Tarnia Pickard, MEd, RCC, Counsellor in Surrey, BC and Online

Tarnia Pickard, RCC

Registered Clinical Counsellor for Children, Youth, and Families in Surrey, BC

Tarnia Pickard is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at Sojourn Counselling and Neurofeedback in Surrey, BC. With over two decades of experience supporting children, youth, and families, Tarnia brings compassion, skill, and deep understanding to her work with clients navigating emotional, behavioural, developmental, and relational challenges.

Her counselling approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in trauma-informed care. Tarnia works to create a safe and supportive space where children, youth, and families can feel understood, strengthen emotional regulation, process difficult experiences, and build healthier patterns of connection.

Trauma Informed Counselling, EMDR, and Neurofeedback Support

Tarnia integrates several evidence-based and developmentally sensitive approaches, including EMDR therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), expressive therapy, family systems theory, and NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Therapy.

This integrative approach allows her to tailor counselling to each child, youth, or family’s unique needs. Therapy may focus on healing from trauma, reducing anxiety, improving emotional regulation, strengthening parent-child relationships, supporting neurodiverse children, calming overwhelmed nervous systems, or helping families communicate with greater understanding and emotional safety.

Tarnia is also trained in NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Therapy, a non-invasive neurofeedback system designed to support nervous system flexibility, resilience, emotional regulation, focus, sleep, and stress management. Neurofeedback may be beneficial for children, youth, and adults experiencing anxiety, emotional overwhelm, trauma-related symptoms, attention difficulties, or nervous system dysregulation.

Helping Children, Youth, and Families Thrive

Tarnia works with children and adolescents experiencing anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum differences, emotional regulation difficulties, attachment and relationship challenges, grief, behavioural concerns, and trauma.

She also supports parents and caregivers in better understanding their child’s behaviour, emotional needs, and stress responses. Counselling can help families develop more effective communication, strengthen connection, and create greater emotional safety at home.

Because children do not always express their inner world through words alone, Tarnia may incorporate creative, expressive, and play-based methods into sessions. These approaches can help children communicate naturally, build confidence, process experiences, and develop skills for coping and growth.

Experience in Education and Community Care

Before joining Sojourn Counselling and Neurofeedback, Tarnia spent many years working within the Surrey School District as both a teacher and counsellor. She also supported youth through community programs focused on mental health, developmental needs, and the justice system.

These experiences give her a deep appreciation for the many systems that influence a young person’s wellbeing, including family life, school, peer relationships, community supports, neurodevelopmental needs, and past experiences. Tarnia understands the importance of collaboration among children, caregivers, educators, and counsellors in creating meaningful and sustainable change.

Additional Training in Child, Youth, and Trauma Counselling

Tarnia’s counselling work is supported by additional training in EMDR, expressive play therapy, sandtray therapy, suicide intervention, trauma-informed care, resilience in children, critical incident debriefing, mediation, clinical eco-therapy, polyvagal-informed play therapy, NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback, and support for youth self-injury behaviours. This training strengthens her ability to support children, teens, parents, and families with trauma, anxiety, emotional regulation, behavioural concerns, grief, attachment needs, and nervous system dysregulation.

• EMDR Level 1 — ENVISIONS, Zoran Bjelanovic, 2022
• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional — Evergreen Certifications, 2023
• Expressive Play Therapy Level 1 and 2 — Justice Institute, 2019
• Exploring Trauma and Play Therapy: Integrated Polyvagal Theory — Monica Bhatara, 2025
• Understanding Traumatized Children’s Behaviour — Inter Play / Play Therapy Australia, Donna Berry, 2023
• Virtual Sandtray — Helen Land, 2020
• Self-Injury Behaviours in Youth — Sheri Coburn, 2021
• ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, 2025
• Critical Incident Group Debriefing — Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute, John Koop Harder, 2021
• Resilience in Children — Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute, Trish Harper, 2021
• Clinical Eco-Therapy Level 1 Certificate — Ariana Candell, 2020
• Mediation: Facilitating Conflict Resolution — ACHIEVE Centre for Leadership, David Jung, 2021
• NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Training — 2026

Guiding Families Toward Healing and Connection

At the heart of Tarnia’s work is the belief that every person has an innate capacity for healing, growth, and resilience. Whether through EMDR processing, expressive therapy, family-based support, neurofeedback training, or practical emotional regulation tools, she meets each client with empathy, attunement, and respect for their individual story.

Her goal is to help children, youth, and families feel seen, supported, and empowered as they move toward greater emotional safety, confidence, and connection.

Areas Tarnia Commonly Supports

• Child and youth counselling
• Family therapy and parenting support
• Trauma-informed counselling
• EMDR therapy for trauma and anxiety
• NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Therapy
• Anxiety and worry
• Emotional regulation and social skills
• Attachment and relationship challenges
• Grief and loss
• Behavioural challenges
• Support for neurodiverse children
• ADHD, autism spectrum differences, and learning differences

Therapeutic Approaches

• EMDR Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
• Expressive Therapy
• Family Systems Theory
• Trauma-Informed Therapy
• Play-based and creative counselling approaches
• NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Therapy

Book Counselling or Neurofeedback with Tarnia Pickard in Surrey, BC

Tarnia provides counselling and NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Therapy for children, youth, and families at Sojourn Counselling and Neurofeedback in Surrey, BC. Clients can view her availability and book online through our secure booking platform.