| Irene, (she/her), MSW, RSW |
| My name is Irene Pugliese and I am the Manager of Wellness Services at Student Health and Wellness, Thunder Bay campus. I joined the Student Health and Wellness team more than 10 years ago as a part-time counsellor. Currently, I provide counselling services as well as coordinate counselling and health promotion programs. I have a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and I practice from a client-centred framework with a focus on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness-based interventions. I also have a strong interest in Resilience habits and facilitate brief "WellU Resilience" sessions to promote the uptake of these habits. |
| Holly, (she/her), MSW, RSW |
| My name is Holly Maki, I am a mental health counsellor here at Student Health and Wellness, Lakehead University. I joined the Student Health and Wellness team as a part-time counsellor in November 2020. As a now full-time counsellor, I currently provide individual counselling and will be offering mindfulness sessions throughout the academic year. I have a Master of Social Work degree from Lakehead University and have over eight years of experience working within education settings as a school social worker. I practice primarily through a mindfulness lens supporting clients with interventions and approaches that are client-centred, strengths-based and trauma and attachment informed. |
| Nahid, (she/her), BSW, RSW |
| Hello everyone, Thanks so much for viewing my profile. I have worked for over seven years with individuals struggling with mental health and physical challenges. I rely on Brief Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Mindfulness when helping my clients. I believe my expertise can be effective in individual Counselling for adults and young adults for Depression, Anxiety, Trauma, Abuse, Assault, and Addiction mainly. I am a registered Social Worker and an accredited member in good standing with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. I completed my Bachelor of Social Worker from the University of Manitoba with a prior Honours bachelor in Kinesiology from Lakehead University.Beyond my role as a Counsellor, I also am an immigrant from Bangladesh and Bengali is my mother tongue. I came to Canada to pursue my career and build a better life. I strongly believe in using the Strength-Based, collaborative and non-judgemental approach when helping others. I offer a safe, private, confidential environment and work with my clients to empower them to discover the positive changes they seek. |
| Sheryl, (she/her), BSW, RSW |
My name is Sheryl O'Reilly, I am a mental health counsellor here at Student Health and Wellness Lakehead University. I joined the Student Health and Wellness team in September 2025 after working with The Indigenous Student Services centre here at Lakehead for the past 7yrs. I have an Honours Bachelor of Indigenous Social Work (HBISW) from Laurentian University.I practice from a strength - based and client-centred framework with a focus on attachment theory and trauma informed approaches. |
| Kathy Aylward, MSW, RSW |
| My name is Kathy Aylward. I am a Part-time Mental Health Counsellor here at Student Health and Wellness Lakehead University. I joined the counselling team in December 2025. I have a Master's Degree in Social Work from Dalhousie University and have over 15 years of experience providing mental health counselling in the public and private sector. My practice is grounded in a trauma-informed, strengths-based framework that honours each person's lived experiences, cultural context and inner resilience. |
