Specialized trauma therapy serving Victoria,
Saanich, Oak Bay, and Greater Victoria
If you’re searching for EMDR therapy or trauma counselling in Victoria, BC, Charlaine Robinson & Associates provides strength based, compassionate and effective counselling in the Greater Victoria community. Our practice was founded in Abbotsford and now serves Victoria, the hometown of our lead therapist and clinical director, Charlaine Robinson, a Certified EMDRIA therapist and Approved Consultant.
Our office is easily accessible to those in Victoria, Oak Bay, Saanich, Esquimalt, View Royal, and Langford. We help those who feel the effects of trauma, PTSD, abuse, and painful life experiences that influence their emotions, relationships, and sense of self. You do not have to have everything figured out before reaching out. Whether you are just beginning to consider counselling or have been carrying trauma symptoms for a long time, our team offers caring, trauma informed support through EMDR therapy and trauma counselling to help you to feel safe, grounded, and able to move forward with confidence.
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is a structured, evidence-based therapy designed to help people heal from traumatic experiences. It’s widely used by trauma therapists around the world and backed by decades of research. If you’ve heard of it but aren’t quite sure what it involves, see below for what you need to know.
Trauma can disrupt the brain’s natural ability to process difficult experiences. When this happens, memories get stored in a raw, unresolved state — continuing to trigger distress long after the event has passed, often in ways that feel confusing or out of proportion.
EMDR therapy works by pairing brief, focused attention on the traumatic memory with guided bilateral stimulation — typically gentle side-to-side eye movements. This process activates the brain’s natural healing mechanisms, similar to what happens during REM sleep, allowing the memory to be reprocessed and stored in a way that no longer overwhelms you.
Many clients are relieved to learn that EMDR doesn’t require you to describe your trauma in detail or relive it repeatedly. The focus is on resolution, not re-exposure.
Originally developed to treat PTSD, EMDR has since been proven effective for a wide range of trauma-related experiences, including:
If something from your past is still shaping how you feel, think, or function today — whether or not you’ve ever used the word “trauma” to describe it — EMDR therapy may offer a meaningful path forward.
Before any reprocessing begins, your therapist will take time to understand your history and build a foundation of trust and safety. These early sessions are never rushed — they focus on preparation and equipping you with tools you can use between appointments.
During processing sessions, you’ll be gently guided to hold a specific memory in mind while your therapist leads bilateral stimulation sets. Sessions are typically 50–90 minutes. Some clients notice meaningful shifts within a handful of sessions; others work through material over a longer course of treatment.
The aim isn’t to forget what happened — it’s to change the way it lives in you.
Trauma takes many forms, and so do the people who carry it. Some of our Victoria clients come to us after years of struggling with something they’ve never spoken aloud. Others are first responders or veterans processing what they’ve witnessed on the job. Some are women rebuilding their lives after domestic violence or abuse. Others simply know that something from the past is holding them back — and they’re ready to address it.
Our Victoria therapists work with adults navigating trauma and complex PTSD, abuse recovery, anxiety and depression rooted in past experiences, grief and complicated loss, low self-worth and shame, first responder and military trauma, and domestic violence and relationship trauma.
We also have deep experience working with RCMP members and their spouses and partners — an area where our practice has particular expertise.
You don’t need a diagnosis or a referral to reach out. If something is getting in the way of the life you want, that’s reason enough.
We offer a focused range of evidence-based therapeutic services at our Victoria offices — each tailored to your history, your pace, and your goals.
Taking the first step toward counselling can feel like the hardest part — especially when life is already heavy. We’ve tried to make the process as clear and low-pressure as possible.
Our Victoria practice is led by Charlaine Robinson — experienced EMDR therapist and a recognized EMDRIA Approved Consultant.
Charlaine has over a 30 years of experience in the human services field, and has dedicated her career to helping people heal from trauma, PTSD, abuse, and the lasting effects of difficult life experiences. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant — a designation that recognizes advanced mastery in EMDR and qualifies her to provide clinical consultation to other EMDR therapists. Her background is unusually broad: she has specialized expertise in working with first responders, RCMP members, military veterans and their families, women survivors of abuse and domestic violence, and people navigating complex trauma and grief.
Looking for in-person therapy in Abbotsford, or prefer online sessions from anywhere in BC? Our Abbotsford team — Shawnda Johnston, Rajvinder Heer, and Melissa Michaud — are also available for virtual sessions with Victoria-area clients.
We offer in-person EMDR therapy and trauma counselling at our McKenzie Avenue office in Victoria, as well as secure virtual sessions for clients throughout British Columbia.
(In-Person Sessions on Wednesdays & Thursdays)
We serve clients across Greater Victoria, including Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, View Royal, Langford, Colwood, Sidney, and the Saanich Peninsula.
Prefer to meet online? Virtual sessions are available throughout BC — same therapist, same quality of care, from wherever you are.
If your present-day struggles have roots in past experiences — trauma, abuse, loss, difficult relationships — EMDR may be well suited to you. It’s particularly effective when talk therapy alone hasn’t been enough. The best way to find out is to reach out and have a conversation with one of our therapists.
It varies depending on what you’re working through. Some clients experience meaningful change within 6–12 sessions; complex or long-standing trauma may take longer. Your therapist will give you a clearer sense of the timeline after your first few appointments, and you’ll always be part of that conversation.
Individual therapy sessions are $170 for 50 minutes or $235 for 80 minutes. We provide official receipts for submission to extended health benefit plans — many plans cover registered clinical counsellors.
Yes. Charlaine sees clients online on Thursdays, and all of our Abbotsford-based therapists offer virtual sessions to Victoria-area clients throughout the week.
Charlaine is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant — one of the highest certifications available in EMDR practice. This means she has not only mastered EMDR therapy but is qualified to train and consult other EMDR therapists. For clients seeking Victoria’s most experienced and credentialled EMDR therapist, that distinction matters.
Reach out anyway. There’s no obligation to book, no pressure to commit, and no wrong time to ask a question. We’re here when you’re ready — and sometimes just making contact is the first step.