I was born in North Vancouver and at the age of 5 moved to Prince George, BC. I had my first drink in Prince George at the age of 12 and smoked marijuana at the same age. This was a good way to escape the turmoil in my home. Drinking and doing drugs became a way of life through high school and into my working career. Most jobs I had I lost due to absences caused by hangovers and a bad attitude directly related to my addiction. In 1989, I finally admitted I was an alcoholic. I had no problem admitting I was a drug addict and would probably die of an overdose but the admission that I was a drunk and the stigma attached to that was a tough one. Since entering recovery, I have not found it necessary to pick up a drink or a drug for some 16 years now, and have enjoyed all the benefits that recovery and life can offer. My message of recovery is I am a miracle not in getting sober, which is my foundation, but in what has happened, in my life since I stopped using. I have been given a second chance and you to can have a second chance, I watch miracles happen all the time with the women I work with. I have worked in the recovery field since 1990, at Westminster House in New Westminster, working with women suffering the effects of addiction. In 1991, I co-founded InnerVisions Recovery Society. I am one of the directors of the Treatment Centres, primarily I am involved in the women’s treatment centre. I am fully certified in Conflict Resolution, negotiation, and mediation from the Justice Institute of B.C. and have taught these skills to grade 4 - 5 students, job clubs and teen mothers. I also hold certification in Job Club Leadership from HRDC and Douglas College. Lastly I am certified in two levels of Satir Brief systemic therapy Family Systems.

The Residential Treatment Program of InnerVisions has been accredited by CARF