Meet Our Team

We walk alongside you on the path of recovery.

Armour Addiction is home to the most innovative, dynamic, and collaborative addiction treatment team on Vancouver Island.

Not only are we talented and dedicated to recovery, we also happen to have huge hearts and care deeply about our clients.
We, as a team, will support you through your recovery and walk every step alongside you.

You never have to face your recovery alone.

Jacqueline Armour - Founder

PhD (c), Sexologist, MA, ICADC, CCAC, CSAT, CSAT-S, CCTP, CARC, MSLC

My counselling style incorporates several therapeutic approaches including the IITAP, Pat Carnes Sex Addiction Task model (CSAT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Solution-Focused Therapy Utilizing my own personal experience and journey of recovery from addiction, my philosophy prioritizes active participation, relationship building, flexible and adaptable methods, inquiry, and reflection based learning. I believe in a client-initiative, collaborative approach to healing.

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Peter Barry - Continuing Care Coordinator

MHA

Peter’s journey into recovery began in 2016. A graduate of Camosun’s Mental Health and Addictions Program, Peter brings both personal experience and foundational knowledge of the many difficulties around Substance Abuse and Mental Health recovery. His extensive work with individuals in recovery-based supportive living gives him a unique insight into the many day-to-day challenges of early recovery, and the opportunities to learn and grow from those experiences. His ease and ability to connect with individuals has helped him connect with many clients on a deep, personal level and helped them achieve many successes. Having worked in, and deeply involved in the Victoria recovery community, Peter has great connections and knowledge of the services and resources available to clients to help them achieve their individual needs and goals in recovery.

Geri Laurence – Somatic Therapist

As a deeply knowledgeable, intuitive guest speaker, and group facilitator with over 27 years of combined experience working in addictions and disabilities, Geri has made it her life’s work to contribute to the health and welfare of others when they need it most.
Training with world-renowned industry experts, she has both founded and worked with many different organizations that support some of society’s most vulnerable populations. For the past 5 years Geri has focused solely on supporting individuals recovering from addictions and codependency and integrates her training in somatic therapy to educate and teach participants how to resolve trauma within their nervous systems. Geri specializes in working with military professionals and individuals who suffer from PTSD. Geri completed her Somatic Therapy training with the Somatic Experiencing Institute at the University of British Columbia and is also a senior yoga instructor with 20+ years of experience recognized by the Yoga Association of British Columbia and the Yoga Alliance.

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Kennedy Lewis - Counsellor

Counsellor, MA, CCC

Kennedy is a Certified Canadian Counsellor that specializes in trauma. She completed her Master’s in Counselling Psychology at the University of Victoria where she focused on counselling men that have PTSD. She currently operates a private practice where she does extensive trauma work with her clients, integrating Gestalt, Interpersonal and Polyvagal approaches. Kennedy does work with individuals, couples and families at an agency in Victoria that specializes in supporting MCFD involved clients. She also co-operates a program called Extraordinary Workers that provides counselling services, workshops and trainings for support, front line and outreach workers.

Kennedy believes that unresolved trauma can be a primary driver of distress; whether someone is coping with addiction, domestic violence, relationship issues, anxiety, depression, self- harming, etc. Often, people have a hard time coming back to a place of internal or external safety when an event, or series of events has occurred. She is passionate about supporting people in finding a sense of safety, so they can begin to explore root causes and create sustainable, meaningful change in their own lives.

Richard Osler - Poetry Therapist

Poetry Therapist

During his final business chapter as a registered specialty money manager Richard rediscovered the healing power of words, first in his own life and then in the lives of countless others through his poetry writing workshops at recovery centers in Vancouver, Bowen Island and now, to his delight, with Armour Addiction. Nothing in his previous career as a business journalist, on-air business columnist with CBC’s Morningside radio program and money manager prepared him for the unexpected ways words and poems appear on paper for the participants during his workshops and open the possibility for personal growth and healing. From their own words! Richard’s own poems have appeared in literary journals in Canada and the U.S. and his first full-length poetry collection, Hyaena Season, was produced by Toronto-based Quattro books in the Fall of 2016. For further information please visit Richard’s website at recoveringwords.com.

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Vahini Govender - Expressive Arts Therapist

MC:AT, BA (Psych.), DVATI, RCC

Vahini is a registered clinical counsellor and art therapist on Vancouver Island who provides private practice/contracted services, and specializes in groups. She obtained her undergraduate degree in psychology, then continued with counselling psychology and art therapy in her graduate degree.

As an artist and writer, Vahini was aware of the ‘powers of art/creativity’ before she started her formal education, and she now intertwines this wisdom with her philosophy of ‘deep breathing and self compassion.’ She loves the woods, the ocean, hikes, and yoga. She researches various topics, eats good food, drinks nice beverages, and spends time with the people she loves. She also enjoys typewriting, film photography, and other analog ways of doing things.