O’Neill, Dr. Linda

PhD, Educational Psychology, MEd Counselling, BA Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria Professor
Email: Phone:
250-960-6414
Website: Office:
10-3594
Campus:
  • Prince George

Biography

Linda is a long-time northerner from the far northwest corner of BC who practiced in that area for many years. She holds a BA in Child and Youth Care, an MEd in Counselling Psychology, and a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Victoria and is a certified counsellor and trauma specialist. Linda and her colleague Dr. John Sherry run the Counselling Program within the Department of Psychology. Working together, Linda and John guide the Community Counselling Centre (CCC) in Prince George, the main practicum site for the program, and Linda volunteers at the centre as a trauma counsellor, clinical supervisor, and Clinical Coordinator. On behalf of the CCC, Linda provides trauma-informed training to schools, health authorities, youth justice, parole, and probation throughout BC and Yukon and workshops on secondary trauma to local agencies and agencies in the regions as a way of supporting helping practitioners and improving the situation of children, youth and adults who have experienced adversity.

Research and Expertise

Linda’s research focuses on: trauma-informed practice and trauma-specific interventions, counsellors and other helping practitioners working in isolated settings; secondary trauma experienced by practitioners; complex trauma(Developmental Trauma Disorder); historical and intergenerational trauma; and counselling and research ethics related to northern practice. Linda is a qualitative researcher and principal investigator on a three-year Northern Communities SSHRC grant, Informal and Formal Mental Health Support in the North, a SSHRC Insight Development Grant on What Counts: Indigenous views of measurement and program evaluation, and co-PI on a two-year SSHRC Partnership Development SSHRC, Classroom Support for Children who have Experienced Complex Trauma and Attachment Disruption.

Research Fields:
  • Addiction
  • Counselling
  • Mental Health
  • Northern Issues
Areas of Expertise:

Counselling; trauma-informed practice; complex trauma and PTSD; secondary trauma, intergenerational trauma

Languages Spoken:
  • English
Currently accepting graduate students
Supervises in:
  • MEd Counselling
  • PhD Health Sciences
  • MEd Leadership

Linda has supervised eight thesis students to completion, is currently supervising five thesis students and two PhD students. She has also supervised 26 project students to completion and has been a committee member on 38 thesis and projects and two dissertations in many disciplines at UNBC.

Available to be contacted by the media as a subject matter expert

Selected Publications

O’Neill, L., Fraser, T., Kitchenham, A., & McDonald, V. (2016) Hidden
burdens of multiple traumas: A review of Intergenerational, Historical, Complex Trauma and Implications for Indigenous Families. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. DOI 10.1007/s40653-016-0117-9 (international)

O’Neill, L., Koehn, C., George, S. & Shepard, B. (2016) Mental health
provision in Northern Canada: Practitioners views on negotiations and
opportunities in practice. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling. DOI/10.1007/s10447-016-9261-z (international)

O’Neill, L.K., George, S., Koehn, C., & Shepard, B. (2013). Informal and formal mental
Health support: Preliminary qualitative findings. International Journal of
Circumpolar Health, 72, 21203. Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21203
(international).

O’Neill, L.K., George, S., Sebok, S. (2013). Survey of northern informal and formal
mental health practitioners. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 72,
20962. Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20962
(international).

Shepard, B., & O’Neill, L. (2012). Intervention of hope: Sustaining caregivers of
children with FASD through therapeutic psychoeducational camps.
Canadian Journal of Family & Youth, 4(1), 79-108. (national)

Koehn, C., O’Neill, L. & Sherry J. (2012). Hope-focused interventions in substance
abuse counselling. International Journal of Mental Health & Addictions.
(international)


O’Neill, L., Guenette, F., & Kitchenham, A. (2010). “Am I safe and do you like me?”
Understanding Complex Trauma and Attachment Disruption in the classroom.
British Journal of Special Education, 37(4), 190-197. (international)

O’Neill, L. (2010). Mental health support in northern communities: Reviewing issues on
isolated practice and secondary trauma. Rural and Remote Health 10(1369),
(online) available at http://www.rrh.org.au (international)

O’Neill, L., Sherry, J., Shepard, B., & George, S. (2015). Ethical exceptions in
exceptional conditions: Counselling in remote and rural Canada. In L. Martin, B. Shepard, & R. Lehr (Eds.). Counselling and Psychotherapy Experiences Ethics-Based Issues and Cases: Ottawa, On: Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.
.
O’Neill, L. (2016). An ally in northern community health: Respectful engagement in
healing relationships, (pp. 265-283). In S.L. Stewart, R. Moodley, & A. E. Hyatt (Eds.) Indigenous Cultures and Mental Health Counselling: Four directions for Integration with Counselling Psychology. New York, NY: Routledge