Karen Dyer was a little bit reluctant when PALS asked her to come on board as executive director.

She’d just started a doctoral degree, which she hoped would support the work she was doing as a nurse, bereavement counsellor and art therapist.

Then she figured, maybe her life had been headed that way all along. The 52-year-old accepted the job and officially moved into her new role on Monday.

She admits she has “some pretty big shoes to fill” — Ann Smith Gordon had been the face of the cancer charity for 33 years.

Q: How have your first days been?

A: Ann was very kind and spent the last few weeks showing me the ropes. Even the day before she left she was in here instructing me.

I have been in the PALS building for several years. My office as a bereavement counsellor and art therapist was downstairs. I have a background in nursing.

I started out at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and then went over to Agape House when it first opened.

Then I went to work at Masterworks [Museum of Bermuda Art], but I found a better fit in Friends of Hospice in fundraising. Recently, I have been out on my own as a counsellor and art therapist.

Why did you become a nurse?

I wanted to go to art school, but my father wouldn’t pay for it. I saw an advertisement about a nursing degree in a magazine and thought, “I can do that” — I was always a self-starter, I have never been shy — and I applied.

Did you like nursing once you started doing it?

I have never had any regrets [although] there were moments when I thought, ‘What have I done?’ I had no idea what to expect.

I thought it was going to be like the soap opera, General Hospital, where a nurse stands behind a counter all day and waves at people. The reality was quite different.

You had to roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty. Nursing gave me all kinds of skills like time management, and people skills. You have to keep up and learn. It is a great career.

Is it intimidating to fill Ms Smith Gordon’s shoes?

Sure, everyone knows her. She is a real ambassador for Bermuda tourism and for PALS. If I can achieve a little bit of what Ann has achieved I will probably be doing a good job. The PALS board is a really strong board and I am really excited to get started and work with them.

What were your first experiences with PALS?

My first personal experience with PALS was when my father, Noel Johnston, died. He had lung cancer in 2000 and had a PALS nurse who visited. He died at home. We couldn’t have done it without PALS. We had wonderful support from them.

How did you get into bereavement therapy?

When I went to Friends of Hospice to work as a fundraiser, families would have a family member die and then would come and talk to me in the office.

They would come back every week and talk to me. I would think, I’m not really a counsellor, what am I doing here listening to people’s stories? I found that people really needed to tell their story. That was what sparked my interest in counselling.

I went back to school in 2007 to get a master’s degree in counselling, psychology and expressive arts therapy. I did that in Prescott College in Arizona. Before graduation I did my internship at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute and the Women’s Resource Centre.

Will you be adding any art aspect to PALS?

Art therapy is very dear to my heart. I still do have some clients I have been working with for a while. I will continue to do a few clinical hours. I don’t know what the future holds for PALS. All organisations can change.

Each new leader can bring something to the table. I am hoping to have more programmes to help people to live well, such as yoga and meditation.

• Buy a tag in support of PALS in Hamilton on May 22 and at locations around the Island on May 23.

• For more information see www.pals.bm, call 236-7257 or e-mail pals@northrock.bm.