Bryna Andressen

BA WST & Creativing Writing (2007), MA (California Institute of Integral Studies)


Counseling Psychologist


Bio: Bryna completed a BA in Women's Studies and Creative Writing in 2007. After graduating, she moved to Berkeley, where she completed an MA in Counseling Psychology in Expressive Arts Therapy, a degree offered by the California Institute of Integral Studies. Bryna works as a counsellor at UBC, where her feminist perspective influences her orientation as a counseller. This approach, she explains, "has an impact on many practical decisions I make in my work each day. I have a relational and collaborative approach with clients. I also find myself remembering the feminist phrase, "the personal is political" in connecting individuals' experiences of mental health challenges, violence, and addiction with their broader social context in terms of oppression and privilege, and access to resources. I see part of my role as a professional in the mental health field as working at a systemic level to change social policy, in addition to meeting with individuals and families."