COUNSELLING STAFF
Bonita Ledua, R.P., M.A. (MFT)
She enjoys working with family members of all ages as they engage in activities and play therapy, working to improve their family dynamics. She helps struggling couples improve their marriages and assists those experiencing psychological distress due to the trauma of childhood abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. She works with those struggling with personality disorders such as borderline and disassociated identity disorders. She supports those with depression and anxiety and those going through life transitions.
She often expresses amazement at the resilience of humankind and finds inspiration from those that have picked themselves up from the ashes of life. Bonita has a passion to see people embrace all that Creator God has made them to be, to belong, and to find healing and hope. She considers it a privilege to journey with people. Bonita reminds herself and others of the importance of “suffering-with” as James Olthuis states:“burdens shared and borne together empower us and enable us to carry our woundedness in a new way. Suffering-with is an act of empowering that revitalizes a human spirit immobilized by pain, degraded by abuse or debilitated by circumstances.”
Bonita also has a passion to equip people in caring well for others, increasing listening skills and empowering others in supportive roles. She has been teaching counselling skills to lay-people and church leadership for over ten years. In her time off, Bonita enjoys hiking, camping, and just hanging out with her husband, four adult children, daughter-in-law, and any number of friends that come along.
Julie McKenna, M.A.
Registered Psychotherapist
Julie works as a Registered Psychotherapist at Northwind, aiming to provide a culturally safe, strengths-based, trauma informed practice that allows for healing and change within the client’s worldview.
Julie is experienced in a diverse range of mental health areas and works with individuals and groups of all ages and backgrounds. Areas of focus include recovery from symptoms of trauma, abuse and neglect, depression and anxiety, grief and loss, addictions, disordered eating habits, body image issues, and relationship struggles. Her recent training in Expressive Arts Therapies (Level 1 & 2 Certificate) allows her to offer clients space to use a variety of expressive modalities including visual art, mixed media, music, creative writing, play and drama in their healing journey. She is committed to ongoing professional development in the psychotherapy field, with a particular interest how continued discoveries in neuroscience can inform and support her practice.
Julie grew up in Sydney, Australia. She bumped into her future husband Peter (from Thunder Bay), on a hike in the Australian bush. She moved to Thunder Bay in 1989 to marry and work as a high school teacher in Science and Family Studies (primarily Food and Nutrition Sciences) for 25 years, retiring in 2015. In 2017, she was able to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a counsellor/ therapist (she completed her M.A. in Counselling from Providence Seminary in 2009), joining first Ishaawin and then transitioning to Northwind Counselling Services as a part-time counsellor.
Julie is passionate about providing a safe place that allows others to grow and heal; to help people move from surviving to thriving. Past experience in the mental health field includes facilitating Celebrate Recovery (a support group) in Thunder Bay, as well as helping establish and facilitate the Natural Helpers peer counselling program in high schools across the city. In addition, Julie was a board member of New Life Ministries Thunder Bay and worked as program staff in the women’s program at Hope House providing emotional, mental, physical and spiritual support for clients.
Julie enjoys art of all kinds, reading, and is actively involved in the pickleball community. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, both near and far.
Heather LeQuant
Counselling Intern
Heather grew up in the far-eastern province of our great country, Newfoundland! She comes from a family of five, right in the middle of two brothers. She grew up in church and hasn’t really left Children’s Ministry since she was a kid herself. When Heather began attending youth, she also became involved in Children’s Ministry. Following the call of God, she attended Bible College where she received a Bachelor of Theology with a major in Children’s Ministry. Heather worked in her church in the summers, running camps and assisting the Children’s Pastor.
Heather came to love the Indigenous peoples of Canada through a professor who talked about a people group that he loved and about his mission work. Combining that with her passion for children, God led her to where she is today. As a Missions Canada worker, from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, Heather has begun her journey with NorthWind Family Ministries as the Children’s Ministry Team Lead. Words from a sermon she heard several years ago encourage her: “You don’t need a complete road map to be in the center of God’s will.”
Heather loves exploring, playing board games, studying Myers Briggs, and doing whatever it takes to make someone laugh.
SOCIAL WORK STAFF
SUPPORT STAFF
Alissa Darrow
Counselling Office Manager
Alissa was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario; she grew up on a dairy farm in the Slate River Valley where she learned to value family, take responsibility, use a solid work ethic, and have respect and patience for others.
She is married to Jeremy and has three beautiful children, Ethan, Hannah and Andrew. She loves to support them in their sports and school activities. She enjoys soccer, curling, volleyball, gardening, dinner and coffee with friends and family time.
She has a passion to help others and hopes to pursue counselling in the future. Her family and friends describe her as open, thoughtful, generous, relatable, supportive, and an excellent listener. She has a genuine heart and loves to connect with others in meaningful ways.
Alissa testifies to the goodness and faithfulness of God in her life; her favourite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11: ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’.
For an appointment or information:
Tel (807) 622-5790 | Fax (807) 285-4261
counselling@northwindfm.org
Office Hours:
Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 4 pm
Evening appointments can be arranged
NorthWind Counselling is associated with
NorthWind Family Ministries
Located at 141 May Street South, Thunder Bay, ON P7E 1A9
