Team
Monija Spago BA, MACP, CCC, RP
- Clinical Director
- Registered Psychotherapist
- Canadian Certified Counsellor
-
EMDR Therapist
- Certified Trauma Professional
- Certified Personality Disorder Treatment Professional
Monija completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of New Brunswick and her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. She is the owner and Clinical Director of Mindful Milestones Psychotherapy.
As a Registered Psychotherapist, Monija specializes in working with individuals and couples navigating attachment trauma, complex PTSD, PTSD, developmental trauma, and personality-related patterns, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Her work is deeply rooted in understanding how early relational experiences shape emotional regulation, identity, and patterns in adult relationships.
Monija supports clients experiencing emotional dysregulation, fear of abandonment and rejection, identity challenges, chronic shame, perfectionism, dissociation, avoidance, and difficulty trusting themselves or others. She works extensively with individuals impacted by childhood sexual abuse, neglect, and relational trauma, as well as those navigating anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and grief and loss.
In her work with couples, Monija focuses on the underlying attachment dynamics that drive conflict and disconnection. She supports couples experiencing communication breakdowns, recurring arguments, emotional reactivity, withdrawal, trust issues, infidelity and betrayal trauma, fear of abandonment within the relationship, and difficulties with intimacy and vulnerability. Her work helps partners move out of reactive cycles and toward deeper emotional connection, safety, and secure attachment.
Monija also has a strong interest in supporting clients through military life transitions, complexities of parenthood, and LGBTQ+ related challenges.
Her approach is trauma-informed and integrative, with a strong foundation in Attachment Theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). She draws from a range of evidence-based modalities, including Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), the Gottman Method, and Person-Centered Therapy. She is trained in several trauma-focused approaches, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused CBT, and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).
In sessions, Monija supports clients in exploring and reshaping the narratives they hold about themselves and their experiences. As an emotion-focused clinician, she helps clients process and transform core emotions such as shame, guilt, anger, and hopelessness, with the belief that each emotion carries important meaning and insight toward healing.
I believe it is a natural human need to be connected to others; connection has an immense ability to heal the devastating wounds that life sometimes deals us. I look forward to meeting you and hearing your story over a cup of coffee or tea.
Sometimes what our clients need most is someone who will step into that space with them in empathy and sit with them in pain, anger, and fear. I hope that I can be that safe space for my clients.
Gaby Duque BScPN, RPN
- Registered Psychiatric Nurse
- ADHD-Clinical Services Provider
Gaby graduated from University of Brandon with a Bachelor of Science in Psychiatric Nursing. Gaby has worked with a diverse population, including children, adolescents, adults, and families. She has successfully guided clients, ages 5+, in developing effective coping strategies, emotional regulation, communication skills, and healthier relationships.
With a holistic, compassionate, and non-judgmental approach, Gaby creates a safe and engaging space for children, youth, adults, and families to explore their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, and begin to make sense of their experiences. Gaby understands the importance of meeting clients at their developmental level while also supporting parents in strengthening connection, understanding, and attachment.
Gaby works extensively with children, youth, and adults experiencing emotional and behavioural dysregulation, ADHD-related challenges (impulsivity, inattention, difficulty with focus and organization), identity development concerns, low self-esteem, and difficulty navigating relationships. She also supports clients struggling with intense emotions, mood instability, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and traits associated with personality patterns, including Borderline Personality Disorder. Her work often includes helping clients build distress tolerance, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and a stronger sense of self grounded in values and identity.
She has significant experience supporting a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, Autism, substance use, bullying, and parent-child relational challenges. Gaby also works with children and youth impacted by physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, attachment disruptions, and family stressors, helping them process experiences safely while building resilience and coping skills.
Gaby believes strongly in collaboration and tailors her approach to each individual and family system. She integrates evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with mindfulness (CBT-m), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Advanced Trauma Therapy, Attachment-based approaches, Play Therapy techniques, and Harm Reduction. Through her work, she supports clients in developing insight, strengthening emotional and behavioural regulation, and building the skills needed to navigate life with greater confidence and stability.
Sherrie Anderson,BSW, RSW, MPCC, MACP, CCC
- Registered Social Worker
- Certified Canadian Counsellor
- Psychotherapist
Sherrie is a Registered Social Worker and psychotherapist with almost 2 decades of working and volunteering in the social services and mental health fields in Brandon and surrounding areas. She achieved a Bachelor of Social Work through the University of Manitoba, and a Master of Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University. Leading with authenticity, empathy, and genuine curiosity, along with her education and experience, she has connected with individuals from diverse backgrounds as they navigate life’s obstacles.
Sherrie supports adults navigating childhood trauma and neglect, relational and vicarious trauma, attachment wounding, caregiver burnout, ADHD, anxiety, depression, anger, addiction, emotional dysregulation, bipolar and mood disorders, grief, and life transitions
If you are carrying trauma that never had anywhere to land, burned out before you even noticed it happening, stuck in anxiety or anger that feels bigger than you can manage, or grieving something that does not follow any timeline, Sherrie has spent nearly two decades showing up for people in exactly that place. She deeply understands the challenges of first-responders, corrections officers, CAF members, First Nations communities, and how these challenges may uniquely affect people.
Whatever brought you here, she will meet you there without judgment and without rushing you toward anything you are not ready for.
Using a blend of CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness, and Polyvagal-informed approaches, tailored to you, Sherrie guides people to make sense of how their experiences have shaped them, to reconnect with their own strengths, and start to feeling less overwhelmed and more like themselves again.
Throughout life, we all face many challenges and it can be very intimidating to reach out for help. I hope to offer compassion and understanding as we work together towards hope, healing, and health.
Barb McConnell BSc, RPN
- Registered Psychiatric Nurse
- Advanced Certification in Child and Adult Psychiatry
Barb completed her Registered Psychiatric Nursing Diploma at the Brandon Mental Health Centre and a Bachelor of Science in Mental Health Studies at Brandon University. She also holds an Advanced Certificate in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Barb grew up on a family farm in rural Manitoba and focused most of her 40-year career on working in rurally based Community Mental Health. For over 35 years Barb specialized in child and adolescent mental health and provided services to children, teenagers, parents, and families in a variety of rural communities and schools in the Westman area. Barb also worked in the Adolescent Day Treatment Program and Adult Inpatient Psychiatry at the BMHC. Most recently she worked as a proctor in the Psychosocial Rehab Program supporting adults with severe and persistent mental health issues.
Barb’s specialty and area of expertise is in Mental Health Assessment, Counselling, Education, and Health Promotion. She has extensive experience in working with mental health issues, and behavioral challenges, including ADHD, Autism, Anxiety Disorders, Mood disorders, Parent Child Relational Issues, Adjustment Disorders, Grief and Loss, Separation and Divorce, Emotional and Behavioral Dysregulation, Attachment Trauma, Addictions issues, Substance abuse, Body Image Self Esteem, Bullying Challenges, Disordered Eating, and Suicidal Ideation.
As a clinician, she collaboratively works with clients to represent in words or play their underlying difficulties. She strives to provide an individualized approach to help clients set treatment plans to suit their goals. Barb utilizes clinical interventions integrating evidence-based frameworks such as person-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, attachment theory, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed therapies, mindfulness techniques, family therapies, and play therapy.
Barb’s strongest tool in her clinical work is her empathy as she engages with her clients, holding their stories with attuned compassion. She approaches each client with compassionate curiosity and collaboratively works with families and children to create a healing space. Barb possesses extensive training in the emotional complexities of people’s lives, and she strives to help children, adolescents, adults, parents, and families to bring new meaning to confusing, disruptive, or worrisome emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Faith Clarke, B.A., MACP
- Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology
Faith holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brandon University and a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University.
Faith is committed to creating a warm, safe space where clients feel genuinely heard, respected, and understood. She believes strong therapeutic work starts with trust, and she meets each client exactly where they are, without an agenda for who they should be or how quickly they should get there.
Faith works with children (ages 6 and up), youth, and adults. With children and youth, she has a particular focus on ADHD, neurodivergence, autism, emotional regulation, and behavioural concerns – big reactions that seem to come out of nowhere, trouble managing frustration, difficulty following through even when a child wants to, and the day-to-day struggles that show up at school or at home. She’s especially passionate about helping both kids and their caregivers make sense of these patterns together, in a way that’s compassionate and developmentally attuned, while building real, practical tools for emotional regulation, coping, and everyday functioning.
With clients of all ages, Faith also supports anxiety, low mood and depression, stress, self-esteem struggles, and the harder moments that come with life transitions or family and relationship strain. With adults specifically, her work often centers on setting healthy boundaries, understanding relational patterns, and navigating change.
Faith brings hands-on experience working with children and youth across a range of settings, supporting kids navigating emotional and behavioural challenges as well as neurodivergence. That experience shapes how she shows up in the room: patient, curious, and genuinely invested in understanding what’s underneath the behaviour, not just responding to it.
Faith takes a strengths-based, client-centred approach. Rather than focusing on what’s “wrong,” she works with clients to build resilience, deepen self-understanding, and move toward goals that actually feel meaningful and achievable to them.
“I believe that healing and personal empowerment are possible when our feelings, stories, and past experiences are unpacked in a safe environment."
Amy Smitzniuk-Janz BSW, RSW
- Registered Social Worker
Amy supports individuals navigating a wide range of emotional and life challenges, always with a compassionate and non-judgmental approach. Her areas of focus include support for those experiencing addiction and recovery, as well as harm reduction practices that honour personal agency. She offers deep understanding and care for frontline workers managing vicarious trauma, and for individuals living with the impact of trauma and suicidal ideation.
Amy is experienced in walking alongside those affected by domestic violence, grief, loss, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and those navigating 2SLGBTQQIA+ challenges. Amy also offers support with attachment, parenting challenges, interpersonal conflict, and life transitions. Her approach includes helping individuals build emotional regulation skills and cultivate mindfulness as part of the healing process.
Amy’s work is grounded in a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and person-centered philosophy. She brings an Indigenous-focused lens to her practice, with an ongoing commitment to understanding how historical and ongoing colonial systems impact individual and collective well-being. Amy is dedicated to creating a therapeutic space that feels safe, inclusive, and empowering—where clients can explore their stories with dignity and agency. She honors the uniqueness of each client’s journey and approaches her work with cultural humility, empathy, and respect.
Amy draws from a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches tailored to the needs of each individual. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to support emotional regulation and coping. She uses Narrative Therapy to help clients re-author their stories in ways that align with their values and strengths. A Strengths-Based approach is woven into all of her work, fostering resilience and self-worth. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is also used to help clients identify practical steps toward meaningful change and healing.
Mark Hewins BA, BSW, RSW
- Registered Social Worker
Mark completed his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Brandon University and his Bachelor of Social Work at The University of Manitoba. As a Registered Social Worker, Mark’s focuses on supporting clients with compassion and evidence-based approaches to promote holistic well-being and mindful self-compassion.
Mark works with individuals, couples, and families, with a strong focus on supporting couples through a wide range of relational challenges. He has extensive experience in conflict resolution, mediation, separation and divorce, and marital counselling. Mark helps couples navigate communication breakdowns, recurring conflict, emotional disconnection, loss of intimacy, trust issues, infidelity, and the impact of stressors such as parenting, life transitions, and unresolved past experiences.
In his work with families and individuals, Mark supports concerns related to mood disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, substance use, and relational difficulties. He also provides guidance around parenting, co-parenting, and family conflict, helping clients build healthier dynamics and more effective communication patterns.
Mark’s therapeutic approach is rooted in evidence-based treatments to promote balance and mental well-being. He approaches therapy with a non-judgmental, trauma-informed perspective, providing a therapeutic space with clients to foster hope and recovery. Mark utilizes a combination of holistic, solution focused therapy, mindfulness, and mindful self compassion techniques, help clients develop greater insight and coping abilities. Mark will collaboratively work with you to build skills and empowerment so you can embrace meaningful activities and live a life you love. In your work together, clients can expect to feel unstuck by emotionally driven behaviors and live life with more ease.
I hope to meet with you, where you are at in your present circumstances so that you feel heard, seen and valued. My hope is that our time together leads you to a place of healing, kindness, and compassion.
"When we put the work in to change, we will then see the change"
Janet Schonewille B.A., BEd, MEd
- Certified Canadian Counsellor
My experience as a mental health counsellor has allowed me to work across the lifespan; ranging from school – age children, youth, to adults of varying ages. In addition to having a solid understanding of family dynamics, I am trained in the following therapies; Brief Narrative Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Informed Trauma Focused Therapy and level one of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. My background and training in expressive arts therapy (attachment-based art therapy) and music therapy often complement these forms of therapy.
I enjoy the specialized work of assisting individuals in the management of loss and grief, depression, anxiety, trauma, attachment challenges, emotional regulation, behavioral challenges, racing and intrusive thoughts, hopelessness, trouble focusing, emotional flooding, and childhood trauma-related symptoms. As such, I work towards creating a safe and welcoming space for my clients. I begin where the client is and focus on their self-defined goals for change. My focus is not to fix, but to work alongside my clients, providing them with skills and strategies from a holistic approach that they can use to help them continue to move forward.
After residing in Kenora, Ontario for the past 18 years, the last 10 of which have been dedicated to providing mental health services, I have decided to follow my dream to return to live and work in the Brandon area. It is in Brandon where I attended University, getting my degree in Education, and then my Masters degree in Guidance and Counseling. While I enjoyed my time in Northwestern Ontario, I feel that my relocation to Brandon provides me with an opportunity to give back to a thriving community.
Dion (Dee-Dee) MacArthur BA, BSW, MSW
- Registered Clinical Social Worker
- ART-Trained Therapist
After working as a Registered Social Worker in Toronto for the past 17 years, supporting individuals overcome the impact of trauma, addictions and upheaval in their lives, I am excited that I have returned to my hometown of Brandon, MB. I am looking forward to working alongside individuals who feel stuck or overwhelmed and to help them make positive changes and rediscover their strengths.
I have had the honour of working with individuals struggling with the impact of trauma, whether a single event or ongoing, and occurred in childhood, at work, or in adulthood. I am passionate about helping folks recover from their current challenges, such as PTSD, complex PTSD, OSI (Operational Stress Injury), loss, grief, anxiety, depression, anger, shame, guilt, low self-esteem, addiction and hopelessness. I have extensive experience working with individuals, families, and groups, and offering support and psychoeducation to Veterans, military members, and first responders such as nurses, paramedics, RCMP, police, correction officers and firefighters.
Often individuals try to cope the best they can, which may lead to engaging in behaviours that provide short-term solutions and escape from inner turmoil but eventually cause harm. These behaviours may look like substance misuse/addictions, or unhelpful behaviours, for example, perfectionism, shopping, sex, gambling, disordered eating, impulsiveness, self-harm. I am passionate about helping people find what may be driving their unhelpful thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
I approach therapy with curiosity, warmth, compassion and with an awareness that each of us has strengths and resiliencies. At times, life can become overwhelming and a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship can help a person realize that they are not alone. I support my clients in learning how to overcome their current struggles, increase their self-esteem and confidence, and recover from unhelpful behaviours, overwhelming emotions, and inaccurate thoughts. I help folks by imparting psychoeducation about trauma, addictions and maladaptive behaviours; teaching DBT coping skills; and implementing evidence-based approaches, such as CBT, CPT, and ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy).
"I have had the privilege to walk along side many amazing people who made remarkable progress and recoveries, and lasting change leading to overall improved lives. I look forward to offering my supports to our Westman community"
"I believe therapy is a journey we take together, honoring each person’s story, strengths, and culture, while helping them reconnect with their potential and walk confidently toward the life they aspire to create. I also believe that every client has power and strength within themselves, even when they may not yet see or believe it."
Brooke Hall, BSc, BSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker
- Registered Social Worker
Brooke Hall is a Registered Social Worker who brings compassion, authenticity, and a holistic, strengths-based approach to her counselling practice. She has extensive experience supporting children, youth, and families impacted by intergenerational trauma, walking alongside clients through complex challenges and tailoring her approach to each person’s unique journey.
Brooke works with individuals and families navigating a wide range of life challenges, including the impacts of trauma, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, self-esteem difficulties, addiction, attachment challenges, emotional and behavioural challenges, children and youth struggling with impacts of separation and divorce, bullying, and life transitions. She supports clients through trauma-informed practices that include self-regulation strategies, mindfulness techniques, emotional expression, repairing disconnections, building communication skills between family members, self-care, self-esteem and resiliency building, and reprogramming unhelpful thought patterns.
Brooke is a Treaty Status Indigenous woman born and raised in Northern Manitoba. She grew up on a dog sled in the winters and spent summers camping, hunting, fishing, and surrounded by puppies, always connected to family, community, nature, and dogs. These experiences have shaped her relational and culturally informed approach to healing.
Cori Pople, BSW, RSW
- Registered Social Worker
Cori is a registered Social Worker who completed her BSW at the University of Manitoba. She has many years of experience supporting individuals and families impacted by life’s challenges, including parenting struggles, life transitions, complex trauma, substance use, and grief and loss.
Cori has worked extensively with adults impacted by childhood abuse and neglect and individuals navigating depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, intergenerational parenting difficulties, and past or current domestic abuse. Cori is also experienced in supporting parents who have experienced the death of a child, front line workers experiencing vicarious trauma and individuals navigating 2SLGBTQQIA+challenges.
Cori’s practice is grounded in a holistic model of human wellness, drawing on bio-pycho-social-spiritual (BPSS) theory and an understanding of the role that early childhood experiences play in shaping our adult identities and relational and behavioural patterns. Cori practices from a trauma informed, domestic violence informed, culturally competent, person-centered, and strengths-based approach. She believes in the importance of embracing our full range of human emotional responses to life as a path to understanding ourselves and healing.
Cori integrates a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches into her work tailored to the individual needs of her client. These approaches include drawing on techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT). Cori believes in the importance of harm reduction, mindfulness and getting comfortable with discomfort as component of holistic wellness.
Cori is committed to offering a safe, inclusive, and non-judgmental therapeutic space where clients can share their stories, make sense of their past experiences, make friends with their entire range of human emotions and feel empowered to live their lives with purpose.
"I don’t believe that any of our human emotions are inherently good or bad but that a lot of us grew up being taught that they were. We were discouraged or even unsafe to learn how to feel and express sadness or anger or hurt while often experiencing harms that rightly should evoke these emotions. As adults we now equate feeling these “sad” feels with some sort of failure of our lives; chasing happy as the ultimate but unattainable goal. It is in denying ourselves connection to our full range of human emotional response that we deny ourselves peace. In my house we have a saying that we feel our feelings. We get to know what they are telling us about ourselves. I hope I can be a safe place for my clients to feel their feelings so they too can embrace life to the fullest."
Shane Smith, RPN
Registered Psychiatric Nurse
Shane is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse with nearly 20 years of clinical experience. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the University of Brandon in 2006, he has worked primarily with adults and couples struggling with mental health issues.
Shane’s expertise includes psychiatric assessments, crisis intervention, and psychoeducation, integrated with talk therapy. He draws from CBT, psychodynamic frameworks, and has an extensive background in DBT therapy – helpful for anyone who feels like their emotions swing quickly and intensely, who struggles to regulate once upset, or who’s looking for real, practical tools to manage overwhelming feelings rather than just talking about them.
Shane has worked closely with individuals navigating Borderline Personality Disorder, including intense emotional reactions, fear of abandonment, unstable relationships, and a pattern of feeling either all-in or completely shut down. He supports people through Mood Disorders, from persistent low mood and loss of interest to mood swings that feel hard to predict or control. His experience with Addictions includes helping people who feel stuck in cycles they can’t seem to break, whether that’s substance use or other compulsive patterns that have taken on a life of their own.
Additionally, Shane’s work with Complex Trauma supports those carrying the weight of difficult or repeated past experiences, which can show up as hypervigilance, difficulty trusting others, emotional numbness, or feeling triggered by things that seem to come out of nowhere. Shane also works with challenges such as eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder.
If any of this sounds familiar, Shane’s approach is built around meeting you exactly where you are, without judgment, and helping you build a path forward that actually feels manageable
Shane is passionate about supporting individuals in their recovery and mental health journeys. Shane’s goal is to create a safe, non-judgemental space where individuals can regain balance and control of their lives in a more effective way.
Drawing on his background in psychiatric nursing, Shane integrates a variety of therapeutic approaches while recognizing the unique needs of each individual. He focuses on building practical skills to manage health challenges, assists in navigating our health systems, and promotes resilience, while honoring the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of well-being.