OUR TEAM

ALBERTO PALOMINO, MSW, RSW
CO-FOUNDER | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

My name is Alberto Palomino, and I am Registered Master Social Worker with over a decade of experience in the social services field. I am a co-founder here at Metro Vancouver Indigenous Counselling and responsible for strategic planning and management. Raised in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside, I am passionate about serving my community and breaking down barriers to services. Through this organization, I hope to increase access to mental health services for Indigenous communities throughout British Columbia, while providing guidance and expertise to new clinicians looking to do culturally safe and responsible counselling work.

OLIVIA PALOMINO, MSW, RSW
CO-FOUNDER | DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES

My name is Olivia Palomino Meraz, and I am a co-founder the Director of Clinical Services here at Metro Vancouver Indigenous Counselling. My roots are in Mexico on my mothers side and El Salvador on my fathers side. I was born in Tepic, Mexico and am Nahua mixed with European ancestry on both my parents sides. I hold a Master’s in Social Work from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelors of Social Work from Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. I have lived in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside for the majority of my life and have worked with Indigenous women and children from this community for over 20 years. As Registered Social Worker, I currently work for Providence Health as the Coordinator of Indigenous Cultural Safety, in private practice, and for the University of British Columbia as an adjunct professor in the Department of Social Work. I look forward to sharing my experience with new clinicians as we work together to increase mental health services for Indigenous Peoples throughout British Columbia.

LILY BERN
VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Hi! My name is Lily and I am the virtual assistant for MVIC. I was born and raised in Vancouver and currently reside in Victoria where I finished my B.A. in English at UVIC. I pride myself in providing an empathetic, proficient and client-centred approach and am passionate about working in the mental wellness field. I strongly believe in the benefits of counselling and am very grateful to have the opportunity to connect with potential clients and help them embark on their journey with MVIC!