Our Team

A brown skinned person with long dark hair, red lipstick, a black jacket and a beige shirt smiles and looks to the right. Clouds and green leaves are visible behind her.

Premala Matthen: Co-Founder and Executive Director

Premala (Lala) is queer and cis, a brown woman and a settler, chronically ill/disabled and middle class. Some of her people are Indian and others are white. Her understanding of power, privilege, and oppression is shaped by the range of her positions in the world. Lala’s experiences of violence and oppression led her to seek change, for herself and others. In addition to her work with Healing in Colour, she is a therapist in independent practice, and the co-creator of SEEN, a podcast that explores personal healing and collective liberation work through the eyes of Black and brown queer women. Her work sits at the intersection of counselling and activism, firmly rooted in the radical possibilities of QTBIPOC spiritual and emotional healing.

Yasmin Hajian: Co-Founder and Board Co-President

Yasmin (Yas) is a queer cis woman, a settler having arrived on these lands as a refugee from Iran, and middle class (but still a recovering poor person). Yas is a dually-trained therapist and mental health nurse deeply committed to politicized healing and social justice ethics in both her professional and personal life. In addition to her work with Healing in Colour, she has an independent therapy practice, works at Vancouver Coastal Health as a Community Mental Health Nurse, and is Associate Faculty at City University of Seattle's Master of Counselling Program. Yas feels passionately about anti-oppression practices that support the healing of communities impacted by structural power and oppression.

Bhupie Dulay: Board Co-President

Bhupie is a settler who was born and raised on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Semiahmoo, sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), Kwantlen, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Qayqayt, and sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsawwassen) Nations; and her ancestors are from India. Bhupie is a cis, non-disabled, middle class, brown woman. Currently Bhupie works as a therapist and supervisor. Her work is informed by social justice and collaborative principles. Most of the folks she works alongside are navigating and resisting multiple systems of oppression such as racism, cis-heteronormativity, monogamism, ableism, classism, sizeism, ageism, etc. Bhupie is committed and passionate in creating spaces where these types of experiences can be witnessed and honoured; and where the person’s lived experience, wisdom, and strength can guide the work. Alongside her counselling practice, Bhupie provides workshops, trainings, and consultations to organisations, teams, and boards. Most of this work is related to building more inclusive spaces and practices. Bhupie is also an instructor and adjunct faculty at Vancouver Community College, Adler University, and City University. As someone who believes in community healing and growth, Bhupie is excited and honoured in being a board member with Healing In Colour.

Winnie Diverlus : Board Secretary

Winnie Diverlus is a cisgender, middle class woman born of a lineage of Haitian freedom fighters who currently resides in T’karón:to on Three Fires Territory and the Territory of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum. She is an Early Childhood Educator specializing in the Montessori pedagogy, Child and Youth Development Strategist and is on a lifelong mission to reduce the scarcity of spaces that support racialized children’s holistic development. Winnie has an independent practice and serves as a parenting coach and consultant to various educational institutions in her community.

She is on an eternal quest to nurture her inner child through different artistic endeavors, giving herself permission to enjoy the most mundane activities and reinventing herself freely.

Abby Chow: Fundraising Lead

Abby is a cis-queer, working-turned-middle class, half-gen settler from Hong Kong who is currently occupying the unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Qayqayt, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples. Her people are from Chaozhou and Nanjing.

Her therapeutic work involves supporting folx navigating multiple systemic barriers, commonly showing up as being impacted by the criminal punishment system, addictions, and relational harm. In addition to her frontline roles, Abby provides clinical supervision and strategy consulting to justice-oriented practitioners and agencies. Her justice work within a professional setting includes founding Reflecting on Justice, a mutual-aid/wealth redistribution-based community for therapists to unlearn systemic oppression together; as well as group counselling practices dedicated to bringing community back into mental health through beyond-the-talk initiatives. She is also an adjunct faculty member various local post graduate institutions. Outside of work she has a passion for creating + learning, video games, comedy + live music.

Nadine Tilma: Board Member

Nadine (she/her) is a proud Black, queer, middle-class, cis woman, and was born and raised on the uncededed Kanien'kehá:ka territories. In her work and life, she particularly values radical love, honesty & compassion as revolutionary tools, as well as creativity, joy, rest, and the embracing of our whole humanity. Nadine is a registered clinical counsellor in independent practice and is honoured to support Black, Indigenous, and other racialized folks in their healing and spiritual journey. She provides one-on-one therapy, runs healing circles, and facilitates public discussions about the impact of oppression and the path towards collective healing and liberation. Outside of this work you can find her woodworking, learning to care for her plants (however successfully), listening to a podcast, meditating or playing an instrument.