Drexler was born in the Philippines and came to Canada at age four. He has experienced covert and overt racism. He shares that he is the exception in his culture, is praised for his lighter skin tone, and chose the less conventional path of psychology. He wants people to slow down and cultivate self-awareness to challenge quick racial assumptions and stereotypes.
Dr. Drexler Ortiz is a licensed psychologist in Vancouver, BC who earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Victoria. His doctoral research examined colonial mentality in Filipino Canadian families, including how colonial beliefs are passed across generations and how families resist them. His broader research interests include racial trauma, cultural identity, and the effects of colonialism on mental health, as well as cultural strengths and sources of resistance. Drexler provides psychological assessment and consultation to Indigenous, rural, and remote communities across British Columbia. His practice emphasizes culturally responsive care and understanding people within their family, community, and historical contexts. He brings both clinical and research perspectives to conversations about racism, belonging, and the importance of recognizing the broader systems that shape people’s lives and experiences. He is grateful to be on the lands and waters of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, whose traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories include Vancouver.
