Meet The Team
Our team brings together researchers, agricultural experts, mental health providers, and community partners.
Founder & Lead Researcher
Rebecca Purc-Stephenson, PhD
Dr. Rebecca is an Applied Social Psychologist and professor at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus. She has studied occupational stress, resilience, and healthcare access for those with chronic health conditions for nearly 20 years. Growing up, her family had horses and raised sheep, and she worked as a laborer at a large turkey operation. She is also a survivor of a childhood farm accident. Drawing upon her professional and personal background, Dr. Rebecca studies ways to support farmer mental health and build resilient rural communities. She was a co-founder of AgKnow, the Alberta Farm Mental Health Network.
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Research Assistant
Deanna Hood, BA
Deanna is a research assistant with experience on several farmer mental health projects with Dr. Rebecca. Growing up in a farm family, she developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges and rewards of the farming lifestyle. She values the resilience and strength of rural communities and is passionate about the work being done through these research projects. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus, and is currently pursuing her Master of Counselling Psychology.
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Research Assistant
Tayah Fiveland, BA
Tayah is a research assistant and holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus. She grew up on a farm in central Alberta and loves the feeling of living in small, close-knit communities. While she values her rural upbringing, she sees the pervasive mental health stigma in farming communities and the toll the profession can take on individuals. With her background of living on a farm in a rural, farming community, she works with the AgWellAB team to raise awareness and support about farm culture and mental health. She is currently pursuing her Master of Counselling Psychology
Counselling Therapist/Farmer
Matt Groeneveld
Matt is a third-generation farmer in southern Alberta turned counselling therapist. Interest in farm mental health grew from the love of the land, the family farm, and farm life while also witnessing and experiencing the daily and ever-increasing challenges faced by farmers and farm families across commodity groups. He is currently finishing his Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University, providing mental health services in his practicum through Foothills Community Counselling, a non-profit in High River, AB. He also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the University of Toronto.
Art Therapist and Psychotherapist
Carole Preston
Carole is a Professional Canadian Art Therapist and Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with Currents Art Psychotherapy Studio in Camrose, Alberta. She also supports her family farm, Heiberg Farms, in Beaver County. She is passionate about weaving the arts into the therapy space and as a tool for creating vibrant communities. In the art therapy studio, Carole works within an anti-oppressive client-centered framework to help clients navigate challenging feelings, thoughts and behaviors. On a community level, she uses art therapy and therapeutic arts offerings to create opportunities to bring people together and to address community concerns. Within her practice, she integrates expressive modalities creating a warm, welcoming and safe therapeutic environment for all ages.
Summer Research Assistants
For the past few years, we've had the privilege of mentoring talented undergraduate research assistants, all of whom come from farm families or have a connection to agriculture. These students work alongside Dr. Rebecca on applied research projects, gaining valuable skills and insights into farmer mental health.
Their work not only enhances their academic and professional development but also contributes directly to supporting the well-being of farming communities in Alberta. Through this hands-on experience, they help bridge the gap between research and real-world impact, ensuring that our work remains grounded in the realities of farm life and is something they are passionate about.
Research Assistant
Jenessa Doctor
Jenessa is from a rural community in east central Alberta. She assisted in several farmer mental health projects including a large study on farmer suicide, and the mental health impact of depopulation on farmers. is currently completing her Masters in Counselling Psychology.
Research Assistant
Sarah Dedrick
Sarah graduated from Augustana with a major in kinesiology and psychology. Living in a small city surrounded by rural communities helped her develop a passion to support local farming communities. She assisted with the province-wide farmer mental health and coping survey. She continued this research when she moved to Austria to play professional volleyball. Back in Canada, she is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Health.
Research Assistant
Ella Kim Marriott
Ella completed her MSc in Rural Sociology in the Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology (REES) department at the University of Alberta. She was interested in this project because of her experience with qualitative research and interest in just and sustainable food systems. Ella assisted with a project examining how new farmers navigate the agricultural industry. She currently works for the federal government in policy.
Research Assistant
Casey Hartman
Casey is from southern Alberta and comes from many generations of farmers who taught her the value of the agricultural industry. She assisted with the succession planning project. She graduated with a BA in Psychology from Augustana and is pursuing a graduate degree.
Research Assistant
Cale Scotton
Cale graduated from Augustana with a BA in psychology and plans to pursue a career in counselling. With limited background in agriculture, he is especially interested in addictions, coping with stress, and mental health interventions for rural Albertans. He assisted with the succession planning project and farm culture project.
Research Assistant
Adachukwu Chimaobi
Ada was an international student who graduated with a BSc in Psychology. She grew up in Lagos Nigeria, where all households practice subsistence farming and they were surrounded by farming and was a farmer herself for a little while. She assisted with the delivering mental health services in rural areas project. She is currently pursuing graduate studies.
Research Assistant
Taylor Buryn
Taylor graduated from Augustana with a BA in Psychology. She grew up on a farm in Thorhild County, northeast of Edmonton. She knows how mental health can be affected in agricultural and rural lifestyles. She assisted with the succession planning study. She is interested in becoming a counsellor for youth or athletes from rural communities.
Research Assistant
Jude Keehn
Jude graduated from Augustana with a BA in psychology. He was born and raised in Edmonton, but had family who grew up on farms outside of Two Hills, Alberta. Jude assisted in some of Dr. Rebecca's earlier projects including farmer suicide and risk factors, and the mental health impact of depopulation on farmers and veterinarians. He plans to pursue a Masters or PhD in clinical or counselling psychology.
Research Assistant
Nicole Roy
Nicole graduated with a BA in Psychology from Augustana. She is from Wetaskiwin, and comes from a multi-generational family of hog farmers. She knows the mental health issues farmers face and the struggles of retired farmers. She assisted with the delivering mental health services in rural areas project. She is currently pursuing graduate studies at the University of Alberta.
Research Assistant
Stefanie Phillips
Stefanie completed her BA in Law, Crime and Justice Studies at Augustana. She was raised in the small rural community of Warburg, Alberta and much of her family still resides on family farms in that area. She assisted with the succession planning project. She is currently pursuing graduate studies.
Our Campus
We are a part of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus. Located in Camrose, Alberta, our campus has deep rural roots and strong community networks across the province.
