Russ Atkins, MA
Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern

Have you spent most of your life feeling a little out of step? Maybe you learned early to stay alert, keep the peace, or hide the parts of yourself that didn't seem welcome. Maybe you've been told you're too much, or not trying hard enough, when you were actually working twice as hard as everyone around you. Maybe alcohol, substances, or staying busy became the way you got through. If any of that sounds familiar, I want you to know it makes sense. Those were adaptations, and they kept you going.

I came to counseling by a long road. I've been in recovery since 1994, and that experience shaped everything that followed. I spent more than two decades working in addiction and recovery in Northern California, starting as a youth case manager in the late 1990s and later as a drug court counselor. Along the way I studied literature and the humanities, which taught me that every person is living a story, and nobody's story is simple. Today I'm also the primary caregiver for my mom, who has Alzheimer's. I know the exhaustion, the grief that arrives before the loss, and the particular loneliness of caring for someone who is slowly changing. I share this so you know that whatever you're carrying, you won't have to explain all of it from scratch.
I believe the parts of us that struggle are usually the parts that worked hardest to protect us. The hypervigilance, the masking, the drinking, the perfectionism: at some point, each of these was an attempt to survive. Therapy with me isn't about shaming those parts or forcing them to disappear. It's about getting curious about them, understanding what they've been carrying, and helping them set some of it down.

I especially enjoy working with adults navigating trauma, neurodivergent adults (ADHD and autism, diagnosed or suspected), people exploring their relationship with alcohol or other substances, and caregivers supporting a loved one through dementia. Many of my clients carry more than one of these at once. I welcome people of all backgrounds, identities, and beliefs, and I want therapy to be a place where you never have to translate yourself to be understood.

My work integrates EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and a trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming approach. We'll start by getting to know you and what you want from therapy, then build a sense of safety before moving into deeper work. You set the pace, and you're always welcome to ask why we're doing something. I'm warm and direct, I'll tell you what I'm noticing, and I'll never hand you a worksheet and call it a day.

I offer individual therapy by telehealth anywhere in Florida, with flexible scheduling that includes evenings and weekends. I'm a Mental Health Counselor Intern practicing under the supervision of Dr. Katie Fields, and I'm completing my PhD in Counselor Education at National Louis University.
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You don't have to have it all figured out to reach out. You just have to be a little curious.
Areas of Specialization:
  • Trauma and PTSD
  • ADHD and Autism
  • Substance Use and Recovery
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Shame and Self-Worth
  • Burnout and Masking
  • Caregiver Stress
  • Anticipatory Grief

​Populations:
  • Adults
  • Neurodivergent Adults
  • Trauma Survivors
  • Individuals in Recovery
  • LGBTQ+
  • People Questioning Their Relationship with Substances
  • Family Caregivers
  • Adult Children of Aging Parents


Types of Therapy I Offer:
  • EMDR
  • Flash
  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Trauma-Informed Therapy
  • Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy

Please feel free to call or text me to schedule: 707-480-6190.