Zakia Ovington

About Zakia

Trauma Therapist in Kamloops, BC | EMDR, Complex Trauma & PTSD

I’m Zakia Ovington, a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and trauma therapist in Kamloops, BC. I specialize in working with adults experiencing the lasting effects of trauma, PTSD, complex trauma (C-PTSD), childhood and developmental trauma, attachment and relationship wounds, sexual trauma, dissociation, shame, anxiety, and negative beliefs about themselves.
Trauma does not always come from one overwhelming event. Sometimes it develops through repeated experiences of feeling unsafe, unseen, unsupported, controlled, rejected, or emotionally hurt. You may understand intellectually that the past is over while still finding that your emotions, body, relationships, or sense of self respond as though it is still happening.
My approach to trauma therapy is collaborative, compassionate and individualized. I integrate Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), Ego State Therapy, Brainspotting, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and somatic and nervous-system-informed approaches.
I have a particular interest in complex trauma and childhood trauma, including the ways early experiences can affect attachment, emotional regulation, boundaries, relationships, self-worth and the ability to feel safe.
Trauma therapy does not mean immediately revisiting your most painful memories. We can begin by understanding what is happening in your life today, strengthening emotional and internal safety, and developing a greater understanding of the protective responses that helped you survive difficult experiences.
When appropriate, EMDR and other trauma-processing approaches can help work with memories, emotions and negative core beliefs that continue to feel unresolved. Parts-oriented approaches such as IFS, TIST and Ego State Therapy can also help us understand internal conflicts, protective responses and experiences that may be difficult to express through traditional talk therapy alone.
I believe effective trauma therapy should respect your pace, autonomy and readiness. You remain an active participant in deciding what we work on and how we approach it.
I am the Practice Director of Future Focus Counselling Center in Kamloops and provide in-person trauma counselling and EMDR therapy in Kamloops, BC, as well as virtual counselling throughout British Columbia.
My goal is to help you understand not only what happened to you, but how you adapted to it, what those adaptations are doing for you today, and how you can begin experiencing greater safety, connection, self-understanding and choice.