Counseling for Trauma Recovery
Counseling for trauma recovery helps those with trauma histories move forward on their path to healing. If you experienced, witnessed, or learned of a traumatic event of any kind, you may be struggling with trauma. You may also have memories, dreams, and/or distress about the trauma and try to avoid triggers related to the trauma. You may feel irritable, have trouble sleeping, struggle with concentration, or have difficulty functioning socially or at work. At times you may not notice trauma’s direct effects, but notice that at night it is hard not to think about certain events, or be reminded of those events when you are trying to accomplish other things. Trauma invades many life areas, so treating it can be vital.
Traumas can be big or small. Either way, it is important to work on healing from your trauma and moving forward with your life. Traumas can take all forms, including bullying, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, accidental injuries, disconnection from others, and many more situations. Trauma can also occur with other mental health issues, such as depression or more generalized anxiety. It can feel scary to seek counseling for trauma; I am skilled at helping clients understand the roots of trauma and in methods of treating trauma (including EMDR and CPT), so that it feels less threatening and more approachable. Seeking counseling for trauma recovery is a positive step that can have important, lasting results in your life.
You deserve to feel heard and understood in a safe space without judgment.
You may tense when others approach or get too near. You may wonder why others don’t have the same reactions or thoughts you do. It feels easier to just avoid painful memories or thoughts than attempt to address them. Your relationships and connection with yourself suffer because you have unresolved trauma that is getting in the way of moving toward healing and a full life.
The good news is that healing is possible. In counseling for trauma recovery, you’ll learn to be kinder to yourself, how to manage and cope with painful memories or emotions, how to decrease irritation and tension, and how to move forward from issues that are holding you back. Counseling for trauma recovery can help you grow and evolve.
How Individual Counseling for Trauma Recovery Works
The first step is to schedule a free consultation where we can determine if we’re a good fit and if trauma recovery counseling will help you. We’ll talk about your symptoms and reasons for seeking counseling, as well as about what you hope to achieve in therapy.
At the start of our time together, we’ll explore more about your trauma and other history, working at your pace and with your permission. I will do a lot of listening to give you space to share your story. I welcome questions about trauma recovery counseling too!
In subsequent sessions, we will work together to create goals and a plan for how to help meet your goals.
We’ll discuss some of the challenges of trauma recovery treatment and work on managing those. We will work on coping skills and begin the work of trauma recovery.
In our future sessions, we will work on the goals you created for counseling. I will introduce specialized techniques (CPT, EMDR) for treating trauma, and I will request your permission to utilize those methods. If other issues come up, we will also address them as necessary.