Trinity Stephens was the recipient of a 2024 CPA Indigenous Psychology Student Award for her unconventional work as an undergrad at UBC.
There are certain things we expect from other people in terms of their behaviour. We expect people to turn right when their right turn signal is on. We expect that when we order a coffee that the barista will put it in a cup, and that fellow bus riders will refrain from doing chin-ups on the hand-hold bars. Or, that when we get on an elevator, everyone will face the door and the buttons, avoid eye contact, and ride up to their floor in silence. And these expectations are mostly confirmed by others. Unless, perhaps, you get on an elevator with Trinity Stephens.
“Even when I was a child I never did what other people did, but it was when I became a psychology student that I realized how odd it is. We had this one social psych class where the prof sent us on missions. Like, go into society and break social norms. So for a week straight, I would go into the elevator and face everyone. While everyone faces the one direction, I was looking the other way. Just forcing myself to overcome the idea that I had to do what everyone else was doing. People hated it, especially if I was with my friends. They got really annoyed with it, and I could see the anxiety it provoked in people.”
Trinity is going into her final year of her undergrad at UBC. She’s Mi'kmaq, Métis, and Jamaican, and recently received a CPA Indigenous Psychology Student Award for her work in school – where she is doing a bachelor of arts with a psychology major, and also a minor in law & society and a minor in education.
Ever since she was a child, she had an instinct to help other people. A psychology course in high school intrigued her, and she became rapt with the idea of learning about the actions of people, and the motivations for those actions that often go unnoticed. Soon, she was looking to start an undergrad in psychology, with the goal of one day becoming a counselor for people in her community.
Trinity visited the UBC campus and immediately fell in love. Coming from the chaotic, bustling environment of Toronto, the feel of a community network, in close proximity to nature was appealing – and something far different from her familiar hometown feel. She says she feels peaceful while she’s there.
“There are actual forests on campus, and there are cherry blossoms all over, and there’s even our own Zen garden that’s really well kept up. I thought if I’m going to spend any time anywhere doing anything, I want it to be for psychology and I want it to be here.”
While at UBC, Trinity has been working at the Alpine Counseling Clinic in Vancouver as a neurofeedback technician. She works on weekends, where she sees anywhere from 4-12 clients a day, ranging in age from 4-80 years old. As Director of Feedback, she’s providing what she calls a Western form of healing, a dynamic she finds very interesting. She has 30-minute sessions with clients helping them “connect with themselves”, honing in on how they’re feeling inside and what’s causing stress and anxiety in their lives.
The connection between Western ways of healing and traditional ways is a subject of particular interest for Trinity. She is enthusiastic about both and believes that the one can enhance the other and vice versa.
“My main goal was to be a counsellor for BIPOC people, specifically in Black and Indigenous communities. There’s a lot of stigma around therapy because it’s something we’re not really used to, but it is something all our ancestors have done. So I thought that by being able to study the Western side would give me an advantage because I already have a lot of my ancestral and holistic knowledge. Even while studying psychology, I’ve noticed there’s a lot of overlap with traditional medicine and traditional ways of healing. It made it a natural thing for me to learn.”
Her love for UBC and the campus community led Trinity to apply for her Master’s program there – and only there. She was not accepted, so for the time being she is considering some other options before once again trying for her Master’s. One option might be becoming a life coach for post-grads, recognizing how much of a whirlwind it is for them right now. Another option is to become a doula.
Doulas help mothers through their pregnancies. They work with them up to the point of giving birth, and also work with them after the birth to help with things like feeding and support. Says, Trinity, “it’s especially helpful in Black and Indigenous communities to help mothers with their birthing journeys, reducing trauma for both the mother and the child. I think that would be a really nice accent to my resume when I do apply for the Master’s in the future. It can also be really expensive so I want to have a sliding scale for people who might not otherwise be able to afford it.”
It would be an unconventional choice of gap year activities, but unconventional choices are on-brand for Trinity. Iconoclastic thinking, an embrace of numerous ways of knowing and healing, and a desire to help the people around her suggest that no matter what Trinity chooses to do, her communities will be all the better for it.
Get to know me questions
- You can listen to only one musical artist/group for the rest of your life. Who is it?
- Do you have a sport? What is it and do you watch, play, follow it?
- Favourite book
- Favourite quote
- If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes who would it be and why