Crystal Pickering
Community Connector
Crystal Pickering is Team DEK’s first Community Connector. Crystal is from Sault St. Marie. She arrived in Thunder Bay in late 2016 to start her journey into recovery. Making the decision to leave her hometown and start over again in Thunder Bay was a turning point for Crystal She now works as a Peer Support Worker at People Advocating for Change and Empowerment (PACE). She enjoys her work and shares her experience with clients, tells them she’s been there and they are not alone. She meets people where they are at in their recovery and celebrates their successes, large and small.
Crystal lived at The Lodge on Dawson where she met Dayna Karle and Dayna’s mother, Carolyn. When talking about Dayna, Crystal shares “When she first met me, Dayna was scared of me, but she always tried to talk to me and include me. I tried to push her away, but we became friends because she never made me feel like I was bothering her. Dayna and her mom were a big deal for me, to go from a life where people always make me feel like I was bothering them to being around people who always cared for me and make me feel loved was a big deal.”
Her lived experience and persistence are assets to the work and vision of Team DEK. She is a champion in the recovery community and is looking forward to joining the DEK team.
Trevor Atkinson
Director
Trevor was born in Oshawa, and grew up in Nipigon and Thunder Bay, he is a member of Lake Helen First Nation. He is a father of two beautiful children. Trevor has recently achieved his Social Service Worker diploma and has been working in the helping field for 3 years. He has battled with his own substance abuse issues in the past and struggled through the grips of addiction for over 15 years. He knows the challenges that individuals face when seeking out recovery from addiction and understands the hardships that follow in early recovery.
Trevor found his own higher power and "The Way Out" of substance abuse issues in 2019 and has since rebuilt his life. Always maintaining that his recovery comes first, even before his own family. He is a proud member of the Thunder Bay community and works hard at helping individuals who are struggling with mental health and addictions issues.
Trevor is very proud of his work in a local recovery home and strives to provide a therapeutic relationship with his clients to allow them a safe and meaningful experience. The reintegration process is very important to him and he provides services to ready his clients for many different opportunities such as, school, employment, training, family, community, and on-going supportive services.
Trevor believes that society can change the outlook on addiction from morality to reality. Ending the stigma around, and marginalization of people who struggle with substance abuse disorders.
