Christina Atkinson Counsellor MA, RCC (she/her)

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor who offers support to teens, parents, and adults who are facing a variety of challenging life circumstances. Sometimes we cannot always change the circumstances of our lives, but I believe everyone possesses the capacity to turn towards their pain with compassion and curiosity to help discover, reclaim, and cultivate their own personal strengths.

At the heart of my work is the belief that we are not meant to live, work, and experience our pain and struggles alone. We are relational beings and healing happens in connection. This is why I prioritize taking a person-centered approach to treatment which permits me to create a safe, non-judgemental space that offers empathy and compassion.

Given the nature of work that I do with individuals and families, I also draw on Emotion Focused Family Therapy, which helps encourage emotional exploration and expression to facilitate relational change. I also draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which focuses on accepting life experiences as they come without judgement and with more compassion. These approaches permit me to equip my clients with mindfulness strategies to manage uncomfortable feelings and circumstances, as well as somatic strategies that inform how their emotions are being expressed physically. Alongside these approaches, and with the understanding that social factors can significantly influence our well-being, my counselling approach is also connected to a social justice framework where I work with a trauma informed, feminist, and anti-oppressive lens.

My experience working with teens, parents, and adults has been through community-based mental health. I regularly support families and individuals who have been impacted by a variety of mental health and life stressors. These stressors include navigating through life transitions, coping with grief and loss, managing chronic stress, and dealing with anxiety and depression. My clinical work has also given me experience with reducing family conflict, strengthening parenting approaches, navigating co-parenting challenges, and supporting individuals who have experienced domestic abuse.

When I am not wearing my counselor hat, I am experiencing life as a mother of three (including two teenagers). I am intimately aware of the joys and challenges family life can bring and I believe this personal experience enriches my skill as a counsellor.

Christina Atkinson Counsellor MA, RCC (she/her) I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor who offers... Read More

I am a dedicated and experienced educator transitioning into Counselling Psychology. My desire is to foster emotional well-being and provide personalized support to individuals on their transformative journeys. Motivated by a genuine desire to give back to my community, my unique blend of pedagogical insight, empathetic communication, and a desire to facilitate growth equips me to offer holistic support to clients in need.

I am currently in the process of completing my Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University, New Brunswick. I will be completing my clinical practicum hours at Anchorpointe Counselling Group by offering reduced rate counselling services for women, single parents and youth.

I am a dedicated and experienced educator transitioning into Counselling Psychology. My desire is... Read More

Dr. Graeme Saruk is a psychologist registered in British Columbia. Dr. Saruk completed his master’s degree at Boston University before going on to do his doctorate in clinical psychology at Wheaton College in Chicago, Illinois.  He has been providing individual psychotherapy and psychological assessment services for approximately 17 years, working extensively in the areas of chronic pain, disability management and occupational rehabilitation. For the past ten years, Dr. Saruk has been providing psycho-vocational and psychological assessment services for workers that have experienced workplace injury or trauma. This has included providing diagnostic and treatment planning services for First Responders, military personnel, educators and skilled personnel from a wide array of industries.  In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Saruk has managed clinical practicum and training programs, providing training and supervision to counselling and psychology students from Simon Fraser University, Adler University and the University of British Columbia. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Wheaton College, UBC and Trinity Western University. He is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association and College of Psychologists of British Columbia.

Dr. Graeme Saruk is a psychologist registered in British Columbia. Dr. Saruk completed his master... Read More

Dr. Karla Saruk is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia. She completed her master’s degree in clinical psychology at Boston University (2001) before going on to complete her doctorate in psychology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois (2006).

Dr. Saruk has worked in a variety of settings over the course of her career. She has worked in an array of clinical settings, including hospital settings offering psychological services for children and youth with acute needs, MCFD Child and Youth Mental Health working with children and families, and in private practice settings offering a variety of treatment and assessment services.

Dr. Saruk offers counselling services for children and youth. Her treatment approach draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) . The ACT approach helps clients develop greater cognitive flexibility to manage emotional discomfort and life’s challenges. The aim of therapy is to support clients acknowledge and accept unwanted feelings, while empowering them to engage life with a greater sense of agency.

Dr. Saruk deeply values supporting families managing developmental challenges by offering services geared towards early-intervention (i.e., social, emotional, and learning) and strengthening parenting strategies for navigating challenges associated with neurodivergence. Parenting support is also geared towards helping moms and dads gain more knowledge about neurodivergence and the remarkable strengths neuordivergent children/youth possess.

In addition to offering counseling services, Dr. Saruk also offers assessment services that include ADHD/psycho-educational assessments, psychological assessments, and autism assessments.

She is happy to offer consultation services to parents who may be uncertain of what services their child/youth may benefit from. The consultation focuses on obtaining information related to the presenting concerns so that next steps can be suggested and resources offered.

Dr. Saruk has been living on Bowen Island for the past 12 years with her husband, Dr. Graeme Saruk, and their four children.

Dr. Karla Saruk is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of British Columbi... Read More

I became a teacher in the year 2000 and then really started to learn about learning! Since then I completed a master’s degree in special education and have worked with neurodiverse students in various settings ever since. I am dedicated to helping children and youth feel confident, supported, and seen.

I believe that everyone is motivated to do well and individualized strategies help students to learn, achieve their personal goals, and feel good about themselves. I have found that all students benefit from improved executive functioning skills, effective stress-management skills, and supported social skills development.

I offer both parent support and treatment sessions with your child that are tailored to address your child’s unique learning and behavioural needs. This process involves starting with an initial parent consultation session which helps me to prioritize your child’s needs and to develop a specialized treatment plan. After our initial meeting, we can than schedule your child’s first treatment session.

My services are described in greater detail below. I also offer a complimentary 15-minute phone call to answer any specific questions you may have about the support I offer. This can be scheduled through my booking page.

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I became a teacher in the year 2000 and then really started to learn about learning! Since then I... Read More