Counselling for Trauma

Have you experienced a traumatic event that you believe is impacting your quality of life? Being able to confront and address your experience of trauma can take a tremendous amount of courage and hope.

If you’ve arrived on my website page, it’s likely that you or your loved one, has been seriously impacted by a traumatic experience. You are looking for relief from your symptoms that are negatively impacting your ability to feel completely engaged in life, relationships, and work.

Traumatic events might include having experienced childhood abuse or neglect, sexual assault, military combat, domestic violence, homicide, being bullied, and many other types of psychological or physical injuries.

Feeling burdened by one’s traumatic experience can feel isolating, emotionally exhausting, and terrifying. A few common symptoms include feeling distressed by intrusive memories or flashbacks of your trauma and noticing that you avoid people, places, or situations that remind you of your trauma. You might also notice a decreased ability to enjoy activities and relationships that were once meaningful to you.

Often, people experience negative mindsets or internal feelings about themselves, others, and the world. For instance, thinking that “The world is too dangerous of a place,” or believing that, “There is something inherently wrong with me,” or “I’m completely incompetent and I can’t do anything right.”

Another common symptom is feeling short, irritable, and explosive, and noticing that small things trigger these reactions inside you. You might notice yourself taking your anger out on family and friends yet feeling guilty because you know your reaction was exaggerated and unprovoked. You might experience concentration difficulties, sleep problems, and notice an exaggerated hyper-vigilance or feeling on edge.

If you believe you have been impacted by a traumatic experience, I can help. One of the most important factors is for you and I to build a relationship that feels safe, trusting, and collaborative. I will provide a gentle and nonjudgmental atmosphere in which we can explore and work through your traumatic experiences.

I believe in providing a fair amount of education so you can understand how your trauma impacts your brain, beliefs, emotions, body, and behaviours.

Your first few sessions will require a thorough assessment and intake interview. Followed by this, I always spend several sessions working on issues related to safety and stabilization. This means I help you develop the necessary coping mechanisms that will be required in order for you to work through your trauma.

Working through a trauma can be quite de-stabilizing and can heighten one’s symptoms. Therefore, learning symptom management is critical. I draw on techniques for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), and mindfulness to help you build on your strengths and to practice effective emotion regulation, distress tolerance, anger management, relaxation, and more.

Once you feel secure in your ability to cope, together we will gradually expose you to your trauma, to test your coping skills, and your ability to return to feeling grounded and safe despite facing your trauma.

My primary training is in Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), a type of cognitive behavioural therapy that exposes you to your trauma, and helps you process and work through it.  You can learn more about the basics of PE by visiting: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/treatment/therapy-med/prolonged-exposure-therapy.asp

Alternatively, I am also trained in EMDR (eye movement desensitization re-processing therapy. I will provide education on my treatment approaches, and most importantly, I will modify all treatments to suite your needs and preferences.

If you would like a free 15 minute phone consultation, please contact me: allison@diamondcareercounselling.com or call 780-803-1825

Please note, if the reason for your seeking treatment is to obtain a formal assessment and diagnosis report for pension eligibility, disability or other work related outcomes, then I will refer to you to another service.