About | Adult Speech Therapy

Jessica SK Chan MClSc | RSLP (C)
Founder and Clinical Director

Jessica received her Masters of Clinical Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Western University in Ontario.

Jessica has years of practice in rehab and acute care hospitals and is currently working on the acquired brain injury inpatient rehabilitation program at the world renowned GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre.

She is specialized in working with adults who have had brain injury resulting from, for example, strokes, car accidents (ICBC cases), workplace injury (WorkSafeBC cases), or brain tumours. She also has experience in voice therapy, working with occupational voice users (teachers, lawyers, coaches, etc.) and voice disorders as a result from hospitalization. In addition, she has a special interest in providing communication, executive functioning, and voice therapy to those looking to optimize their skills in these areas due to age or daily needs.

She provides a holistic approach to client care, and takes importance in listening to and caring for the client's needs and their goals. She is experienced in working with client's family members by educating them on different diagnoses and how to use communication strategies effectively.

She is a clinical educator for the UBC Speech-Language Pathology program and supports students in their journey of developing clinical skills and professional development.

Her passion for traveling, learning new skills, and her wide range of interests make her a well-rounded clinician.

Our Team

Alex Minaker

Registered Speech Language Pathologist

Originally from Ontario, Alex made her home here in Vancouver in 2011. She fell deeply in love with the city, the people, and the outdoors. She has a MSc of Speech-Language Pathology from UBC, and has enjoyed working in Vancouver and the North Shore with people from all walks of life.

She has experience working with school-aged children as an SLP, a support staff, and an aunt! She also has practiced in acute care, inpatient rehab, outpatient rehab, and community rehab with adults. She specializes particularly in working with adults with acquired brain injuries (e.g., strokes, brain tumours), and with alternative and augmentative communication (AAC). She is a clinical instructor for the UBC Speech-Language Pathology program.

She is passionate about communication (verbal and otherwise), and she believes in approaching therapy with a holistic perspective. She believes that therapy should be client-centered, focusing on your goals and what is important to you, including the opportunities to involve loved ones in your communication journey! She is passionate about providing communication partner training/support and education alongside evidence-based practice.

Ali Denno

Registered Clinical Counsellor

Ali received her Masters of Clinical Counselling from Adler University and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC; Member #21746). As a counsellor she collaborates with every client to understand the power of their story and for her clients to feel heard and honoured. She views counselling as a place for individuals to explore talk therapy alongside expressive arts to create space for understanding parts of themselves that at times can be hard to put words to.

Her work and volunteer experiences include peer support for those in recovery from eating disorders at The Looking Glass Foundation and individual counselling at Jewish Family Services. Alongside this, she has facilitated therapeutic creative writing workshops through Pandora’s Collective at the Jewish Community Centre and Pacifica Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre on grief and loss, finding community, change, and anxiety. This work has informed a holistic approach to her areas of practice in anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, shame and guilt, burnout, caregiver burnout, grief and loss, loneliness, and processing life changes and transitions. She uses several approaches in her therapeutic work and they vary according to the client’s needs, these include Adlerian therapy, Narrative therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, Body-Centred/Somatic Therapy, and Trauma Informed Therapy.

When she is not in the counselling space, you can find her at the movies, embroidering in the backyard with her cat, camping, and discussing horror movies and novels!

former client’s family member

"Thank you for being so kind and patient. It’s been so hard since my husband had a stroke. I’ve learned so much about aphasia and how to help him practice at home."

former client’s family member