Team
Fly-In Mental Health Services Team
Fly In Counsellor Leo Atlookan
Chris has been working with the Choose Life team in Fort Albany since September 2022.
Chris was born in New Brunswick and raised in London Ontario. His family background is mainly French/Italian; he speaks English and French. Chris is the father of twins (24) and a black lab named Winston. When not working, he enjoys spending time on the land and hunting.
Chris has a Masters in Social Work. He is a member of the Ontario College of Social Work and Social Service Workers (2013) and the Ontario College of Teachers (1996).
He has worked with youth (12+), adolescents, adults and families; including individuals with complex special needs, individuals recovering from motor vehicle accidents (including acquired brain injuries) and youth/adolescents in out of home placements. Chris has worked as part of an Intensive Family Support team – supporting families through difficult times; including Quick Response work (families at high risk of family breakdown and CAS involvement). Chris was a trainer for Suicide Prevention and Intervention and has provided counselling support to victims of crime (VSQRP).
Chris provides counselling support related to addictions, grief / loss, trauma, emotional regulation, relationships and more.
Fly In Counsellor Shawnna Johnston
Tonya has 15 years of experience as a counselor and therapist, supporting folks and their families from many different communities, including people diagnosed with adult mental health conditions (schizophrenia, bipolar and OCD), people dealing with disabilities (autism), Youth dealing with difficulties in school, and people dealing with addictions.
Tonya works with individuals, couples and families, and uses many different creative approaches to counseling and therapy.
Personally, Tonya is the primary caregiver for her brother who has autism. In her counseling and therapy practice, she draws on her own story and experiences of growing up in social housing, supporting her parents with their mental health and addictions issues, while learning to take care of herself and move forward with her own life in the process.
Cheryl received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Social Work from York University, and her Master of Social Work from Dalhousie University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Justice Education from OISE, University of Toronto.
She has previously worked in the areas of accessibility, disability, sexual violence, community mental health, urban Indigenous health, and homelessness. She is trained specifically in culturally sensitive Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and EMDR. Cheryl supports communities from a holistic perspective, in hopes that the entire person can be fully seen and heard for the sake of healing.
Cheryl was born and raised in Toronto to Jamaican parents. She lives in the city with her daughter, her two rabbits and her dog. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, collecting sneakers and vinyl records, listening to social justice podcasts, and conducting genealogy searches.
Allison (Norman) Atlookan was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Education from York University. For nearly a decade she worked in the arts administration sector at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Toronto Children’s Chorus, respectively. More recently she completed her Special Education Specialist certification. For 6 years Allison lived in the beautiful community of Eabametoong First Nation (Fort Hope) where she worked as a classroom teacher, and later the head of the Special Education Department at John C. Yesno Education Centre. During her time in the community Allison loved finding new and innovative ways to build meaningful relationships with her students, their families, and the community. With the help of her husband Leo, Allison helped to manage and grow the JCY Rez Girls 64 Wolves Hockey Team Program taking the girls to tournaments in Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario. For her work in Fort Hope, Allison was extremely honoured to be the one non-indigenous recipient of a 2022 Indspire Guiding the Journey: Indigenous Educator Award. Since September 2022, Allison has worked for Dalton Associates as the Psychological Services Coordinator in the Indigenous Mental Wellness Division supporting the community wellness partnerships in Attawapiskat First Nation, Fort Albany First Nation and her second home, Eabametoong First Nation.
Speech Language Pathologist Robin Clément
Fly-In Mental Health Services
Fly-In Mental Health Services