Our Team

Vanessa Dowell, woman with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses smiling outdoors in a wooded area with green trees in the background.

Vanessa Dowell, MSW, RSW

Vanessa is a Master’s-trained Clinical Social Worker with over 22 years of experience supporting individuals and families through a range of mental health and life challenges. Vanessa offers counselling for stress, anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions, and relationship concerns. Vanessa has a specialized focus on fertility, perinatal mental health, and birth trauma, shaped by 11 years working in a perinatal mental health program and her own personal journey through fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum.

Vanessa currently has a waitlist for new clients however please reach out to discuss your specific needs. Vanessa also specializes in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and is currently offering Intensive ART treatment packages to new clients.

Joanna Talecka, A woman with glasses and short dark hair stands outdoors in sunlight, wearing a red polka dot blouse. She looks at the camera with a slight smile, with sunlight creating a halo effect behind her head.

Joanna Talecka, RCC

Joanna is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with a Master of Counselling and over 15 years of experience in the social services sector, including 10 years with Nelson Community Services. She is currently accepting new clients in person and online through Lupine Clinical Counselling. Joanna has a special interest in perinatal mental health and is completing certification through the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Training Program (CPMHT). Her work supports individuals and families navigating reproductive health, prenatal and postpartum anxiety and depression, birth trauma, parenting, relationship challenges, and major life transitions.

Her approach is client-centered, compassionate, and trauma-informed. Joanna integrates Narrative Therapy, CBT, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and other evidence-based practices to help clients build self-awareness, inner resilience, and positive coping strategies. She brings a holistic lens and a background as a former DONA-certified Doula to her work. Joanna lives with her partner and two young children on a homestead outside Nelson and enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time outdoors with family and friends.

Jessica Dillon, A young woman with long, wavy brown hair, fair skin, and a subtle smile, standing against a plain pink wall, wearing a light green textured short-sleeve top.

Jessica Dillon, BSW, RSW (Practicum Student)

Jessica (she/her) is a Social Worker with a BSW from Thompson Rivers University and a background in anti-violence work, mental health, community reintegration, and seniors’ care. In 2020, she completed a Holistic Doula Certificate to combine social work with perinatal support. Since then, she has attended over 50 births, supported 70+ families postpartum, and created a trauma-informed childbirth education course delivered to more than 90 parents.

In 2024, Jessica shifted her focus to perinatal mental health and began pursuing certification and a Master of Social Work from Dalhousie University. She is now based in the Kootenays and completing her practicum with Lupine Clinical Counselling, where she will offer counselling at a reduced student rate from September 2025 to April 2026. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, reading, and exploring local markets with her husband and pets.