Kayaking one week, and rock climbing the next. TRAVERSE is a live-in treatment program that blends experiential activities with therapeutic practices to support 13-18 year old youth through substance use and mental health challenges. Alongside nature-based activities, participants can work towards a healthier life through skill development, counselling, healthy meals, games, cultural engagement, relationship building, and other many other supports.
Behind the scenes of this Chilliwack-based program is a team of dedicated professionals, including Katrina, a Youth Support Worker Team Lead who brings over a decade of experience in social services to her role.
Katrina shares her career path, what a day at TRAVERSE looks like for her, and how the “Challenge by Choice” philosophy helps youth build resilience and courage.

Connecting Through Care: Katrina’s Path to Youth Work
While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Katrina imagined a career as a probation or parole officer. But when she took on a Program Coordinator role at Chilliwack Restorative Justice, another path revealed itself.
“I realized quite quickly that I enjoyed the work of prevention,” explains Katrina, whose job involved facilitating restorative justice circles with youth.
This led her to PCRS and the Learning 2 Lead program, where she organized outdoor activities, resiliency groups, and community volunteering with youth.
From there, Katrina became a Youth Substance Use Counsellor at CAPS (Chilliwack Substance Use and Prevention Services), where she found creative ways to support youth out in the community. “I would create spaces where youth were open to meeting me, whether it was kayaking, going for a hike, or meeting in a local fast-food restaurant or coffee shop. I had to find unique ways to not scare them away with the role of “Substance Use Counsellor,” she shares.
These innovative approaches laid the foundation for her leadership role at TRAVERSE–which stands for Therapeutic Residential and Vocational Environment for Substance Use Recovery and Empowerment.

The Power of Experiential Activities in Recovery
At TRAVERSE, adventure is one of the many tools used to help youth with recovery. Activities like caving, rock climbing, high ropes, and kayaking turn the need for risk-taking into healthier, more empowering challenges.
“Most people dealing with substance use are looking for risks,” Katrina says. “This helps channel that in a healthy way.”
She explains how these activities also help resemble the recovery path: “When our participants are climbing a mountain, scaling a high ropes course, or adventuring the Vedder River rapids, and a staff member or peer is alongside them saying, ‘we got this together,’ it mimics the support a recovery community can bring when challenges occur.”
Beyond high-adrenaline adventures, more accessible activities like hiking, biking, and evening walks encourage youth to discover other healthy habits to integrate into their daily lives outside of TRAVERSE.
Challenge by Choice: Pushing Boundaries with Compassion
A phrase you might hear at TRAVERSE is Challenge by Choice–a concept coined by nature educator Karl Rohnke. It’s a philosophy Katrina first encountered at Learning 2 Lead and continues to use.
“The idea is that you look at an activity or a time when you are feeling nervous or scared, and you break it down into what your challenge is for today,” she explains.
For some youth, it might mean simply observing an activity. For others, it could mean taking the full leap—climbing higher, paddling farther, or pushing through fear.
Challenge by Choice is about empowerment, allowing youth to take ownership of their progress and celebrate every success, no matter the scale.
“It’s an amazing experience to see people take the leap of recovery, and to be alongside them to celebrate all their milestones and successes,” Katrina reflects.
Katrina herself embraces Challenge by Choice in both her personal and professional life: “A huge moment for me was training to bollydance in front of 300 people last year with my TRAVERSE coworker.”

Leading with Connection and Compassion
As Team Lead, Katrina is as hands-on as she is supportive, ensuring her team feels seen and valued. Whether she’s helping staff navigate challenges in the live-in treatment environment or joining in on programming (the weekly Starbucks coffee tasting is a favourite), Katrina leads by example.
“My vision as a leader is that if I don’t participate and see the amazing work the staff are doing, then I will not be able to support them adequately in their growth and celebrate their successes with them.”
Advice for Future Youth Workers
Since opening its doors in August 2020, TRAVERSE has supported 140 participants and continues to be a haven for youth in recovery.
For those passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people facing substance use and mental health issues, Katrina offers simple but impactful advice:
“Listen to them, let them make their choices, and be an advocate for them when and where you can.”
Inspired to Make a Difference?
If you’d like to join a team that empowers people to thrive, PCRS is looking for passionate professionals. Visit PCRS Careers for current job vacancies and the many benefits of working with PCRS.
About this PCRS program: TRAVERSE is a bed-based treatment program serving the Fraser region. Participants are 13-18 year old youth who are struggling with the effects of substance use. Youth can stay up to 6 months voluntarily, and the length of stay in the program varies according to the youth’s own experiences, goals, and recovery journey. For all referral information on who and how to refer, please visit the TRAVERSE page to learn more.
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