Team Members | Stable Roots Therapy

Mijane Parker - Director of Counselling Services

Registered Clinical Counsellor

Mijane Parker is the Director of Counselling Services and co-owner of Stable Roots Therapy. She draws on over 15 years of combined experience of working within the social service sector and in private practice as a registered clinical counsellor. Mijane has extensive experience supporting children, youth, adults, caregivers, and those impacted by trauma .

Mijane focused her post-graduate research on alternative approaches in mental health care under the umbrella of trauma-informed social farming and equine facilitated psychotherapy. She is passionate about co-creating therapeutic and educational experiences with those whom she supports, working through an integrative neuro-relational framework in support of healing and in nurturing resilience. She also supports caregivers in gaining a deeper understanding of behaviour, while sharing strategies on how to meet needs through a connection-focused, neuroscience-informed lens.

Mijane has formal training in trauma-informed Equine Facilitated & Nature-based Counselling, EMDR, OEI, Somatic Therapies, Dr. Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, Dr. Gordon Neufeld's Attachment-based Developmental Paradigm, Narrative Therapy and Polyvagal Informed Practice - she is a certified Safe & Sound Protocol Provider. Mijane is in the certification process as a Mental Health Professional with The Professional Association for Equine Facilitated Wellness. She is also currently finishing her certification as a Neurofeedback Professional with Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA).

Kim Calder Stegemann - Director of Neurotherapy Services

Educator, Therapist, Author & Researcher

Kim (or Dr. Kim as some of her clients call her) is an educator, therapist, author, and researcher. She has spent her professional career helping others to make positive changes in their lives and feel better about themselves. She does this through a wholistic approach; looking at brain activity, body functioning, external behaviour, social context, and a person's emotional well- being. "What I love most is making a genuine difference in people's lives."

For over two decades, Calder Stegemann taught at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and is an esteemed Professor Emerita. During her tenure at the University, Kim furthered her studies into counselling and neurotherapy because she felt there was a gap that needed to be bridged to understand the "whole picture" of a person. Kim went into private practice after retiring from fulltime work at TRU in 2016 to help people make a change in their lives-through education, therapy, or neuromodulation.

Now, starting in August 2024 with Stable Roots Therapy, Kim is both a co-owner and practitioner offering neurotherapy for clients who want a different approach than talk therapy. Her approach matches well with the other talented Stable Roots team who focus on the neuro-sequential aspects of development and growth. Kim is also a mentor of those who also want to incorporate neurotherapy into their counselling practices. "Neuroscience isn't an exclusive club. Everyone should be able to access information on how their brain works. My goal is to be able to explain and share the information in ways that are understandable and useful for each person."

Heidi McSweeney

Heidi is a trained trauma and play therapist with over eight years of experience supporting children, youth and adults within a strength-based, trauma-informed clinical framework. As a counsellor, Heidi is deeply passionate about connecting people to themselves and their community by creating safety in relationships and promoting healing through a holistic wellness approach. Much of Heidi's therapeutic knowledge and philosophy stem from her extensive work with individuals who have experienced relational trauma, including sexualized violence, childhood sexual abuse, and intimate partner violence.

In addition, Heidi has worked with youth and young adults in a behavioural support role and has training and experience helping individuals struggling with various forms of trauma and PTSD, eating disorders, relationship and parenting challenges, family conflict, life transitions and anxiety. Heidi's goal is to meet clients where they are in their journey to build connection and nourish safe relational experiences using neuroscience-informed and attachment-based therapeutic modalities. Heidi offers play therapy, in-office, virtual, and walk & talk sessions.

Heidi is on maternity leave until January 2026.

Registered Clinical Counsellor

Jenna Ewert

Registered Clinical Counsellor, CCC

Jenna is a registered clinical counsellor who offers evening and weekend sessions with adults and teens. Jenna practices nature-based therapy, walk-and- talk sessions, and in-office appointments at Stable Roots. Over the last 15 years, Jenna has worked across private, government, and non-profit sectors, supporting individuals experiencing challenges relating to identity, relationships, trauma, life transitions, anxiety, depression, grief, and substance use. Jenna conceptualizes challenges and concerns from a systems lens, valuing the inherent complexity of human interactions, early experiences, and social responses. Drawing from an existential framework, Jenna's approach emphasizes our innate drive toward meaning and purpose. As a therapist. Jenna offers facilitation, co-regulation, exploration of individuals' unique experiences, and celebration of the profound resiliency of the human spirit. Jenna provides nonjudgmental support to those seeking growth, meaning, resolutions, and healing.

Jenna is registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. Jenna holds a Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology as well as a Bachelor of Education degree. In addition, Jenna holds a BC K-12 teaching certificate, a registered 200-hour yoga teacher certificate, and a certificate in music education. Occasionally, Jenna incorporates movement, music, and expressive arts into her therapeutic practice. Jenna pursues ongoing professional learning, and has completed additional training in ecotherapy, somatic trauma therapy, grief & loss, teen anxiety and depression, polyvagal informed therapy, and emotion- focused family therapy.

Shannon has worked in various counselling settings including with those who have experienced violence, hospice care, cancer care, and mental health and substance use. She especially loves working with children and engages caregivers in a collaborative and creative way to best support their child's growth. She meets clients where they are at and takes their lead, weaving in art, play and embodiment practices while building a strong therapeutic relationship. She believes that relationship and right brained (creative!) connection are the foundation of therapy and where the healing occurs.

Shannon's work is informed by the expressive arts therapies, embodied approaches, attachment theory, polyvagal theory, mindfulness-based and self-compassion-based therapies, and Response-Based Practice. She is passionate about engaging the arts for healing trauma both personally and collectively. She loves to be outdoors with her children and dog. She is a queer identified cis-gendered woman and welcomes LGBTQIA2S+ clients.

Shannon Byrnes

Registered Clinical Counsellor, Art Therapist, Yoga Teacher