BCACC honours outstanding contributions in clinical counselling and psychotherapy

The BCACC Awards 2026 recognized individuals and organizations advancing care, leadership, and advocacy in mental health.

VICTORIA, BC, Oct. 7, 2026 /CNW/ — The BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) presented its annual awards for 2026 on the evening of October 2, 2026, at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown in Burnaby where the association held its regional workshop, a province-wide event that commenced in April this year. The event was attended by mental health practitioners, Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs), healthcare leaders, academics, and policymakers.

The awards, spanning nine categories, recognized individuals and organizations whose work has contributed to advancing mental health care and the clinical counselling and psychotherapy profession on various fronts – from supporting students to improving access to services; from community development to addressing critical mental health gaps. Seven awards were based on peer nominations, and two were conferred by the BCACC.

BCACC CEO Michael Radano says, “The BCACC is honoured to recognize the incredible work done by RCCs, students, RCCs with PhDs, organizations, volunteers, individuals, and other mental health professionals to advance the state and provision of mental health in BC.”

BCACC Awards 2026 Winners:

The 2026 recipients for each award category are as follows:

• Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Clinical Counselling and Psychotherapy Award: Angela Burns, MA, RCC
• Honorary Member: Steve Farina
• Humanitarian Award: Dr. Daniel Vigo
• Impact Award for Mental Health Organizations: Foundry BC
• Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research Award: Deirdre McLaughlin, Ph.D., RCC, ACS, Heesu J. Jeon, Ph.D., RCC, and Shirley Giroux, Ph.D., RCC, ACS
• Clinical Supervisor Award: Shauna Paynter, MA, RCC, ACS
• Excellence in Practice Award: Ed Chen, M.Ed, RCC, ACS and Robin Willis, MCP-AT, RCC
• Student of the Year Award: Cody Rueger
• Volunteer Award: Dr. Janine Orlando Ph.D., RCC, ACS, Kim Dyson MA, RCC, Ellahae Keshmiri MA, RCC, Sylvie Hamel MC, RCC, ACS, Dr. Chasidy Karpiuk Ph.D., RCC, and Tyler Ringdahl M.Ed., RCC

Through this recognition, BCACC celebrates the people and organizations helping advance mental health care and the profession across British Columbia.

More information on the BCACC award recipients can be found here – https://bcacc.ca/awards-given/ 

BCACC: Founded in 1988, the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) is a nonprofit provincial professional association representing more than 11,000 members. BCACC advocates for the clinical counselling and psychotherapy profession and for improved public access to mental health services. Its regulated members, Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs), are held to rigorous standards of practice and a strict code of ethics in service and protection of the public. More information on their website – https://bcacc.ca  

SOURCE BC Association of Clinical Counsellors