Psychologists and Ph.D.-level Clinician

Dr. Debbie Leung is a Registered Psychologist and director of Wise Mind Centre. She provides assessment and scientifically supported treatments to adolescents and adult clients. She has helped clients struggling with a variety of psychological problems, including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, substance use, eating problems, life transitions challenges (e.g., loss of relationships, parenthood), parenting difficulties, self-harm behavior, suicidal ideations, post-traumatic stress disorder, interpersonal difficulties, emotion regulation difficulties, and borderline personality disorder. She offers primarily cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), as well as mindfulness in her clinical work.

Debbie understands pain and suffering though personal experience and her clinical work. At the outset of therapy, she helps her clients develop therapy goals based on their personal values and long term goals. She helps individuals gain insight into their problems through in-depth assessment of their experience, and then provides tailor-made treatments to meet their individual needs. Her ultimate goal is to help her clients become their own therapist by teaching them adaptive coping and interaction skills. She balances this change-based approach in therapy with acceptance strategies by teaching her clients how to acknowledge what is factual in their lives, validate their own experience (whether the experience is welcome or unwelcome), and be mindful and non-judgmental of all emotions and bodily reactions to events in life.

Debbie received her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University (American Psychological Association-accredited) in New York in 2005 after completing her internship training at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Child, Youth and Family Program) in Toronto. In 2009, she completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Marsha Linehan (treatment developer of DBT) at the University of Washington, where she received intensive training and supervision in DBT and in research on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Debbie has worked in various clinical settings including the Children’s & Women’s Health Centre of BC (outpatient medical), Surrey Memorial Hospital (inpatient adolescent psychiatry), Vancouver General Hospital (VGH; adult mental health and substance use outpatient services), and the DBT Centre of Vancouver (a community group practice).

Debbie provides clinical supervision to graduate trainees in clinical psychology programs at UBC, SFU, and Adler Universities, as well as doctoral level clinicians in the process of registration with the College of Psychologists of BC. In addition to clinical services, she has taught graduate level courses in clinical assessment at the University of British Columbia and undergraduate courses at Kwantlen University. Further, she has presented her research work in parenting and BPD in international conferences and published her work in these areas in peer-reviewed journals. She has provided clinical consultations and workshops in DBT and BPD-related topics locally and internationally to other mental health clinicians. She is a part time consultant for Behavioral Tech: A Linehan Institute Training Company.

In her spare time, Debbie enjoys gardening in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. She also enjoys spending time with her family (she is a mom of twins!), visiting city parks and the gulf islands, and taking part in the various events and activities this beautiful city offers.

Debbie acknowledges and am grateful that she gets to live and work in the unceded homelands of the fourteen First Nation communities of Heiltsuk, Kitasoo-Xai’xais, Lilwat, Musqueam, N’Quatqua, Nuxalk, Samahquam, Sechelt, Skatin, Squamish, Tla’amin, Tsleil-Waututh, Wuikinuxv, and Xa’xtsa.

Debbie accepts new clients though she does not currently accept online booking from new clients or re-booking from existing clients. If you are interested in seeing her or inquiring about her availability or scope of practice, please email the clinic at info@wisemindcentre.com or give us a call of 604-761-8201.

Dr. Sumin Na completed her PhD in Counselling Psychology at McGill University and her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Victoria. She is a registered psychologist with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia. She completed her Clinical Psychology Residency at Vancouver Coastal Health, where she received training at UBC Hospital, working with individuals with severe mood disorders and psychosis, and at St. Paul’s Hospital, providing therapy to those struggling with chronic pain, eating disorders, and chronic health conditions. She has worked in hospitals, community mental health and university counselling centres in Montreal and Toronto.

Dr. Na works with individuals experiencing a variety of difficulties including, depression, anxiety, trauma, disordered eating, emotion dysregulation and those with chronic pain and health conditions. She also works with individuals struggling with life transitions, relationship and work-related stressors, and those looking to build their emotional resiliency. She has expertise in providing culturally responsive therapy to individuals from diverse backgrounds including immigrants, refugees, and those who identify as LGBT.

Dr. Na uses an integrative approach to therapy using cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT). She provides treatments that are evidence-based and that tailors to the needs of each individual. She believes that the foundation to therapy is a collaborative, warm and compassionate relationship.

In her spare time, Dr. Na enjoys walks with her dog, biking around the city and hiking in the summer. In the winter, she enjoys watching documentaries and experimenting with baking.

Dr. Sumin Na has open up some of her available slots online for booking. If you are interested in making an appointment with her, please go to her online booking page. You can also send us an email (info@wisemindcentre.com) or give us a call at 604-761-8201 to inquire about her availability or scope of practice.

Dr. Sheena Miao is a registrant with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia. Her therapeutic style is warm, empathic, and collaborative, as she understands the anxiety and uncertainty that often accompany any decision to reach out for help. She strives to creates a safe space for her clients, help them feel understood and accepted, and support them to explore how they can reach the goals that make their lives more fulfilling and worth living.

Dr. Miao works with her adult and teen clients on a range of difficulties, including depression, anxiety, anger, substance use, relationship challenges, low self-esteem, life transitions and other stressors. She individualized each client’s treatment based on their unique concerns and goals, and draws from evidence based interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, and Motivational Interviewing.

In addition to her work at Wise Mind Centre, Dr. Miao works at Foundry (Downtown location), an integrated community mental health program for youth and young adults. She had worked at various mental health facilities, such as the Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, Surrey Memorial Hospital (Timber Creek Tertiary Program), Saanich Child and Youth Mental Health, and Royal Jubilee Hospital (Anxiety Clinic). Dr. Miao received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Victoria, specializing in Lifespan Development, and she completed a one-year residency at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences.

Dr. Miao is passionate about helping individuals with navigating and integrating different aspects of identities, such as ethnicity, faith, gender and sexual orientation. She has research expertise in the cultural adjustment and intergenerational relationships in immigrant families, and has published and presented on cultural adjustment and parent-youth relationships in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences.

Dr. Miao offers services in both English and Mandarin.

In her spare time, Dr. Miao enjoys a nice balance of indoor and outdoor activities, such as exploring new cafes and restaurants, listening to music, hiking, painting, and Zumba dancing.

Dr. Miao has open up some of her available slots online for booking. If you are interested in making an appointment with her, please go to her online booking page. You can also send us an email (info@wisemindcentre.com) or give us a call at 604-761-8201 to inquire about her availability or scope of practice.

Dr. Alina Sotskova is a registered psychologist with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia (#2291). Her goal is to provide a supportive space for clients from which they can explore their experiences, address challenges, and make steps towards enhancing their quality of life. It is very important to her to understand each person’s goals and needs so that she can provide support with moving towards finding fulfilling, sustainable ways to meet their needs and experience a connection to a sense of personal meaning and purpose.

Dr. Sotskova’s previous professional experience includes working with adults, couples, and groups in private practice, hospital, rehabilitation, and mental health clinic settings. The concerns that she works with often include: anxiety; depression; impact of trauma, injury, or stressful events; relationship difficulties; life transitions; chronic pain; difficulties coping with life challenges, such as loss of a loved one; self-esteem issues; substance misuse; and or experiencing blocks to thriving in personal goals. The approach she takes is based on evidence-supported theories and methods of counselling and psychotherapy. However, she recognizes that the goals of each person she works with are different and, as such, her approach is uniquely tailored to each client. Her aim is to work together with each client in a collaborative manner, so that the aims of their work together are clear and understandable.

Mental health is something that affects everyone, and people can experience emotional difficulties for many reasons, such as changes in relationships, traumatic events, or feeling overwhelmed by life’s responsibilities. Dr. Sotskova believes that the process of acknowledging emotional and psychological experiences, both pleasant and uncomfortable ones, is a valuable and worthwhile endeavour.

While providing counselling and psychotherapy is Dr. Sotskova’s main focus as a psychologist, she also engages in advocacy for increased awareness of mental health in the community.

Please note that Dr. Sotskova does not presently work with cases that involve a motor vehicle accident, litigation for personal injury related to a motor vehicle accident, or ICBC referrals. She does regularly works with clients who have experienced a workplace injury, or a non-motor-vehicle injury/trauma (e.g., interpersonal violence, operational stress injuries for actively serving Canadian Forces/RCMP/Police members and veterans, assault). If you are not sure whether this applies to you, please feel free to email or call our clinic before coming in, and we would be glad to provide clarification.

Dr. Sotskova will be officially joining Wise Mind Centre on April 22, 2020. She is accepting new clients at this time. If you are interested in making an appointment with her, please go to her online booking page. You can also send us an email (info@wisemindcentre.com) or give us a call at 604-761-8201 to inquire about her availability or scope of practice.

Dr. Trisha Kivisalu completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (fully American Psychological Association Accredited). She uses evidence-based interventions in her work. She has experience working in private practice, university academic settings, hospital settings, community organizations, employee assistance programs, and mental health clinics. She has experience working with individuals across the lifespan. Dr. Kivisalu has also been a clinical supervisor for graduate level therapists in both Master’s and Doctoral level degrees. She has her Provincial Instructor’s Diploma (PID) and worked as a faculty member in the PID program and taught Psychology courses in other institutions. She has presented research at national and international conferences in psychology and published research within the field. She actively engages in research and mentorship activities as she is invested in furthering knowledge about mental health, assessment, therapy, supervision, training and treatment interventions.

Dr. Kivisalu is experienced working with individuals as well as couples. She has experience working to help individual’s manage symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Trichotillomania, Life Stress, Work-Life Balance, and Self-Esteem/Self-Confidence. Furthermore, she also possesses experience working with health professionals during their training and residency (MDs, Ph.D.’s, OTs, PTs, SLPs, & EMTs). In couples work, she helps support healthy relationship communication, effectively manage conflict and collaboratively cope with life’s challenges.

Dr. Kivisalu’s approaches to therapy is integrated and includes Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness, Solution Focused Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Therapy is tailored to the unique presenting concerns of each person and incorporates best practices in treatment.

In her spare time Dr. Kivisalu enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is a native of the Vancouver area and enjoys practicing yoga, engaging in exercise, playing golf, the arts (music, dance, theater), and spending time enjoying the outdoors in Vancouver and the surrounding area.

Dr. Kivisalu joined Wise Mind Centre on April 21, 2020 and is currently working under the supervision of Dr. Debbie Leung, director of Wise Mind Centre. If you have extended health coverage, please check with your insurer directly to see if your plan would reimburse your session fees with Dr. Kivisalu, as not all extended health plans cover services provided by a non-registered clinician supervised by a psychologist. If you are interested in making an appointment with Dr. Kivisalu, please go to her online booking page. You can also send us an email (info@wisemindcentre.com) or give us a call at 604-761-8201 to inquire about her availability and scope of practice.