Sleep or Insomnia Therapists in Parksville, BC

To all of you who feel weary, frightened, overwhelmed, alone: take refuge here. You are not alone. There is hope. Although the waves seem too rough, they can be calmed. Let’s navigate these storms together. I am Kathryn Atkinson and I want to provide you with a safe space to share your struggles, be truly heard, and understood. Together we will find ways to increase your resilience and climb those mountains that seem insurmountable or traverse those dark storms that seem unending.

Would you like to feel healthier and more vibrant? Have you been living with anxiety, insomnia, stress, chronic illness or depression? I offer not just tools and strategies to help rebuild your health and energy, but valuable perspective that comes from over 25 years of focusing on these issues. My approach encourages you to become aware of the interplay between your mind and body, and the role your nervous system plays in the development of illness. If you'd like to get back in touch with your own "internal compass" and balance life's demands with greater ease, contact me.

Are you feeling anxious? Having trouble sleeping? Experiencing pained body & sadness that wont go away? Complex trauma can lead you to develop body hyper-vigilance. This is where the body be continually tensed, as though the body is “braced” for potential threats. Continual patterns of holding onto tension can manifest as chronic pain/fatigue, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, PTSD-anxiety, insomnia, sexual and/or immune system dysfunction to name a few. The intention is enhance the body's own capacity to heal by freeing the body, breath & energy flow (behavior patterns) through the practice of self awareness & self-compassion.

Providing help for: Relationship Issues, Depression, Anxiety, Grief & Loss, Addictions, Personal Growth, Abuse, Parenting, Anger Management, Stress, Guilt, Insomnia, Family, Trauma, Spiritual...

In Person & Online. I help people overcome depression, anxiety, grief, and childhood trauma using my many years of experience. I welcome teens, couples, women in pregnancy, and new parents. Manage life transitions and start living your life in line with your own values and beliefs. Together we will create a safe relationship to explore looking at your life in a new way. I am always open to changing the course of therapy if it doesn’t work for you. I use empathy, relationship, insight, and unconditional positive regard as the foundation for our work together.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is the primary therapeutic model that I use. My goal is to assist people to release the burdens that they carry and to foster access to their deeper Selves. I have experience working with individual's and couples with a vast array of Mental Health, Emotional, and Relational concerns. Often the people I see carry; anxiety, depression, complex trauma, PTSD, substance use, and OCD, relational stress, amongst others. My partner is an RCC and she also uses IFS and has experience treating complex trauma. Full details can be found on our website.

Does your grief & anxiety overwhelm you? I work primarily with women who are dealing with grief, anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges & life transitions. I support clients to access their inner strength, personal goals, and inner wisdom by teaching them to get into relationship with their emotions. My approach to counselling is deeply rooted in compassion & integrity, blending each persons individual belief system with their unique history & life experience. The counselling I offer is both gentle & practical where together we can explore your unique emotional, physical, intellectual, & spiritual values in sacred space.

I am an adult/child/youth and family therapist and clinical consultant in private practice. As well as being a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), I am a Registered Art Therapist (ATR and BCATR), a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S), and a certified Play Therapist Supervisor (CPT-S). I celebrate 45+ years experience as a counsellor psychotherapist and 35 years teaching internationally the therapeutic methods I have developed called Holistic Expressive Therapy. For 34 years, I have taught courses at the Justice Institute of British Columbia where a certificate on my approach to therapy is offered.

Update: In-Person in Parksville on Mondays and Thursdays starting Aug. 1st. Though making change can be hard, it can be done - part of my role is to help you navigate a path forward that is in line with what's truly important to you. I have over a decade of experience in working in various roles in mental health and social justice, and as a Registered Clinical Counsellor, I am passionate about connecting with people and guiding them in living authentically. Some challenges that I have supported others with include trauma, anxiety, burnout, grief, depression, and interpersonal relationships.

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 30 years of experience providing counselling services to individuals (all ages), couples, families and first responders. I offer respectful, collaborative, holistic, compassionate and goal focused counselling in a safe and supportive environment. I offer a broad spectrum of services ranging from brief solution focused support to intensive psychotherapeutic support, including CBT & EMDR. I believe in the value of working collaboratively with my clients, and I have a deep respect and appreciation for diversity.

My approach to clients is always strength based, as I believe that every individual has unique strengths that can serve as a foundation for their personal growth. My style is to be warm, open, and nonjudgmental. There are many modes of therapy. I am not limited to, but use cognitive behavior therapy, solution-focused therapy, mindfulness based cognitive therapy and motivational interviewing.

Come as you are. Whatever challenges you are currently facing, unless you talk about it, you'll never know what's possible. You don't have to know where to start. Your story needs to be told, by you. I welcome and value diversity from all walks of life.

I help people who are experiencing depression, anxiety, grief and loss, relationship issues, stress in the workplace, and blocks to personal growth or creativity. My clients comment that they feel heard and understood by me, and that they appreciate my soft-spoken, gentle, and compassionate nature. My work is based on AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy), which draws from attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, and more. What this looks like and feels like in session is that I will be working from the get-go to attend to all aspects of the therapeutic relationship with you, and together we will create

Perhaps you are wondering how to feel more present, engaged, connected & happy in your day to day life. You may be noticing a lack of fulfillment, autopilot survival mode, lack of presence, anxiety about the future, difficulty with rest/slowing down & motivation/energy, uncertainty, challenging emotions, isolation/hyper independence, uncomfortable sensations, worry & rumination, low self confidence/self esteem & disruptive/confusing symptoms. All of these symptoms are understandable & make sense in the context of life events. It is possible to reconnect with your empowered self, respond to life challenges & enjoy simple presence.

Like many people, I grew up in an environment where we didn't talk about our struggles and emotions. From an early age, I learned to keep the difficult things inside and deal with my emotions on my own. In 1999, I became a crisis phone counsellor and realized that I wasn't the only one who had had this kind of experience. I realized that a lot of people felt the way I did and kept their emotions inside. For the first time, I learned how healing it could be to share struggles with supportive people.

Turn relationship issues, anxiety, depression, and stress downside-up and stop repeating the same troublesome patterns. I am an experienced counsellor who can help you turn problems into solutions, getting you the tools you need to make real changes, starting now. Doing more than just listen, I help you deal with problems and underlying causes so that you can gain relief now and for the future. Life is better with help: I can help with relationships, infidelity, trust, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, sex issues, panic, addictions, anger, trauma, grief, and more. Frowns really can turn into smiles.

Counselling is the art of illuminating pasts, fostering resilience, and nurturing seeds of positive change.  I weave a tapestry of care, blending the precision of nursing insight with the warmth of compassionate counselling. Your journey is a unique narrative of strength and resilience. My approach is tailored to celebrate your distinct story, guiding you toward holistic wellness and lasting transformation.  As an experienced Registered Nurse with a Master's degree in clinical counselling, my unique approach combines medical expertise and therapeutic skills. Specializing in health and wellness counselling.

My primary work is to empower young adults and women who are experiencing burnout, trauma, anxiety & depression - particularly if you're a highly sensitive person, creative, empath and/or introvert. Our over-stimulating society can attract us to unhealthy behaviours & unhealthy relationships in order to feel like we belong. Talk and creative approaches to therapy are used which help ground the nervous system, allowing healing & peace to begin. When changes in life feel tough to navigate through, it is vital to have a compassionate & non-judgemental listener to help you feel connected, & find your place in the world- I can help.

You CAN live without anxiety, stress, overwhelm or burnout! Numb, stuck or simply surviving? We live in crazy times! You’ve lived, loved, worked, possibly married and divorced, raised a family, cared for aging parents, surely succeeded in your unique ways and also dealt with life’s natural challenges and losses too. If a helper-type, other’s needs have likely come before your own. Life happens, and often not how planned. Whether anxious and stressed, have a heavy heart or upset emotions, stuck in unhealthy patterns of thought or behaviors, in loss or life transitions, unhappy in relationships, we ALL need support to shift / grow.

Now accepting new clients, adults only. I specialize in EMDR and Art Therapy/Expressive Arts Therapy. I am also trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Emotion Focused Therapy. Expressive Arts Therapy uses all the art forms including visual art, movement, music, theatre and writing. It is a gentle approach where internal resources are highlighted. It is a way to express, contain and problem solve difficult events and emotions. No art experience necessary.

I enjoy helping clients with a variety of challenges including: Anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, relationship issues, communication issues, grief and loss, loneliness, anger, parenting, family issues, addictions, body image issues, disordered eating, life transitions, spiritual issues. I take a client-centered approach to my practice. I strive to tune in to the individual needs of each client and find out what works best for them to achieve positive growth and change. I often use techniques from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Psycho-Spiritual Therapy and Hypnotherapy.

Vancouver Island Therapy is a full service, multi—disciplinary health clinic focused on providing multiple healing services to help you and your family. Located in Nanaimo, BC, we service many communities including; Port Alberni, Qualicum, Parksville, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Duncan to Victoria.