MEET THE TEAM
Joanne Beattie, OT
Joanne completed her Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Ottawa in 2014 before making the move to B.C. She was inspired to start Pacific Peak Therapy to pursue her passion for bettering the lives of clients through the provision of exceptional care and collaboration with community partners. Her background includes work in community and facility-based rehabilitation with clients ranging from small children to seniors. Joanne understands the complexities in coping with illnesses or injuries and has completed additional training and coursework in Concussion Rehabilitation, Return to Work planning, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Sensory Processing, Ergonomics, Cost of Future Care assessment, and Functional Capacity Evaluation. Joanne mentors and trains other Occupational Therapists and Kinesiologists, including provisional registrants. Joanne has experience working with ICBC and is part of the WorkSafeBC provider network.
Joanne has been accepted as an expert witness in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in the fields of Occupational Therapy, Cost of Future Care, and Functional Capacity Evaluation. She is trained in the Matheson FCE and Metriks FCE protocols. She is experienced in conducting medical legal assessments, for both plaintiff and defence counsel, in the form of Cost of Future Care Assessments, Functional Capacity Evaluations, and Responsive Reports.
In her free time, Joanne can be found outdoors, enjoying all that the North Shore has to offer, including mountain biking, snowboarding, running, camping, and hiking with her husband and two dogs.
Joanne is fluent in English and French.
Pablo, OT
Pablo grew up in Burnaby and studied Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University, later moving to Kingston, Ontario to complete his Master’s in Occupational Therapy at Queen’s University in 2015. He maintained good academic standing and qualified for a 6 week community development placement in South India working with patients with quadriplegia.
Since returning to BC, Pablo has worked in the private sector as an occupational therapist, taking particular interest in the areas of physical dysfunction, brain injury, and coaching. He has taken continuing education on Functional Capacity Evaluations, Ergonomics, Wheelchair Seating, and Coaching for return to work. When working with his clients, he focuses on developing a therapeutic relationship, education, and goal setting to help clients return to function.
When Pablo isn’t working, he enjoys cooking, baking, soaking up the sun, and planning his next trip to somewhere exotic.
Pablo is fluent in English and Mandarin.
Marina, OT
Marina grew up in a small town in interior BC and has always been interested in pursuing a career in health care. She studied Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia graduating in 2016 and later obtained her Masters of Occupational Therapy degree in 2018 from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Through Dalhousie University, Marina qualified for an 8-week placement in southern India. She worked with adults recovering from motor vehicle accidents and pediatrics in both community and private practice settings.
Marina is client-centered in her approaches and focuses on building a therapeutic relationship when working with her clients. She also has further education in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training, Mental Health First Aid, as well as Sensory Processing and Sensory Based Interventions. Marina provides OT support for adults and children in Revelstoke, Salmon Arm, and surrounding areas.
In her free time, she can always be found outdoors. She enjoys road biking with friends, exploring new trails, fostering animals, painting, cooking, and planning her next international expedition.
Mandeep, OT
Mandeep was born and raised in Burnaby, BC, and completed his Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree at Simon Fraser University, honours with distinction. He later left his hometown to complete his Master’s of Occupational Therapy degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, before moving back to practice as a community occupational therapist in BC.
For Mandeep, occupational therapy is the means by which he is able to combine his core values into his professional work. With a focus on enabling individuals, the work of occupational therapy aligns with the value he places on helping others to adapt and thrive in the face of change, and affords him the opportunity to help make a tangible positive impact on the lives of others. He respects the individualities of everyone and values working synergistically with patients/clients, insurers, law firms, and other professionals alike, as he strives towards client-centered outcomes.
Mandeep values continuing education and professional development, and has completed additional training in the field of ergonomics, mental health and well-being, concussion management, cognitive behavioural therapy, and chronic pain. Mandeep works predominantly in the motor vehicle accident (MVA) sector and is always keen to participate in courses to better equip himself to treat this population.
When Mandeep isn’t working, you can find him enjoying the outdoors hiking, trail-walking, snowboarding, skiing, or lazing in a park/beach. He also enjoys staying active by playing hockey and volleyball, and has recently picked up a new challenge in learning Punjabi.
Zara, OT
Zara grew up in Vancouver and studied Neuroscience at Simon Fraser University. In 2018, she completed her Master’s in Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Zara worked in rural Northwest Ontario, Sioux Lookout, where she provided OT services in fly-in reserve communities to Indigenous clientele – paediatrics to seniors. In Halifax, she worked with Veterans in a return-to-work capacity, provided job coaching services and mental health support.
Zara uses a strength-based, trauma informed, holistic approach when working with clients. She recognizes that injuries impact both physical and mental health. She places value on helping clients return to function so they can live a quality life. Zara enjoys working with clients and hearing their unique stories - this is her favourite part of OT-ing.
Zara has completed training in Trauma Informed Care, Functional Capacity Evaluation (Metriks), Kinesiotaping, Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Exposure Response Therapy, Cognitive Rehabilitation, and Zones of Regulation (paediatrics).
In her spare time, you will find Zara taking courses to enhance her practice, rollerblading, working out at a gym, or on a hike with friends. She enjoys lazy days at the beach and stand-up paddle-boarding.
Hannah Davies, OT
Hannah is new to BC! Though ‘home’ is Orillia, Ontario, Hannah has found herself all over the map in the past few years. She spent some time on the East Coast completing her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University. Hannah started her OT career in 2020 in Ontario, delivering community-based rehabilitation to clients following hospitalization due to stroke. Similar to many others, the pandemic had Hannah dreaming big and wanting new experiences! Flash forward to October 2021, Hannah and her partner found themselves packing up their car, loading in their big puppy Chase, and making the trek across the Trans-Canada Highway to their new West Coast life. (Fun Fact: Hannah has driven the entirety of the Trans-Canada Highway from Victoria to St. Johns - Not in one go though!)
Hannah is very passionate about inclusion and accessibility. She enjoys working in community based rehab because she values the strong therapeutic relationships she is able to build with clients across multiple sessions. Additionally, she finds the benefits and outcomes of therapy are far greater when the practitioner and the client are able to work together directly in the client’s own environment. Hannah has written research on learning to drive with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and presented on such at the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists annual conference in 2021. Hannah also has education in disability case management and return to work planning. Hannah provides OT support to adults and children.
While Hannah is not “OT-ing” you can find her skiing the slopes, hiking with her Great Dane Chase, or scouting out the yummiest foods and deserts Vancouver has to offer.
Mays Sleiman, OT
Growing up in the nation's capital, Mays completed her Bachelor of Science degree with a specialization in Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa. She then moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2017 to obtain her Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University. During that time, Mays completed an 8-week clinical placement in a chronic and complex illness clinic where she discovered her passion for community based chronic illness work and disability management.
Supporting people through the difficult time of rediscovering a purposeful life after a major accident or incident is what Mays loves most about OT-ing. Since moving to B.C. Mays has been working in the private sector as a community OT. Her clients include people living with moderate to severe mental health illness, post-concussion syndrome, SCI, and chronic pain. To better serve her clients, Mays has continued her education in planning and coaching return to work, prolonged exposure therapy, chronic pain management, and concussion rehabilitation. Mays has experience working with ICBC and WSBC, she is part of the WorkSafe BC provider network.
In her spare time, Mays enjoys all things active! Her interest in hiking, skiing, biking, and surfing have all peaked since moving out west 3 years ago. Mays also has a soft spot for anime, that she definitely thought would fade over time.
Mays is fluent in both English and Arabic.
Heidi Perera, OT
Heidi grew up in Sri Lanka and moved to Canada in 2012 to pursue an undergraduate degree at the University of Winnipeg. After completing her degree in Business Administration, she started work as Support worker supporting children and youth in foster care. This inspired her to join the health care field to provide individualize support to those with mental and physical disabilities. She completed her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Manitoba in 2021.
With her, Heidi brings her unique experience of growing up in a collectivistic culture and being an immigrant to Canada, therefore, considering a holistic approach to an individual's care. Bearing in mind that cultural beliefs and social aspects of each individual plays a vital role in a person’s recovery. She is passionate about mental health and spirituality and the understanding the significant role of one’s mind has on a person’s wellbeing. What she loves about OT is that occupational therapists work alongside clients to achieve their goals, assisting them to regain independence in their day-to-day life. After completing her placement in a community setting at stroke rehab, Heidi was drawn to working with individuals in the community.
She is a passionate yogi and practices mindfulness daily to tackle her busy life. After living in Winnipeg for 10 years, her love for the ocean brought her to B.C. When she is not working, she spends time with her 8-month-old daughter and partner, hiking, foraging mushrooms, and spending time by the sea. Heidi is fluent in English and Sinhala (National language of Sri Lanka).
Jo Ellen is our go to for billing, invoicing, and other administrative needs. Her keen organizational skills makes sure that things run smoothly behind the scenes so our therapists can focus their energy on providing the best care to their clients.
When she isn't helping ensure our accounting is up to date, she can be found enjoying the outdoors, French cuisine, and spending time with her family.
Jo Ellen, Admin support