About Me

I have been a neonatal nurse for almost 25 years.  Throughout my nursing career, I have also practiced in obstetrics and pediatrics.  I am passionate about  perinatal mental wellness and advocate for accessibility to quality, informed perinatal mental health care.  I am very blessed to have an amazing son who is the absolute joy of my life!  In my spare time I enjoy spending time with family, yoga and all things outdoors (especially in warm weather).

 My motivation for doing this work is both personal and professional. My own lived experience and the lack of resources available to share with my patients have made me acutely aware of the significant gaps in perinatal mentlal health support in Windsor-Essex and across Canada.  After over 20 years of advocacy, I decided to pursue education and training to bridge that gap and offer counselling and psychotherapy for the perinatal population in my community and across Ontario. 

I have received specialized education and clinical supervision through Postpartum Support International, The Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings, PESI, The Touchstone Instute and the Brainspotting Canada Association. 

I am a certified perinatal mental health professional (Postpartum Support International) and certified trauma professional (Evergreen certifications). I'm also certified in Birth and Reproductive trauma and Perinatal Grief and Loss  (cpmht) as well as  grief treatment (PESI).  Additionally, I have received a certificate in Phase 1 Brainspotting (the Brainspotting Canada Association) and also in phase 2 with a perinatal focus (Jana Glass).

In addition to these, I have received training in:

relational cultural therapy

mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy

cognitive behavioural therapy

the flash technique

intro to internal family systems for perinatal populations

healing perinatal trauma

Core competencies of Trauma, PTSD, Grief and Loss

Evidence based treatments for making meaning after loss

Clinical applications of Polyvagal Theory: trauma, attachment, self-regulation and emotions

polyvagal informed trauma assessment and interventions

neuroscience and physiology of trauma

anxiety treatment techniques

I am committed to ongoing professional development and seek out opportunities to learn as much as I can about perinatal mental health in order to offer the best support to parents that I can. I currently taking courses in DBT and EFT.

I endeavour to provide support for families from preconception through postpartum and in processing grief and loss using an individualized and integrative approach.

Tracey Accardo RN, PMH-C, Perinatal Nurse Psychotherapist

CC-BRT, CC-PGL, CTP