Zakia Ovington

Trauma Therapy in Kamloops with Zakia Ovington

I specialize in trauma therapy for adults in Kamloops, BC, with particular attention to complex trauma, PTSD, childhood and developmental trauma, attachment wounds, relationship trauma, sexual trauma, dissociation, shame, and deeply held negative beliefs about the self.

Trauma is not always connected to one identifiable event. Sometimes it develops through repeated experiences of not feeling safe, supported, protected, understood, or emotionally connected. These experiences can continue to influence how you see yourself, how you respond to stress, and how safe it feels to trust or connect with other people.

You may notice anxiety, emotional overwhelm, numbness, difficulty trusting, people-pleasing, perfectionism, shame, hypervigilance, difficulty setting boundaries, or a persistent sense that something is wrong even when life appears to be going well.

My work as a trauma therapist focuses on understanding these responses with curiosity rather than judgment. Many patterns that cause difficulty in adulthood originally developed as ways of adapting, protecting yourself, or maintaining connection during challenging circumstances.

Complex Trauma and Childhood Trauma

Complex trauma can develop when difficult or overwhelming experiences occur repeatedly, particularly within important relationships or during childhood. Unlike trauma associated with a single event, complex trauma can influence identity, relationships, emotional regulation, self-worth, and a person's underlying sense of safety.

In therapy, we may explore how earlier experiences continue to influence present-day reactions without assuming that every difficulty needs to be traced back to the past. The goal is to understand what your nervous system and protective responses are doing now and help create greater flexibility, choice, and internal safety.

EMDR Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the approaches I use in trauma treatment. EMDR can help the brain process distressing experiences and beliefs that continue to feel emotionally present even when you logically know that the experience is over.

EMDR therapy may be helpful for PTSD, traumatic experiences, childhood trauma, relationship trauma, negative core beliefs, shame, anxiety, and other experiences that continue to trigger strong emotional or physical responses.

Trauma therapy does not mean immediately processing your most painful memories. Preparation, stabilization, safety, pacing, and your ability to remain present are important parts of the work.

IFS, Parts Work and Dissociation

I also integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS), Ego State Therapy and Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) into my work.

Sometimes one part of you understands that you are safe while another reacts with fear. One part may want closeness while another wants to withdraw. You may have a highly capable part that keeps life functioning while other emotions remain hidden or difficult to access.

Parts-oriented trauma therapy allows us to approach these internal experiences with curiosity rather than trying to eliminate them. We can understand what protective responses are attempting to accomplish and gradually develop a different relationship with them.

This approach can be particularly useful when working with complex trauma, childhood trauma, attachment wounds, dissociation, shame and longstanding patterns of emotional protection.

Brainspotting and Nervous-System-Informed Trauma Therapy

When appropriate, I may also incorporate Brainspotting and somatic or nervous-system-informed approaches. Trauma can be experienced not only through thoughts and memories but also through physical sensations, emotional responses and automatic reactions.

For some people, incorporating awareness of these experiences can complement more traditional talk therapy and help us work with aspects of trauma that are difficult to put into words.

A Collaborative Approach to Trauma Treatment

There is no single trauma therapy that is right for everyone.

My approach integrates EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), Ego State Therapy, Brainspotting, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and somatic approaches according to your needs, readiness and goals.

You remain an active participant in deciding what we work on and how quickly we proceed. Trauma therapy should not feel like something being done to you.

My role is to help you understand what happened, how your mind and body adapted, what continues to affect you today, and what may help you move toward greater freedom and choice.

Trauma Therapist in Kamloops, BC

I am Zakia Ovington, RCC, CCC, LMHC, Practice Director of Future Focus Counselling Center. I provide trauma therapy and EMDR counselling from our Kamloops, BC counselling centre and offer virtual counselling for clients throughout British Columbia.

My work is particularly focused on adults experiencing PTSD, complex trauma, childhood trauma, attachment and relationship wounds, dissociation, shame, negative core beliefs and the ongoing effects of difficult or overwhelming experiences.

Healing from trauma is not about erasing what happened. Therapy can help the past have less control over how you experience yourself, your relationships and your life today.