLOR | CLINICAL SUPERVISOR

Robyn joined our team in January 2020. She graduated from her masters degree in counselling, specialising in counselling-psychology in 2014, and has been a certified professional member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association since that time. 

Robyn has experience in a variety of realms including addictions, acute care psychiatry, community counselling, and child and youth care. Passionate about social justice, she aims to empower people through the counselling process. Robyn often brings a contemplative approach to her work and is curious about how contemplation and meditation (both moving and still) can help clients navigate challenges.

Before joining the foundation, Robyn’s work included private practice work, facilitating a variety of groups at a local counselling agency, and work at a retreat house where she was planning and facilitating meaning-making rituals and meditations. She also has experience instructing counselling and psychology coursework at the post-secondary level. 

In addition to her counselling work, Robyn is also our clinical supervisor and in this role she supports both staff and intern students in their work with clients. Robyn has continued learning by completing a variety of continuing education activities in the area of clinical supervision, and has increased her trauma informed practice by training to become an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapist. 

Robyn is curious about life. She enjoys being in nature - especially walking, hiking and running - most especially in the company of friends. Robyn finds joy in good fiction, good food, and almost any kind of travel. She journeys through life accompanied by some beautiful people - including many friends, family, and some pretty great colleagues. In the midst of all this she tries to remember to breathe, be present, and welcome some silence.

 HEATHER GREEN (she/her) | PEER SUPPORTER | ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Heather has been part of the JPMF community since 2017, starting  as a volunteer at fundraising events and now supporting others as a Certified Peer Supporter. She’s passionate about self-exploration, equality, and firmly believes in the power of connection and community. Through peer support, she shares her own lived experiences with mental health to create a space where others feel heard, understood, and empowered.

At JPMF, Heather provides one-on-one peer support, peer support with a Certified Therapy Dog (Rosie), and hosts a “Craft & Connect” group several times throughout the year for participants of the peer support program. 

Whether it’s exploring coping strategies, navigating personal wellness goals, or simply having a judgment-free conversation, Heather is here to walk alongside others on their journey and to honour what wellness means to them. She loves bringing creativity into peer support, using things like self-care practices, welcoming curiosity, and art to encourage healing. 

Outside of work, you’ll find Heather laughing with friends, getting lost in a good book, enjoying nature walks, playing video games, or snuggling up with her fluff nuggets, Rosie & Hank.

KELSEY COLE (she/her) | COUNSELLOR | *MATERNITY LEAVE

Before starting at the foundation, Kelsey completed an education degree and worked as an educator in environments such as daycare, preschool and primary/elementary school for several years. Seeing the presence of mental health concerns experienced by youth in our province led her to pursue her long-time interest in the counselling field. Kelsey then decided to return to school where she completed a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology through Yorkville University and is now a registered Certified Canadian Counsellor. She completed her internship at JPMF in 2021 and is now a full time counsellor with us. 

Kelsey feels incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to continue working and evolving her therapy practice at JPMF, and really values the supportive and accepting environment. Kelsey personally likes to take an eclectic approach to counselling, however she does strive to create a client-centred environment that is built on empathy, genuineness and the absence of judgement. She also draws from cognitive models, solutions-focused therapies, and holds a strong interest in how our brain operates. 

In her free time, Kelsey loves to explore nature with her Husband and sweet Aussiedoodle, Patrice. If she's not spending time with her fam, she's likely knitting, watching some form of reality tv or snuggling up on the couch with a good book.