New Counsellor To Support Students
Nicole Adoranti, a Canadian Certified Counsellor, is the newest addition to the LFS community. In a newly created role, she will be the Embedded Counsellor to both Land and Food Systems and Forestry, providing single session or short-term counselling, triage and referrals to students, while also promoting mental health through the development of wellness programming.
Adoranti holds a Masters of Education in Counselling Psychology and has been a counsellor in both private practice and the post-secondary environment, having previously worked at the University of Toronto and New York University Abu Dhabi. Her experience in working with students from different cultures and backgrounds is one of the reasons she was drawn to Vancouver.
“I’m constantly intrigued or trying to learn more and in turn, checking my own personal beliefs and viewpoints. This position, with such a diverse group of students, will allow me to grow personally and professionally,” says Adoranti.
Adoranti also recognizes that post-secondary looks a lot different during a global pandemic: “I think that the return to campus feels really strange and I’ve heard a few people say how strange it is. One of my goals within the faculties is to foster a sense of community again by de-stigmatizing mental health issues and helping people connect to resources, because I do think the pandemic has made us feel really disjointed and disconnected.”
Throughout the years, Dr. Anthony (Tony) Yurkovich, an Agriculture alumni, and his wife Nancy, who has a background in nursing, have made significant contributions to LFS and Medicine.
During the pandemic, they also saw a need to prioritize mental health and supported the creation of this position: “Many university students feel an increased level of stress and anxiety due to the changes brought on by COVID-19. We are pleased that there is recognition of this and that we can be a part of making a difference in their mental wellbeing.”
In her role, Adoranti hopes to make mental health resources more readily available for everyone: “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a crisis situation that would draw someone to counselling, but rather development of themselves that complements what they’re already trying to do at UBC: getting an education, establishing a good career, and taking advantage of opportunities to build a really great life. I think that learning how to take care of our mental health is a part of that.”
