The Vancouver Couple & Family Institute is a designated EFT Centre recognized by the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT). All our therapists are ICEEFT members. We are also an EFT Training Centre with an international reputation.
Many of our referrals come from other therapists who recognize the effectiveness of EFT and value our work. Half of our referrals come from previous clients.
Members of Our Team
- Lorene Carey
- Veronica Kallos-Lilly, Ph.D.
- Yolanda von Hockauf, M. Ed.
- Carol Flynn, Ph.D.
- Patrick Hay, M.C.P.
- Rikki Kumar, M.A.
- Jocelyne Lessard, Ph.D.
- Francine Marx-Zatzick, M.A.
- Jena Mekhlis, M.A.
- Miriam Pai-Spering, Ph.D.
- Jennifer Pringle, Ph.D.
- Mark Walters
Lorene Carey, Office Administrator
As the first point of contact at VCFI, Lorene brings a friendly and outgoing personality to her role as our Office Administrator. Our clients and office staff feel her positive “can-do” attitude.
Lorene’s sensitivity in working with people comes from her extensive experience in HR and administration in the home health care industry and also in the general labour sector. Her professionalism and dependability is exemplified in her key role
at VCFI.
Lorene is a valuable part of our team as she respectfully and confidentially assists new clients in the first steps of connecting with a therapist at VCFI. Lorene will gather information from you to assist the directors in establishing a good match between you and your therapist. You may provide this information by contacting our office or completing our secure online intake questionnaire. Additionally, she is able to answer general inquiries which you may have regarding therapy and our EFT training programs.
Veronica Kallos-Lilly, Ph.D., Registered Psychologist #1314
Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist and Supervisor for Individuals, Couples and Families
Certified Emotionally Focused Trainer for Individuals and Couples
Director
The first qualities that will strike you about Veronica are her warmth and genuineness. You will be put at ease by her solid, calm presence. As a psychologist, Veronica’s naturally intuitive questions will engage you to explore your inner world and life experiences as she helps you resolve your problems. You will be held by Veronica’s compassion as she guides you to self-reflect, tune into your feelings, and make sense of your personal obstacles so that you can overcome them. During counselling sessions, Veronica is often heard saying “I want to help you become who you are, not turn into someone you’re not!” You will be encouraged to use the self-knowledge you’ve gained to create fulfilling relationships and follow solid, life decisions that nourish you.
Veronica has been practicing as a Registered Psychologist in British Columbia since 1997. In 2005, she co-founded the Vancouver Couple & Family Institute (VCFI) where she continues as a Director. Apart from realizing a professional dream for Veronica, VCFI has earned a reputation within the community it serves for providing exceptional clinical service and training to therapists.
Regarded as an expert in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Veronica is sought after as a clinician, educator, and consultant to therapists around the globe. Her first book, co-authored with Jennifer Fitzgerald, An Emotionally Focused Workbook for Couples: The Two of Us, is receiving high praise and being recommended by counsellors across the continent. It has been translated into six languages, including Dutch, German, Polish, Hungarian, Korean and Japanese. As a Certified EFT Trainer, Veronica travels within Canada, the United States, and Australia to provide training. She offers long distance consultation electronically and presents her work at professional conferences and in scholarly journals. Veronica enjoys presenting relationship education workshops based on EFT, such as Hold Me Tight® for couples and Hold Me Tight – Let Me Go® for families with teens to public audiences. Veronica is also a Registered Circle of Security® Parent Facilitator. She delights in helping parents, along with their infants and toddlers, to bond deeply and securely.
Veronica brings her experience and expertise to individuals, couples, and families who wish to resolve their struggles and enhance their lives.
Veronica’s areas of practice include:
- Individual Therapy for: Life transitions, Stress and coping, Identity and self-esteem issues, Depression and anxiety, Interpersonal concerns, Grief and loss, and Counselling for family of origin and traumatic experiences.
- Couples Counselling to: Improve relationship conflict, tension, and communication problems, Strengthen couples’ enjoyment, appreciation, closeness and intimacy, Recover from affairs and clarify commitment.
- Family Counselling for: Helping parents tune into and bond with their baby, Maintaining parent-child relationships through adolescence, Addressing relationship issues between adult children and parents or siblings.
Veronica’s schedule is:
Tuesday – 10AM to 5PM
Thursday – 10AM to 5PM
Yolanda von Hockauf (she/her), M. Ed., Registered Marriage & Family Therapist & RMFT Supervisor #201781
Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist for Individuals, Couples and Families
Certified Emotionally Focused Supervisor and Trainer for Individuals and Couples
Director
Yolanda is currently not accepting new clients and her waitlist is closed until further notice.
When you sit down with Yolanda and let her into your world of experiences, you will immediately notice her strong, compassionate presence. Her warm and perceptive responses help create the trust you need to see yourself and your situation with greater clarity, and mobilize you to face and overcome your most difficult problems. Whether you are an individual, couple or family, Yolanda will support you in finding ways to implement the changes you want to make in your life and relationships.
Yolanda is a Registered Couple and Family Therapist and a founding director of the Vancouver Couple & Family Institute (VCFI), which has gained a reputation of excellence in the therapeutic community among physicians, other therapists and the general public. As a therapist in the original research study on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in 1983, Yolanda has been using this approach since its inception. Her skills as a Certified EFT Therapist are widely sought.
Yolanda is also a Certified EFT Trainer and has taught all levels of this evidence-based model to therapists in 14 countries around the world. She is passionate about understanding the impact of culture and other differences amongst humans on sense of self and relationships and is committed to integrating this into her work, be it with clients or trainees. With her clients, she believes strongly in creatively and inclusively attuning to their unique identities, and invites them to share how they identify, whether it be race, sexuality, ability, etc. Yolanda sees herself as a lifelong learner, with a deep core value of respecting every human.
Yolanda’s areas of practice include:
- Counselling for Individuals: Depression and anxiety, Trauma, Understanding and changing relationship patterns, Recovery from exclusion and marginalization experiences; and Life decisions and transitions.
- Couple and Relationship counselling for: Conflict and communication problems, Lack of closeness or intimacy, Recovery from affairs, Sexuality, Decisions regarding relationship commitment.
- Family counselling: Parents and teenagers; Parents and adult children.
Yolanda’s schedule is:
Tuesday & Friday – 9:30AM to 5PM
Wednesday & Thursday – 10AM to 5PM (Online)
Carol Flynn, Ph. D., Registered Psychologist #1521
Carol has deep respect for the courage shown by clients in seeking therapy. She sees her role as one of providing support, guidance and skills to make change possible, helping clients live more joyful lives. Her style is direct and transparent, incorporating compassion and humour. She is a Registered Psychologist with over 20 years of experience in individual, group and couples psychotherapy. She integrates well-researched methods such as cognitive-behavioural, interpersonal and emotion-focused approaches to assist clients in understanding their concerns and finding solutions.
In couple and group formats, Carol supports clients in finding ways to better communicate with one another. She creates a safe place for exploring, providing feedback, and growing together. In addition to practice within sessions, Carol emphasizes ways to transfer new skills and behaviours to the “real world”. Carol is skilled at helping all clients feel heard, understood, and respected.
Carol completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at UBC and has practiced in numerous hospital and outpatient settings. She has acted as a program coordinator and provides supervision for pre- and post-doctoral therapists. Carol is a Clinical Associate of the Simon Fraser University Psychology Department.
Carol’s areas of practice include:
Individual therapy for: depression, stress & anxiety, relationship concerns, eating disorders, grief and loss, coping with chronic medical illness, self-esteem, and sleep disorders.
Couples counseling for: overcoming relationship tension and conflict, improving and strengthening emotional connection, recovery from affairs, addressing tension related to trying to conceive and infertility, managing relationships in which one or both partners struggle with psychological concerns, and decisions related to commitment.
Group therapy for: couples seeking a workshop format to understand problematic interaction patterns and individuals seeking specific emotional or relationship skills training and peer feedback.
Carol’s schedule is:
Monday – 10AM to 5PM
Wednesday – 10AM to 5PM
Thursday – 9AM to 3PM
Patrick Hay, M.C.P., Registered Clinical Counsellor #22061
Seeing a therapist for the first time is all too often an intimidating or overwhelming prospect. With the right guide, however, therapy can not only be a powerful force for change but also a safe, comfortable, and welcoming experience. Being granted a trustful space to explore the parts of yourself that may have prevented you in the past from achieving your goals or meeting your needs: this is the wonder and potential of therapy.
Patrick is a firm believer in the concept of therapy as beneficial to anyone who is interested in learning more about their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and wants to use that insight to better themselves and their relationships. Patrick is structured and analytical in his approach but adept at evoking deep emotion required for lasting change. He will challenge you in a way that constructively promotes growth while creating crucial space for you to be seen and heard. Witnessing a person’s personal journey is an essential role for any therapist to perform, and Patrick’s presence will allow you to make sense of your next steps in that journey.
Patrick provides his clients with supportive counselling techniques and specific interventions grounded in multiple evidence-based treatments and therapeutic modalities, including pure Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). He has practiced extensively in non-profit and public health settings, serving adults, youth, and children. In all therapeutic formats, Patrick is respectful of the different identities and narratives that clients bring to the counselling room. His warm and empathic approach will center you as the “author” of your own story.
Patrick’s areas of practice include:
Counselling for Individuals: depression, anxiety, stress, anger issues, acute and chronic traumatic responses, grief and loss, challenges with relationships, neurodivergent challenges (incl. ADHD and ASD), goal setting, identity and role clarification, mental illness management.
Counselling for Couples: communication and boundary setting, interpersonal conflict and persistent negative relational patterns, trust breakdown and rebuilding.
Counselling for Families: attachment-based parental coaching and skill building, parent-teen mediation, family restructuring (including divorce and separation), caring for children with special needs.
Patrick’s schedule is:
Monday – 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Tuesday – 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Wednesday – 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Thursday – 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Friday – 9:00AM to 4:00PM (Online)
Rikki Kumar, M.A., Registered Clinical Counsellor #21905
Registered Psychotherapist #12354
Canadian Certified Counsellor #11244485
Certified Emotionally Focused Individual, Couples and Family Therapist
Supervisor Candidate – EFIT & EFCT
“It’s complicated.” “I don’t know.” These are often places where it starts. It can seem messy but Rikki believes in getting in there with you to make sense of the layers together. He is gentle yet transparent in his approach. He structures the session towards discovering what is important to you and what hurts, so together you can work towards a way of relating that helps. He listens to understand your challenges and guide you to carve out your own path at your own pace.
Rikki offers support rooted in evidence-based practices and is certified in using Emotionally Focused Therapy for individuals, couples, and families. Having worked with young children, youth, and adults of all ages in his past professions, he is cognizant of adjusting to the varying needs of his clients. When working with multiple people in the room, he actively engages with each person to ensure he gets their perspective. He keeps his ear out for factors like cultural differences, spirituality, sexuality, socio-economic status growing up, and challenges associated with your profession that may have an impact on you and how you show up in the world.
Rikki strongly believes that all persons, regardless of their differences, are deserving of dignity and thus strives to provide all his clients with the same high standards of care. He focuses on helping clients build a meaningful connection with their inner world and nurturing stronger relationships with the people who matter most to them.
As a supervisor, Rikki respects the experience his supervisees bring and focuses on helping them further develop their skills in conceptualizing through an EFT lens. He has a warm and encouraging style and is particularly enthusiastic about the EFT Tango and ways of leveraging its strengths in service of the client—and the therapist! Most of all, he loves to share in the joy of discovering the therapeutic process, together.
Rikki’s areas of practice include:
Counselling for Individuals: Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, trauma, stress, burnout, grief & loss, stuck relationship patterns, life decisions, sexual identity, immigration adjustment, navigating cultural differences.
Counselling for Couples: Conflict and communication issues, loss of intimacy, stuck relationship patterns, navigating cultural differences, rebuilding trust and connection, decisions around commitment.
Counselling for Families: Behavioural challenges, communication; stuck interpersonal patterns between parents, parents and children or adult children, and siblings.
Languages: English, Hindi
Rikki’s schedule is:
Monday – 11AM to 5:30PM
Tuesday – 10AM to 7PM
Thursday – 11AM to 7PM
Friday – 10AM to 5:30PM
Jocelyne Lessard, Ph.D., Registered Psychologist #1537
As a psychologist, Jocelyne is passionate about her work with children, teens, and adults alike. At once warm and practical, she helps you make lasting changes with confidence. A mother herself, she appreciates the challenges today’s parents face in raising healthy, competent children.
Jocelyne’s study of relationships and experience with a number of special populations have led her to recognize the fundamental role that our relationships hold in overcoming adversity. Jocelyne is committed to helping you and your loved ones identify and build on your own sources of resilience through therapy.
Jocelyne completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Simon Fraser University. For over twenty years, she has conducted therapy with people from all walks of life. She is well versed in a number of therapeutic approaches including Emotionally Focused Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Narrative, Developmental, and Solution-focused therapies. She has worked in several community, hospital and forensic settings as a clinician and supervisor. She continues to enjoy supervising and training interns and graduate students.
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Jocelyne is fully fluent in French and always welcomes the opportunity to work with Francophones.
Jocelyne’s areas of practice include:
Individual therapy for: Relationship challenges, stress and associated symptoms of anxiety and depression, grief and loss, life transitions, family of origin issues, self-esteem and identity, parenting.
Dyadic/family counselling: supporting parents and/or co-parents to be an effective unit; relationship counselling in support of parent-child and/or parent/teen communication and to strengthen bonds
Child/Adolescent therapy for: managing and adjusting to adversity including separation, divorce, blended families, chronic and/or life threatening illness, medical and psychological trauma, grief and loss, bullying, depression.
Languages: English, French
Jocelyne’s schedule is:
Monday – 10AM to 7:30PM
Thursday – 11AM to 7:30PM
Francine Marx-Zatzick, M.A., Registered Clinical Counsellor #1868
Certified Emotionally Focused Individual and Couples Therapist
Supervisor Candidate – EFCT
When you meet with Francine, you will be greeted by her warmth, openness and authenticity. She holds a deep curiosity and respect for people’s struggles. Her clients appreciate Francine’s candor and astute guidance, as they navigate their challenges together. She helps them to understand themselves better, which ultimately leads to a greater sense of well-being and becoming the person they truly want to be.
Francine brings almost 30 years of experience to her work as a therapist. She studied counselling and somatic psychology at JFK University in California, where she earned her Marriage and Family Therapy license in 2000. Francine has extensive training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy. She carries a mindfulness-based approach in all of her work, helping people to become more self-aware, compassionate and comfortable with their emotions.
While she has worked in a variety of community-based settings with groups and families, Francine currently focuses on working with couples and adult individuals. She is committed to meeting people wherever they are at, and welcomes clients from diverse backgrounds, including gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. She recognizes the importance of helping people with their significant relationships, as well as with their relationship to themselves.
Francine brings a variety of experience supervising therapists at several counselling agencies. Most recently, she developed a supervision group at VCFI for therapists new to private practice.
Francine’s areas of practice include:
Individual Therapy for: anxiety & stress; coping with and recovery from trauma; relationship challenges; parenting including of neurodiverse children; issues around identity and life transitions, grief and loss, and addictive and compulsive behaviours.
Couples Therapy to: improve communication challenges, build trust and safety, manage concerns related to mental health challenges or trauma, improve closeness and connection, work out differences around commitment, and address parenting stressors of all kinds affecting the relationship.
Francine’s schedule is:
Mondays – 8AM to 12PM (most Mondays)
Tuesdays – 8AM to 2PM
Thursdays – 2PM to 6:30PM
Jena Mekhlis (she/her), M.A., Registered Clinical Counsellor – Approved Clinical Supervisor #3785
Jena believes deeply in the healing power of feeling truly heard. Reaching out for support takes courage, and she approaches each client with warmth, respect, and genuine care. From the first meeting, Jena works to create a calm, emotionally safe space where couples and families can slow down, speak openly, and feel understood. She listens carefully to both past and present experiences, helping clients make sense of their patterns so they can move forward with greater clarity and hope.
Clients often share that they feel deeply understood in their work with Jena. Her steady, compassionate presence helps partners move out of conflict and defensiveness and into more meaningful connection. Through thoughtful reflection and gentle guidance, Jena supports couples in understanding not only what is happening between them, but why it is happening. This insight allows couples to respond to each other with greater empathy rather than reactivity.
In addition to working with individuals and families, Jena’s passion and specialty is working with couples. She is drawn to the complexity of intimate relationships and the powerful change that occurs when partners feel emotionally safe with one another. In her work with couples, Jena focuses on strengthening communication through empathy, reflective listening, and emotional attunement. As partners learn to express themselves with greater clarity and to listen more openly, they begin to feel heard, valued, and respected. Over time, this process helps couples rebuild trust, deepen emotional intimacy, and create a more secure and connected relationship.
Jena completed her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Adler University in 2010 and brings over a decade of experience across a wide range of clinical settings, including Family Services Employee Assistance Program, Physician Health at Doctors of BC, the Canadian Mental Health Association (BC), Compass Mental Health, and BC Children’s Hospital. This breadth of experience informs her thoughtful, grounded approach to working with individuals, couples and families.
Jena’s areas of practice include:
Couples Counselling: Communication and conflict, co-parenting, infertility and pregnancy loss, intimacy challenges, and navigating life transitions and change.
Family Therapy: Adult siblings, blended families, and parents with children (ages 10 and up).
Individual Therapy: Relationship concerns, anxiety and stress, depression, grief and loss, infertility and reproductive mental health, chronic pain and illness, physician mental health.
Jena’s schedule is:
Monday – 9AM to 5PM (Online only)
Tuesday – 9AM to 5PM (In person or online)
Wednesday – 9AM to 5PM (In person or online)
Thursday – 9AM to 5PM (In person or online) 6PM to 7PM (Online only)
Friday – 9AM to 3PM (Online only)
Miriam Pai-Spering (she/her), Ph.D., Registered Clinical Counsellor #24112
Miriam works with both individuals and couples, bringing warmth, authenticity, compassion, and a direct approach to her practice. She sees therapy as a collaborative journey—an opportunity to explore together how to gradually rebuild confidence and trust in oneself and in relationships with others.
In individual therapy, Miriam supports clients through a wide range of life transitions and mental health challenges, including those related to relationships, parenting, peri-/menopause, and aging. In couples therapy, she creates a safe and supportive space where partners can work through relational injuries and betrayal, improve communication, and strengthen their connection and intimacy.
Miriam is extensively trained in Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) for both individuals and couples, and has completed additional training in evidence-based approaches such as Gottman Method Couples Therapy (Levels 1 and 2), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and mindfulness practices. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) and holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology and a PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience. Before becoming a therapist, Miriam spent over 20 years working in university-based Neuroscience research, education and leadership.
Her therapeutic practice is deeply informed by her extensive scientific background in brain processes that shape how we think, feel, and behave. This perspective enhances Miriam’s ability to help clients make sense of their experiences and supports a compassionate, evidence-informed approach to healing and change—even when challenges are long-standing or recurring.
Originally from Germany and now a mother of three school-aged children, Miriam often reflects on the themes of origin, identity, culture, and belonging. She offers counselling in both English and German, and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive space for clients of all ages, races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations and identities.
Miriam’s areas of practice include:
Individual Counselling for: Life and career transitions, Parenting, Interpersonal concerns, Stress, Trauma and PTSD, Identity and self-esteem issues, Depression and anxiety, and Family of origin and attachment issues, Mental health during the peri-/menopause.
Couples Counselling to: Improve relationship conflict, Communication problems, Parenting and co-parenting; Strengthen couples’ enjoyment, appreciation and closeness; recover from an affair.
Languages: English, German
Miriam’s schedule:
Wednesday – 10AM to 2PM (Online)
Thursday – 10AM to 6PM
Friday – 10AM to 6PM
Jennifer Pringle, Ph.D., Registered Psychologist #1921
With a calming and compassionate presence, Jennifer invites couples and adult individuals to address their concerns with her in counselling. Her warmth, empathy, and acceptance of individuality foster a safe environment in which to delve into personal questions from past and present. By considering attachment experiences and sociocultural context, Jennifer assists you in finding new pathways to well-being and healthy relationships. Her optimism about your potential will support you in drawing upon your inner strengths, while her gentle persistence challenges you to create lasting personal changes of which you can be proud.
Jennifer holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is registered as a psychologist in the province of British Columbia. She has been offering Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) to couples since 2006, when she trained for two years under the supervision of Dr. Sue Johnson, the developer of the EFT couple therapy model. Jennifer also greatly enjoys offering Hold Me Tight® relationship enhancement workshops for couples. In her work with individuals, she draws from a range of research-based therapy approaches, including emotionally-focused, short-term psychodynamic, and cognitive theories.
Jennifer has published articles and chapters regarding couples’ cooperation, relationship memories, and remarriage. Prior to private practice, she provided therapy in outpatient mental health, university counselling, and forensic settings.
Jennifer’s areas of practice include:
Individual Therapy for: Depression, Anxiety, Trauma, Stress and coping, Identity and self-esteem, Life and career transitions, Interpersonal concerns, Grief and loss, and Family of origin impacts.
Couples Counselling for: Relationship conflict, Communication, Lack of closeness and connection, Sex and intimacy, Recovery from affairs, Clarifying commitment, Pre-marital counselling, Remarriage concerns.
Jennifer’s schedule is:
Monday – 9AM to 5PM
Tuesday – 10AM to 5PM
Wednesday – 10AM to 6:15PM
Friday – 9AM to 5PM
Mark Walters (he, him), Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #15271)
Mark is currently not accepting new clients.
When you meet with Mark, you quickly feel his genuine warmth and strong compassion. You get the sense that he understands that the human journey, while meaningful, involves periods of deep pain for all of us at different points in our lives. His thoughtful questions and insights help provide both reassurance and clarity. While empathy and understanding are essential, Mark understands that you are looking for a real path forward. His style is both compassionate and clear, seeing his role as a collaborator, working alongside you to understand where you are stuck and how you can make measurable movement toward the changes you desire.
Mark has specialized training in interpersonal dynamics (couples and families) and how these significant relationships shape who we are (our identity). Anyone who has had a close partnership, or lived in a family, knows that these relationships can be a source of deep belonging and deep sorrow. Mark works with individuals, couples, and families to heal the injuries and patterns that keep them feeling stuck. And he is always ready to celebrate with clients as they find, over time, that they can respond more flexibly and freely to life’s challenges.
Mark is deeply committed to respecting the dignity and uniqueness of each person’s experience and identity. This means, to start with, knowing that he cannot know from the outside what it is like to have your experience of the world – both your unique gifts and challenges.
Mark’s area of practice include:
Counselling for Individuals: Recovery from relationship trauma, restoring connection with and trust in oneself, managing reactivity, impulsivity, mood instability, changing relationship patterns, owning one’s own feelings and needs, stable sense of self-worth.
Couple and Relationship counselling for: Changing patterns of conflict and miscommunication, recovery from betrayals, repairing trust and openness, navigating differences, strengthening connection and intimacy
Family counselling: parenting adolescents, navigating differences in parenting approaches, boundary setting, strengthening parent-child connection, sibling conflict, family loss and transitions.
Mark’s schedule is:
Monday – 8AM to 6PM
Tuesday – 8AM to 5PM
Thursday – 8AM to 5PM