TEAM

Christian Bellehumeur is the principal investigator of this research project. He is a full professor at the School of Counselling, Psychotherapy and Spirituality, at Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario. As a clinical psychologist-researcher, he is a member of the College of Psychologists of Quebec as well as member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. For more than 15 years, in his research, he has integrated various conceptual frameworks mainly from the theory of the imaginary (G. Durand), positive psychology, and psychology of religion and spirituality, as seen in his publications such as three co-edited books: two published by the Presses de l'Université Laval (PUL): Laprée et Bellehumeur (2013). L'imaginaire durandien. Enracinements et envols en Terre d’Amérique and Bellehumeur et Malette (2019).  Psychologie positive et spiritualité en psychothérapie; and another published by Peeters (Belgium): Bellehumeur et al. (2022).  Positive Psychology and Spirituality in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Cynthia Bilodeau is co-researcher in this research project. She holds a doctorate in Education (followed by postdoctoral studies in psychology), is an associate professor and principal investigator of a SSHRC research grant (2018-2020, with co-investigator C. Bellehumeur) integrating the framework of positive psychology into the academic context of psychotherapy supervision. Member of the Research Center and of intervention on education and life at work (CRIEVAT), she is also associate editor francophone for the Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

.

Lakshmi Sundaram, MA, RP, RYT is a psychotherapist, workshop facilitator and part-time professor at Saint Paul University (SPU). Her academic interests began at McGill University (BSc Agriculture major Environmental Biology) and were followed by an MA in counselling, psychotherapy and spirituality from SPU. Under the direction of C. Bellehumeur, Lakshmi also completed 3 years of doctoral studies at SPU. Her academic research and publications focused on ecopsychology, ecotherapy, nature and spirituality and mindfulness. Lakshmi continues to grow on her family farm where organic market gardens nurture the land and honour our human connection with nature. In her private practice - www.lakshmisundaram.ca – she also offers equine facilitated, nature based and mindfulness counselling and workshops. 

Mario Sonier is a doctoral candidate in the PhD in Counselling and Spirituality at Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario. He has been a military chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces since 1999 and has over 11 years of experience in psychotherapy at two CF mental health clinics and Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centers (OTSSC). He has participated in the training and supervision of military chaplains in the acquisition of basic counseling skills and has delivered short workshops on mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Mario is interested in the integration of spirituality in psychotherapy and wants to continue his doctoral research on the experience of beauty, the imaginary, and resilience.

Nathalie Robinson is a doctoral student in the PhD program in Counselling and Spirituality at Saint Paul University (SPU), Ottawa, Ontario. She is currently a teaching assistant at Saint Paul University and a research assistant for both Eco-visions and the Centre of Excellence for Research in Psychotherapy and Spirituality (CERPS), at SPU. Her passion for working with older adults has led her to volunteer with older adults in the Ottawa Community for over 5 years. In her research, Nathalie is interested in better understanding older adults' perceptions, lived experiences and adaptive responses to climate change.

Elizabeth (Lisa) Nisbet is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Trent University. Her research encompasses personality, social, health, and environmental psychology, exploring individual differences in 'nature relatedness' and the links between human-nature relationships, health, happiness, and sustainable behaviour. This work includes perceptions of the specific features or elements of nature, such as green spaces, blue spaces, and wildlife, as well as the consequences of disconnection from nature. Dr. Nisbet's work is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and appears in Psychological Science, Environment and Behavior , Canadian Psychology, Ecopsychology and the Journal of Happiness Studies. She teaches courses on health psychology, emotion and motivation, personality, environmental health, and environmental psychology. To learn more:  naturerelatedness.ca.

Amélie Desbiens is a master's student in Counseling and Spirituality at Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario, in anticipation of becoming a psychotherapist. Amélie is interested in the integration of spirituality into the psychological well-being of people, interventions through the animal assisted therapy approach (zootherapy), mindfulness with nature and the use of the arts in personal development. Having an approach favoring different currents in psychology, Amélie wishes to accompany each person towards recovery and personal growth. Thus, her sensitivity for the environment and her interest in helping for well-being converge with the projects and values of Eco-Visions.

Charlotte Bisson is a master's student in Counselling and Spirituality at Saint Paul University. Charlotte's encounters are tinged with her humanistic side. She likes to recognize and take in the beauty that surrounds her. In the context of climate change and the growing phenomenon of the eco-anxiety, she is particularly interested in the benefits of nature and its healing power. In particular, she explores how immersive experiences in forest environments, forest bathings (also called « Shinrin-Yoku ») can have positive consequences on people's well-being and mental health.

Flavie Beaudet holds a master's degree in Psychotherapy, Counselling and Spirituality (Saint Paul University). In everyday life, in clinical practice as well as in her teaching methods, Flavie is guided by the modus operandi everything is matter (i.e. which can serve our purposes).

This modus namely serves as a lever with which to fully grasp life on a daily basis and to give it meaning by creating from the resources available in practically all spheres: accompanying a person, doing creative work or collaborating with our Mother Earth to better deal with the current climate changes.  There lies a bridge which Flavie suggests crossing will help us cope with this reality and its impacts on the wellbeing of the humanity we share. 

Rocksane Forget is a master's student in Couple and Family Counseling and Spirituality, at Saint Paul University in Ottawa. She lives near the green lung of the Outaouais, Gatineau Park. Sensitive to environmental issues, she takes daily actions with awareness, responsibility and love for the world surrounding her. She is convinced that it is through social engagement that she can participate in the advancement of knowledge. For this reason, she has decided to get involved in the Eco-visions research project.

Fatène is a master's student in Counseling and Spirituality at Saint Paul University. As a future psychotherapist, Fatène aims to support people in their therapeutic journey of their well-being and mental health. Her thesis contributes to the Eco-visions project by introducing the concepts of the polyvagal theory for the interpretation of eco-emotions associated with climate change. She demonstrates a particular interest in minority groups and different environmental values.

Marquis L. Bureau is a doctoral candidate in Interdisciplinary Research on Contemporary Social Issues and a part-time professor in the School of Counselling, Psychotherapy and Spirituality at Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario. He is a humanistic coach, trainer, and consultant. With a solid background in the field of personal and organizational development, he accompanies his clients in their transformation. His personal mission is to be at the service of the birth and growth of a new story for the individual, the group, and the organization. Marquis is an academic-practitioner, one who has a foot in both the academic and practical worlds and is particularly interested in advancing the causes of theory and practice.

Laure-Marie Carignan, a post-doctoral fellow at Saint-Paul University, has been a part-time professor for 10 years. Her doctoral research pertained to the contribution of Asperger traits and the imaginary to family resilience, and she has published several academic chapters on resilience, the imaginary, and the integration of spirituality into the process of psychotherapy, as well as on human lifespan development and neurodiversity. Laure-Marie has enjoyed a 30-year career as an individual, couple, and family therapist and clinical director in local community services in the national capital region. She has lived in an idyllic setting on a lake in the woods of Val-Des-Monts for most of her career, and is vitally interested in preserving such natural settings for the mental and physical wellness of future generations.

Chris Kam is a PhD student at Saint Paul University studying the imagination, personality, and interpersonal complexity. He also provides therapy as a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario. He has published numerous peer reviewed articles and has helped co-edit Positive Psychology and Spirituality in Counselling and Psychotherapy published by Peeters. He has the soul of an artist and the mind of a scholar. With this combination, he attempts to use intellectual artistry to conceptualize academic material with useful originality. He wants to try to use his philosophical daydreaming and conceptual doodling to help Eco-Visions carry out its purpose. He is particularly interested in exploring how diverse unconscious personality structures may be involved in our ways to experience and deal with climate change.

Cécile Rozuel is a collaborator on this project. She is a researcher grounded in Jungian psychology and the imagination, a lens through which she explores the conscious and unconscious psychodynamics of individuals and organizations and their ethical significance for human development. Her publications have examined various aspects of self, soul, moral imagination, storytelling and alchemy in the context of work as well as beyond work. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, a co-founder of the Research Group on Imagination, Storytelling and Spaces - https://imaginestories.space/ – and an Assistant Professor at Saint Paul University, Ottawa, ON.