About

Professional Background

My name is Tracy Atkins and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor in the Province of British Columbia, with 19 years experience working with both older youth (18-20) and adults. I specialize in trauma, addiction, anxiety, depression, perfectionism, people pleasing, grief and loss, and emotional dysregulation.

I started my professional career after completing my Bachelors Degree in Social Work. I chose social work as I was keenly interested in understanding social issues, but also because I was passionate about deeply knowing people. Whether in my personal or professional life, it has always felt sacred when someone shares difficult parts of their lives or vulnerable parts of themselves with me.

My work in social work ultimately led me to pursue my career in clinical counselling. I had the privilege of working with people facing issues such as poverty, substance use, intergenerational parenting patterns, and mental health struggles. The more time I spent with my clients, the clearer it became that beneath every struggle was a human being with a story worth understanding. And what grew within me was a desire to work with people in a way that moved beyond managing coping responses and honored the wholeness of their stories. Thus, I completed my Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology.

Over the years, I have worked as a counselor in various counselling settings: A non-profit addictions agency, Northern Health and Interior Health’s Mental Health and Substance Use Teams, and most recently private practice. While these are different settings, my overarching approach remains the same.

Approach

I take a non-pathologizing approach and strive to ensure my clients feel seen and known for more than their struggles. Therapy sessions can involve the following: making sense of patterns you wish to address; processing emotions at a pace and way that feels right for you; working on building new ways of relating to yourself or others. I commit to being alongside you in this work, so you don’t have to feel alone.

I continue to be inspired by people’s capacity for growth and remain committed to expanding my professional knowledge and skills through attending clinically relevant trainings. Some of the modalities I am trained in include EMDR, CBT, EFT for individuals and couples, DBT. Please see the section of my website titled Credentials and Training for a more comprehensive list.

I also expanded my practice to include working with couples six years ago. As I sat with so many individuals it was evident to me that our closest relationships either help healing or create further wounding and often not from a place of malice, but from our own unresolved pain. This sparked a desire to pursue Emotion Focused Couples Therapy training, to help couples strengthen bonds, connections, and relationships. Couples therapy has become a very rewarding and meaningful part of my practice.