Counselling for Complex Trauma
Virtual & In-Person Trauma Counselling in Vancouver, BC
Complex Trauma Therapy
“To heal, we must understand the deep longing to be heard, especially for those carrying the weight of unspoken trauma. The impulse to tell our stories is often driven by unmet needs from the past.”
— Janina Fisher
The symptoms of trauma live in our minds and bodies as an unspoken memories of the past.
When we experience events that threaten our safety, we develop patterns and protections to survive. Often this can feel like an over-active sense of worry and fear, which is sometimes referred to as hypervigilance. You might also feel high levels of distress when things remind you of what happened, though it might be tough to put your finger on exactly 'what is wrong'.
When working through the symptoms of trauma, building safety in the body and in yourself is the number one priority. Counselling can help you to unravel these patterns, and decide how to move forward.
The long-lasting effects of trauma can live in our minds and bodies with devastating impact to daily life.
When working through the symptoms of trauma, I'll help you build safety and compassion, notice patterns, and build skills to move forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our bodies remember things our brains have long forgotten. Trauma attuned counselling can help.
No, not at all. You are not required to re-live traumatic experiences if that feels unsafe. Some people feel a sense of relief when they say what happened out loud, but for others it can feel "re-traumatizing." Together we will figure out how much and how deep feels safe. Counselling can sometimes feel like you've lightened your load, as the counselling relationship helps to hold some of the heavy weight you have been carrying.
Many people believe that because they have not experienced an intensely traumatic event, that they are immune to the effects of trauma. There are many ways that adverse experiences can affect us across the lifespan. For example, research shows that caregiver neglect can actually be very damaging in adults*, even though we might not always think of this as being trauma. Frequent visits to the hospital, a loss that was not acknowledged, or strict rules about how and what to eat can all impact us later in life. Without judgement, we will explore how the effects of trauma are showing up for you and how we can build capacity for safety in your body.
In session, we can discuss medications that you are taking or exploring. Some people do get prescribed medications when experiencing the symptoms of trauma. These include anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, and others. If you would like to talk about medications, you should reach out to your doctor or request a referral to a psychiatrist.
The counselling relationship is protected by strict privacy and confidentiality agreements. Your family will never find out that you are in therapy unless you tell them. If this is something you'd like to explore, we can discuss how to approach it in therapy. The only times that counselling confidentiality can be broken are outlined in my informed consent agreement, and these are uniform across all Registered Clinical Counsellors in BC. Broadly, these are:
- if you are in imminent harm
- if someone else, who is identifiable, is at risk of imminent harm
- if a child or a vulnerable adult is at risk of harm
- if the court orders the release of files.
Therapy for complex trauma takes time, but you may start to feel some relief in the first couple of months. As we work together, you will learn what triggers you, how to build a stronger sense of safety within yourself, and be aware of the effects of trauma on your mind and body.
There are many therapies that can address trauma and its symptoms. I practice an integrative model of therapy, that is strongly informed by Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is an approach to working with trauma that centres the body while acknowledging the processing that happens in our minds. Sensorimotor psychotherapy can help ease symptoms of complex trauma (C-PTSD). In order to find the therapy that works for you, you might like to meet with a few different counsellors to learn about different approaches.
*Silva, R.C, Oliva, F., Barlati, B., Perusi, G., Meattini, M., Dashi, E., Colombi, N., Vaona, A., Carletto, S., Minelli, A. (2024). Childhood neglect, the neglected trauma. A systematic review and meta-analysis of its prevalence in psychiatric disorders, Psychiatry Research, Volume 335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115881.