MARVIN WESTWOOD PH.D.

Founder and Senior Advisor

Marvin Westwood is Professor Emeritus of Counselling Psychology, at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Education. His major areas of teaching and research focused on the development, teaching, and delivery of group-based approaches for counselling clients, and men’s psychological health. He developed the UBC Veterans Transition Program to help promote recovery from war-related stress injuries for which he received both the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals in 2005 and 2013. In 2012 he established the Centre for Group Counselling & Trauma and is currently its Senior Advisor.

TIM LAIDLER C.D., M.A.

Executive Director

Tim participated in a tour of duty in the Kandahar area of Afghanistan as a convoy escort troop, crew commander, acting station second-in-command, an RWS gunner, and an RG-31 driver. After he returned to Canada he eventually discovered the VTP and was blown away by the change it made in his life. It spurred him to complete a Masters of Counselling at UBC, during which time he spent thousands of volunteer hours creating the VTN, a non-profit organization helping Canadian Veterans nationwide. Today, Tim is the Executive Director of the Centre for Group Counselling & Trauma and focuses his work on supporting the needs of veterans in the community.

McKenzie Robinson, CD

Project Coordinator 

McKenzie was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009/2010 and was part of a force protection platoon as a dismounted infantry and a driver. McKenzie currently serves both in the primary reserves and is enrolled at UBC taking on IVET projects and duties. McKenzie works in a liaison capacity in his role providing front-line knowledge of current military members. This role enables the team to gain more personalized knowledge and connections with military students on campus and Veterans in the community.