Noreen Sibanda

BA in WST and Psychology (2013)

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MA Counselling Psychology Student

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Bio: Noreen Sibanda was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Canada, where she has spent the last decade working in the community supporting refugee and immigrant families. Some of her notable work includes working on youth participatory research projects with the University of Alberta- Community-University partnership, coordinating summer youth programs, and more recently focusing on bringing awareness to mental health to marginalized individuals. Her passion to destigmatize and increase access to mental health services has led her to work within schools and with community-based organizations offering counselling services at a sliding scale to eliminate barriers. After years of working within the system, she recognized the need to have allies and a network of black therapists, this led to the creation of the Albertablacktherapistsnetwork (ABTN). The ABTN are a group of licensed and regulated professionals working in the field of mental health and addictions that aim to normalize experiences, destigmatize accessing therapy within the black community and reduce barriers and inequalities experienced by people of color. Noreen currently serves as the Executive Director of ABTN. She is a University of Alberta Alumni, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women and Gender studies. She also holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and is a practicing Registered Provisional Psychologist in Edmonton.