B Well Health Coaching
B Well Health Coaching is an evidence-based behavioural change service designed to better support you with your health and wellbeing goals!
The B Well Behavioural Health Coaching Service is a chronic disease prevention service that launched in October 2020 as part of the Burnaby Primary Care Network (PCN). B Well is the first of its kind health coaching program in BC, designed by expert psychologists, leveraging evidence-based strategies in behavioural medicine. PCN Health Coaches, under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist, serve as an extension of the primary care team to support patients who are at risk for, or in mild to moderate stages of chronic health conditions.
The goals of this health coaching service are to incorporate evidence-based approaches, tools, methodologies, and motivational interviewing to support individuals in making small, manageable, and self-directed steps to successful and long-lasting health and behavioural change. Health Coaches work with patients to assess their unique needs, challenges, and barriers to healthy lifestyle choices and co-develop a customized health plan. B Well has already demonstrated success as determined by 6-month and 12-month health and well-being assessment outcomes including decreased weight, increased activity, and improvements in anxiety and depression scores.
The program provides patients up to 1.5 years of service, and includes the following:
- Core service of individual coaching and monitoring for up to six months
- Monthly long-term maintenance group coaching for an additional year
- Virtual and/or in-person patient coaching
Our Allied Health professionals can offer services in a variety of languages and have access to interpreter services in over 150 languages.
Eligibility
- Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner
- Patient is 19 years or older
- Patient is at risk of developing chronic disease or with mild to moderate chronic disease (early stage)
- Patient will benefit from lifestyle changes
Please speak with your Burnaby-based Primary Care Provider to see if you are eligible for this service.
Meet Our PCN Health Coaches
DR. SANDRA THOMPSON, R. Psych
PCN B Well Clinical Lead
Primary Neighbourhood: Edmonds
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Qualifications: Registered Psychologist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology
Experience: Dr. Thompson has worked in a number of settings providing psychological consultation, assessment, and treatment services. She completed her pre-doctoral residency at the Edmonton Consortium Clinical Psychology Residency in 2005. She has been an Assistant Professor/Developmental and Rural Psychologist with the Clinical Health Psychology Department in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. During this time, Dr. Thompson supervised pre-doctoral residents and currently supervises residents with the B Well Service. She has specialized training in number of modalities including DBT and more recently is completing Level I Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher Training. She also has a small private practice where she provides psychological services for WSBC, military and first responders impacted by traumatic events. Dr. Thompson also provides intervention services to patients of the Nanaimo Pain Clinic with Island Health. She has been honoured to have the opportunity lead the innovative B Well Team in assisting clients to make positive changes to their overall health and well-being.
Fun Fact: Dr. Thompson enjoys crosswords, yoga, and spending time with her two children.
Michelle Wilson, BFA
PCN B Well Clinical Coordinator and Health Coach
Primary Neighbourhood: Metrotown
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Qualifications: B Well-trained Health Coach, Bachelor of Fine Arts
Experience: Michelle has worked in education, healthcare and community settings supporting individuals living with complex health conditions and diverse abilities. Her training and experience is in behaviour change support and social-emotional learning. This influences how she works — encouraging individuals to be self-determined so that they may thrive and flourish. Her collaborative approach seeks to help clients find creative solutions to support their ongoing skill development. She has experience liaising between allied health care teams and creating partnerships with community organizations. She values meaningful connection and relationship building through kindness, compassion, trust and respect. With a family history of chronic illness, she understands that change is hard. She is passionate about removing barriers and empowering individuals on their wellness journey.
Fun Fact: She is a prairie girl who loves traveling and being in nature. She is creative and enjoys painting in acrylics and watercolours.
Kyla Bardal, BKin, ACSM CEP
PCN B Well Health Coach
Primary Neighbourhood: Edmonds
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Qualifications: B Well trained Health Coach, Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist with a Bachelor of Kinesiology and Extended Minor in Psychology
Experience: Kyla has 6 years of experience as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Health Coach. She has worked in both community and hospital settings with individuals living with chronic health conditions. She is experienced in healthy lifestyle coaching around a variety of chronic health conditions including but not limited to: diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Kyla is passionate about supporting her clients in creating sustainable lifestyle changes and improving their overall health and quality of life using the small changes approach.
Fun Fact: Kyla has a 1-year-old son which keeps her very busy.
Ann-Marie Heino, BSW, RSW
PCN B Well Health Coach
Primary Neighbourhood: Edmonds
Other Language: French
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Qualifications: B Well trained Health Coach, Bachelor’s degree in Social Work
Experience: Ann-Marie has worked in Fraser Health for the past 18 years in various acute and community-based programs. She has provided extensive support to individuals experiencing life changes, grief/loss, and chronic health conditions. She practices from a holistic and strengths-based approach believing each individual is the expert of their own life story. She sees her role as being a safe and empowering resource to help equip clients to achieve their personal goals. She is a strong believer in the power of reframing our thoughts (self-talk) as well as utilizing physical movement, creative expression and humour to activate different pathways that allow for change and healing to occur. She encourages people to never underestimate the impact of accepting what is, embracing self-compassion, and making the smallest of changes.
Fun Fact: She is an avid nap-taker, thrift-finder, ocean-lover and lifelong-learner as she attempts to keep up to her active partner, daughter, and feline.
Ava Li, BA, BASc, MHSc, RD
PCN B Well Health Coach
Primary Neighbourhood: Edmonds
Other Language: Cantonese
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Qualifications: B Well trained Health Coach, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Applied Science in Nutrition and Food, Master of Health Science in Nutrition Communication, Registered Dietitian
Experience: Ava has spent an extensive amount of time working in community healthcare settings in Toronto and Vancouver in non-profit organizations and urgent care settings. She is keen in helping others and uses a compassionate approach to help clients make positive changes in their lives. She understands that there are numerous determinants of health that impacts a person’s life and works collaboratively with clients to develop realistic health goals. She is knowledgeable in chronic disease prevention and management, eating disorders and diabetes, among other nutrition-related topics. As an advocate for volunteerism, Ava enjoys mentoring and volunteering at local non-profit organizations.
Fun Fact: Ava enjoys travelling and learning about different cultures. She has spent considerable time in Hong Kong, Toronto, and Vancouver. Ava’s favourite place to travel to is Italy and always finds something new and exciting every time she visits.
Raissa MaiA
PCN B Well Health Coach
Primary Neighbourhood: Metrotown
Other Language: Portuguese
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Qualifications: B Well trained Health Coach, Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition, and Specialization in Eating disorders and Obesity
Experience: Raissa has experience working with individuals in order to promote healthy relationships with food and their bodies. Her approach has a focus on evidence-based, non-judgemental and compassionate care. Raissa completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition from Brazil in 2018. Her experience has been in a private clinic and volunteer capacity where she provided dietician services as part of interdisciplinary team (including Psychologists and Psychiatrists) for individuals who struggle with eating disorders.
Fun Fact: Raissa enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is interested in trying new things including new foods! She often tries out new restaurants and coffee shops. She also enjoys bicycling and being outdoors.
Kerri-Anne Pattison, BSc, RHC
PCN B Well Health Coach
Primary Neighbourhood: Edmonds
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Qualifications: Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Nutritional Therapy Level 5 Diploma, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Certification, B Well Trained Health Coach
Experience: Kerri-Anne spent a few years working as a support worker for individuals with brain injuries, and/or mental health conditions, alongside studying for a BSc in Psychology. Since then, she has studied nutritional therapy, integrative nutrition coaching and yoga to develop a holistic approach to healing, and prevention of health conditions. She has her own private practice as a holistic health coach, where she is able to work with a diverse range of clients on improving gut health, reducing inflammation and balancing hormones to optimize fertility. She has also worked at a clinic specializing in children with ADHD and ASD, and adults with auto-immune conditions. Kerri-Anne holds a strong belief that food is a powerful form of medicine, and when combined with healthy and balanced lifestyle factors, gives you the power to reclaim complete health and vitality in your life.
Fun Fact: Kerri-Anne loves to travel and has visited 43 countries (and counting!), and worked in the travel industry for many years. She has taken multiple sabbaticals and gap years, and even spent maternity leave travelling in Europe and Asia with her baby girl, visiting 9 countries all before her first birthday!
Kaitey Vincent, BA
PCN B Well Health Coach
Primary Neighbourhood: Hastings-Brentwood
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Qualifications: B Well trained Health Coach, Bachelor of Arts, with a Major in Health Science and a Major in Communications
Experience: Spending close to a decade working in the field of chronic disease management – conducting studies, collaborating with family physicians, oncologists, researchers, patients, and other members of health care – as well as running her own coaching business, Kaitey brings a unique blend of experiences as a coach. Through her experience working with individuals living with chronic health conditions, she understands that we are simply not in the position to take the best care of ourselves or tackle challenges with clarity if we don’t have the tools or platform to declutter negative thoughts and outdated beliefs. Kaitey is compassionate, funny, and intuitive; her down to earth attitude allows clients to feel safe and seen. She puts high emphasis on creating a safe space and takes the time to listen and understand her clients’ unique barriers so that she can support them in the process of moving in the direction of their overall goals.
Fun Fact: During her spare time, she enjoys exploring farmers markets in search of dinner ingredients, hiking Vancouver’s local trails, and traveling.
Tiana Abraham, BScKin, ACSM CEP
PCN B Well Health Coach
ON LEAVE
Primary Neighbourhood: Edmonds
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Qualifications: American College of Sports Medicine Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with an extended minor in Psychology. CSEP-CPT, Diploma in Sports Science and AFPA Pre-Post Natal Exercise Specialist.
Experience: Tiana has both worked and volunteered in many community and hospital-based rehabilitation programs, primarily working with Cerebrovascular Accident survivors and Cardiac Rehabilitation patients. Tiana entered the field of Exercise Physiology fueled by her passion to help others regain independence after unexpected events/diagnoses and improve their self-reported quality of life, as well as to help promote lifestyle change as a major factor in current and future health outcomes. Tiana also has experience in private practice, working in chronic disease prevention and management, coaching clients through lifestyle modifications and active rehabilitation post MVA/injury, and teaching both group/one-one strength-training sessions.
Fun Fact: Tiana is a new mom of two boys! She is looking forward to rediscovering herself through new hobbies as the seasons of her life change. She looks forward to sharing her love for snowboarding, walks by the river, team sports and baking with her family.