The ATEN Team |
STAFF
Margaret Mauger - Co-founder, Executive Director and Therapist ([email protected])
Margaret is the Co-founder, Executive Director and Registered Counselling Therapist of the After Trauma Empowerment Network (ATEN) and the Violet Rose Gift & Thrift Shop. She established ATEN in January 2020 to provide barrier-free counselling and support to all genders who have experienced trauma. The Violet Rose Gift & Thrift Shop opened in October 2022 to raise funds for the operation of ATEN.
Margaret has dedicated the last 15 years of her life-work to serving, counselling and supporting all genders who have experienced trauma, violence and abuse. She specializes in and is most known for her work with survivors of sexualized violence. She considers her life-work with trauma survivors to be a true honor and privilege. She is not only responsible for providing trauma therapy, advocacy, education, court accompaniment, and support to individuals affected by trauma, but she is also responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of ATEN.
One of Margaret’s most significant and proudest achievements includes being awarded the Dr. Burnley “Rocky” Allen Jones Award by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission in 2013 to recognize her non-discriminatory work with all gender survivors of sexualized violence.
Margaret values compassion, life-long learning, empowerment and equity. She is a musician, quilter, gardener, and photographer. She most enjoys travelling to the cottage in Cape Breton with her partner/husband, Darrell, for the waves and windchimes.
| Curriculum Vitae |
Emma Palumbo - Registered Counselling Therapist - Candidate
[email protected]
Emma Palumbo is a gender fluid, white, queer counselling therapist who is grateful to be living and working on the unceded ancestral and current territory of the Mi’kmaq people.
Emma is a Registered Counselling Therapist-Candidate (RTC-C) licensed with the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists. Emma has a background in frontline community work, food security and food justice, harm reduction and peer supportive counselling for survivors of sudden traumatic loss. They have been engaged in social justice, community organizing and mutual aid work for over 10 years. Emma is passionate about social change and community care and understanding trauma and healing within this context.
Emma is an integrative, trauma-focused counsellor working collaboratively with individuals, groups, and in community. They believe that individual and collective care are important for healing and growth. They are passionate about sitting with others as a witness to their journey of moving through pain, grief, unresolved trauma, and other challenges but also working together to imagine possibilities for joy, hope, resilience, empowerment, dignity, belonging and love. Emma believes in the wisdom of the body and integrates somatic/body-focused ways of knowing into their practice and acknowledgement that the body has always been centered in Indigenous healing practices. They are committed to ongoing learning and curiosity in this transformative work.
When Emma is not counselling, they enjoy cooking and sharing meals with friends, dancing, singing, gardening, being in the woods, playing bass and piano, listening to records, swimming and snuggling with their dog.
Emma’s office is located up 18 stairs. There is a ground floor counselling office with no stairs that can be accessed for counselling sessions as well.
Shauna Stewart - Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling
[email protected]
Shauna Stewart is a Registered Professional Counsellor and Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling, registered with the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association. With 17 years of experience working in non-profit organizations, Shauna has adopted a trauma-informed, client centered approach to counselling. Shauna specializes in trauma counselling and addictions counselling and has a background of working with people that have experienced intimate partner violence and social injustice. Shauna has extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system and has advocated and supported many clients through the traditional court system, family court, wellness court, and domestic violence court.
Shauna’s passion for helping people is deeply rooted in personal life experiences which drove her to pursue a career focused on making a positive impact. Her proficiency in crisis management and rapport-building skills has enabled her to connect meaningfully with clients, colleagues, and community partners.
Shauna lives with her husband, children and many pets, in the community of Enfield. She loves to read, spend time with family & friends, and is a lover of all things true crime and law related. Shauna currently has capacity to take on new clients and is looking forward to helping you through your healing journey.
Shauna’s passion for helping people is deeply rooted in personal life experiences which drove her to pursue a career focused on making a positive impact. Her proficiency in crisis management and rapport-building skills has enabled her to connect meaningfully with clients, colleagues, and community partners.
Shauna lives with her husband, children and many pets, in the community of Enfield. She loves to read, spend time with family & friends, and is a lover of all things true crime and law related. Shauna currently has capacity to take on new clients and is looking forward to helping you through your healing journey.
Juli Langille - Peer Support Worker
[email protected]
Juli Langille is a Peer Support Worker here at ATEN. Juli's approach is to meet people where they are without judgment or expectation, support them along their healing journey, and recognize and celebrate any movement in the right direction. Juli helps her peers set realistic goals they wish to achieve, such as work, school, relationships, physical or mental health, etc., and can help her peers break everything down into smaller, more manageable steps so the peer can move forward more comfortably.
Juli has had many lived experiences and is a survivor of multiple traumas. That said, she is in a very healthy mental health state of mind and living her best life. In fact, she now enthusiastically looks forward to what the future holds instead of just trying to survive day by day like she used to. Juli's passion is to help support others along their healing journey so that they can navigate it with more ease. She believes healing is possible and achievable for all.
Juli loves animals and nature and finds both to be her happy place. Her hobbies include foraging, gardening with a not-so-green thumb, rock hounding, beach walking, reading, and writing.
Lea-Ann Julian - Office Administrator & Coordinator
[email protected]
Lea-Ann is the Office Administrator/Coordinator and Co-Director of ATEN. While she worked most of her adult life in retail, sales and customer service, her empathic heart and true passion is for serving people who need it most. Being part of a team that cares deeply about all others and their well being is most important to her and where she is happiest. “ATEN possesses all the core values and purposes I’ve been brought up to believe in and practice daily. ATEN is a unique and fascinating non profit organization and I am most grateful to be a part of it.”
A life-long resident of East Hants, Lea-Ann is a loving wife, mother, step-mother, daughter, sister, aunt and grandmother. She is the proud mother of a son and daughter, a blended family of six, and four grandchildren. Her German Sheppard, Taze, is also one of her cherished family members and companion.
Aside from spending time with her family and being a “hockey mom” she can be found contributing to her community in some generous way. She wholeheartedly enjoys volunteering and encourages others to volunteer because it is so rewarding for the spirit. She has organized and volunteered at numerous events in East Hants and Sipekne’takik First Nation. In addition to working at ATEN full-time she regularly volunteers at the Violet Rose Gift & Thrift Shop.
In her downtime Lea-Ann enjoys gardening, and doing creative crafting. But being near water, any water, is most satisfying to her – “There’s just something about water that calms the chaos”.
[email protected]
Lea-Ann is the Office Administrator/Coordinator and Co-Director of ATEN. While she worked most of her adult life in retail, sales and customer service, her empathic heart and true passion is for serving people who need it most. Being part of a team that cares deeply about all others and their well being is most important to her and where she is happiest. “ATEN possesses all the core values and purposes I’ve been brought up to believe in and practice daily. ATEN is a unique and fascinating non profit organization and I am most grateful to be a part of it.”
A life-long resident of East Hants, Lea-Ann is a loving wife, mother, step-mother, daughter, sister, aunt and grandmother. She is the proud mother of a son and daughter, a blended family of six, and four grandchildren. Her German Sheppard, Taze, is also one of her cherished family members and companion.
Aside from spending time with her family and being a “hockey mom” she can be found contributing to her community in some generous way. She wholeheartedly enjoys volunteering and encourages others to volunteer because it is so rewarding for the spirit. She has organized and volunteered at numerous events in East Hants and Sipekne’takik First Nation. In addition to working at ATEN full-time she regularly volunteers at the Violet Rose Gift & Thrift Shop.
In her downtime Lea-Ann enjoys gardening, and doing creative crafting. But being near water, any water, is most satisfying to her – “There’s just something about water that calms the chaos”.
Jessica Webb - Thrift Shop Expert
Hello, my name is Jessica. I grew up in Shubenacadie and have always loved calling this little community my home. Before I was born/when I was a baby my grandparents Scott and Gwen owned the old Frenchy's Store here off the exit 10, and as a kid I always remember helping out at yard sales/flea markets, meeting new people and learning new things with my nan and pop. Fast forward to now being in my twenties, working at a thrift store feels surreal! Not only for the nostalgia aspect, as someone who has always struggled with mental health knowing that all proceeds from the Violet Rose Gift & Thrift Shop go towards supporting the After Trauma Empowerment Network gives me great pride and joy in coming into work each day being sure to greet everyone with a smile just as my nan used to!
Hello, my name is Jessica. I grew up in Shubenacadie and have always loved calling this little community my home. Before I was born/when I was a baby my grandparents Scott and Gwen owned the old Frenchy's Store here off the exit 10, and as a kid I always remember helping out at yard sales/flea markets, meeting new people and learning new things with my nan and pop. Fast forward to now being in my twenties, working at a thrift store feels surreal! Not only for the nostalgia aspect, as someone who has always struggled with mental health knowing that all proceeds from the Violet Rose Gift & Thrift Shop go towards supporting the After Trauma Empowerment Network gives me great pride and joy in coming into work each day being sure to greet everyone with a smile just as my nan used to!
VOLUNTEERS
ATEN Board of Directors: Margaret Mauger, Tasha Head, Lucella Langille, Nicola MacLean, Glynn Irving, Lynne Smith, Kate Matthews (Zoom).
Lucella Langille
Darrell Mauger
Tabatha Sheppard
Audrey Balsor
Karin De Vries
Diana McMullen