Linda O’Neill

Dr. Linda O’Neill is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). She co-leads the Counselling Program with Dr. John Sherry and oversees the Community Counselling Centre (CCC) in Prince George, acting as a trauma counsellor, clinical supervisor, and Clinical Coordinator. Her work focuses on trauma-informed practices, secondary trauma among practitioners, and northern mental health systems. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Victoria and is a certified trauma specialist.

Education: BA in Child and Youth Care, MEd in Counselling Psychology, PhD in Educational Psychology (University of Victoria). She has extensive experience in northern BC and Yukon, providing trauma training to schools, health authorities, and justice systems.

Research interests include historical/intergenerational trauma, complex trauma interventions, and ethics in northern counselling. She leads SSHRC-funded projects on northern mental health support, Indigenous evaluation frameworks, and classroom interventions for trauma-affected children. Over her career, she has supervised 8 thesis completions, 26 project students, and contributed to 38 committees across disciplines.

Her publications emphasize northern mental health challenges, trauma-informed systems, and caregiver support. She volunteers at CCC and trains professionals on mitigating secondary trauma. O’Neill advocates for culturally respectful engagement in Indigenous mental health contexts, as detailed in her 2016 chapter on northern community health.