Trauma Counselling Vancouver

Rediscover your power and move on from traumatic events with bespoke counselling in Vancouver. Our dedicated therapists guide you through the tunnel of PTSD - and into the light.

We are highly committed to your emotional health and personal growth. Our Downtown Vancouver counselling practice continues to expand each year because of our dedication to service and the personalized treatment of our clients. - Pareen Sehat MC, RCC

Therapy That Brings Profound Relief from Distressing or Traumatic Events

Trauma is a term that describes an individual’s psychological and physical response to a terrifying experience. It could be a singular event, such as a car accident and losing a loved one, or a reaction to long-term abuse and bullying.

In severe cases, people who experienced trauma might develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with a national mental health study revealing that 8% of adults in Canada meet the criteria for a diagnosis (Statistics Canada).

The long-term effects of trauma can be devastating, but the right therapy can help you overcome your symptoms and make a full recovery.

Well Beings Counselling is an experienced trauma therapist committed to helping you – or your child – learn coping skills and enjoy a fulfilling life.

Unravelling the complexities of trauma

Trauma is defined as an event that an individual would describe as harmful or potentially life-threatening. The brain’s natural response can result in ongoing adverse effects on your physical and mental health, resulting in behavioural changes.

Many people will experience a traumatic event in their lives, but the severity of that event and the emotional response caused by it can result in long-term damage.

In some cases, the effects of trauma turn into full-blown PTSD, which often requires mental health support. Other people might have the underlying symptoms of PTSD and will end up with a diagnosis if the effects of their trauma aren’t treated.

Therapy That Brings Profound Relief from Distressing or Traumatic Events

While many people experiencing trauma might feel alone, research shows it’s more common than we might believe:

The prevalence of PTSD is primarily found in women. They’re twice as likely to suffer from it than men (American Psychological Association).
People who experience adverse experiences in childhood are more likely to develop PTSD later in life (CDC).
Sexual assault and violence are the most common causes of trauma in women (DOJ).
Witnessing death and combat-related trauma are more prevalent in male PTSD cases (National Center for PTSD).
Trauma and suicide attempts are closely linked, showing a distinct correlation between adverse experiences and suicidal ideations (Sage).

Interested in a Free 15-minute consultation?

The types of trauma

Trauma can occur in numerous forms, and identifying the type you’re suffering with is integral to the healing journey. Each trauma type also has sub-categories that define the initial experience, giving us a clear route to implementing a successful treatment plan.

Complex trauma

If you’ve suffered a range of events that have a lasting impact, this can result in complex trauma. The symptoms can develop over time or be an immediate reaction to a singular experience.

Emotional trauma

Emotional trauma refers to the psychological impacts of stressful events, including how the brain’s functioning alters and the decline in mental health.

Vicarious trauma

Commonly referred to as secondary trauma, this is when you’re a witness of trauma. For example, soldiers might see distressing events, or individuals witnessing a car crash could also deal with long-term effects.

Unravelling the complexities of trauma

Everyone experiences trauma differently, but it’s important to remember that any symptoms can have a prolonged impact on your quality of life. Your symptoms also depend on whether you develop PTSD, as people with the condition often have more severe emotional and physical reactions.

Emotional reactions:

Flashbacks: Reliving the event in your mind and feeling like it’s happening again.
Intrusive thoughts: Repetitive thought patterns where the event seems to replay in your mind constantly.
Hypervigilance: Being on edge constantly and waiting for something terrible to happen.
Avoidance: Going out of your way to avoid potential triggers, such as refusing to get into a car or walk anywhere.
Negative thoughts: Preparing for the worst-case scenario in any event and approaching life with a glass-half-empty mentality.

Cognitive reactions:

Concentration issues: Struggling to concentrate at work or when performing general activities.
Insomnia: Sleep disturbances that impact your mood and general well-being.
Memory problems: Blocking out the event and failing to recall specific details.
Impaired functioning: Inability to solve problems and a lack of organization.
Limited reactions: Feeling numb and being unable to experience regular emotions.

Physical reactions:

Fatigue: Feeling exhausted but being able to switch off and sleep.
Aches and pains: Experiencing frequent migraines and muscle and joint pain for no reason.
Aggression: Lashing out when exposed to stressful situations and triggers.
Panic attacks: Sudden episodes of extreme anxiety that cause a severe physical reaction.
Lack of appetite: Unable to eat regularly due to having no appetite or feeling sick.

What causes trauma?

The causes of trauma are vast and varied, but a crucial part of trauma treatment is uncovering and treating the root cause. While many reactions occur due to experiencing an event, some people might develop symptoms due to childhood abuse.

Trauma in adults can occur due to:

Violence: Victims of violent attacks, including sexual assault, robberies and general violence, can develop negative and lasting symptoms.
Racism: Racial trauma occurs when an individual is subjected to verbal and physical assaults due to the colour of their skin or cultural background.
Domestic abuse: Abusive relationships can cause significant emotional distress, with symptoms often lasting even after the relationship ends.
Medical trauma: Going through a stressful operation or suffering an illness can also cause PTSD.
Terrorism: Being the victim of a terrorist attack can cause recurrent nightmares and ongoing anxiety.
Disasters: Wildfires, tornadoes and other natural disasters often result in property losses and traumatic symptoms.
Trauma due to a car (mva) accident or industrial accident

Childhood trauma

As highly experienced childhood trauma recovery counsellors, we regularly treat people who have suffered abuse or emotional events in their younger years. Unfortunately, while many forms of trauma are immediate, the experiences you witness in childhood could take years to develop.

All children have basic needs, including love, safety and protection. When caregivers fail to meet these needs, it can impact the child’s development, resulting in long-term effects.

If your child witnessed a traumatic event, getting them help immediately can reduce the risks of the experience carrying on into later life. Similarly, we also treat adults dealing with the impact of their childhood.

Emotional trauma

Neglect is the most common form of child abuse, but it’s often not taken as seriously as sexual or physical abuse (Harvard). When a child’s needs aren’t met with emotional support but avoidance or even over-indulgence, they grow up not understanding how to manage their emotions effectively.

In turn, this results in adults who are unable to process negative experiences and often suppress their emotions, creating a potentially explosive situation.

Sexual and physical abuse

Two of the most traumatic experiences any child can go through are physical and sexual abuse. Instead of growing up in a supportive environment, the child learns to live in fear and effectively walks on eggshells for years.

As they enter adolescence and adulthood, the impact of trauma can result in unhealthy relationships, unpredictable emotions and harmful reactions to their unresolved abuse experiences.

Intergenerational trauma

Children learn by example, and many of our clients seek help due to prolonged exposure to a parent or family member who suffered trauma.

For example, if a parent suffered serious abuse, they might be over-vigilant with their child or inadvertently pass on their behaviours, meaning the trauma presents in the child later on in life.

Other experiences

We all react to things differently, and children who have suffered bullying, lost a parent or dealt with the stress of moving to a new area can develop symptoms of trauma. These effects might appear immediately or later in life.

It’s important to remember that just because someone else experiences the same event, they might not develop traumatic symptoms. We all process things differently, and there’s no shame in accepting that you need help.

Failing to treat trauma can put you at risk of further complications

One of the bravest things you can do is address your trauma and decide not to let it ruin your life. We totally understand that going back to a dark place takes a lot of determination, but successful trauma therapy can help you complete the healing journey.

While accepting and dealing with your symptoms can be challenging, it also prevents you from further complications that might impact your future.

They include:

PTSD: Trauma that goes untreated can eventually result in post-traumatic stress disorder, which has lasting effects on your ability to work and enjoy a trusting relationship.
Depression: The emotional and cognitive impact of trauma can result in a depressive disorder. While medication can help, severe depression might lead to suicidal ideations.
Anxiety: People with traumatic symptoms might develop anxiety disorders, preventing their ability to socialize, work and even leave their homes.
Borderline Personality Disorder: Up to 90% of BPD cases are commonly associated with childhood neglect and abuse (Frontiers).
Dissociative Disorder: Derealization disorder, fugue states and DID can occur due to trauma. The individual learns to block out their emotions, resulting in dissociative states.

We specialize in treating trauma with therapeutic approaches

While medications can be beneficial for the symptoms of trauma, therapy can help you make long-term changes and successfully navigate through negative experiences.

Trauma-informed care requires an intensive approach, where a qualified trauma therapist will tailor a treatment programme that’s bespoke to your unique needs.

There are numerous approaches we can take when helping you move on, and our fully certified counsellors are highly experienced in addressing the underlying cause of your symptoms.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

While medications can be beneficial for the symptoms of trauma, therapy can help you make long-term changes and successfully navigate through negative experiences.

Trauma-informed care requires an intensive approach, where a qualified trauma therapist will tailor a treatment programme that’s bespoke to your unique needs.

There are numerous approaches we can take when helping you move on, and our fully certified counsellors are highly experienced in addressing the underlying cause of your symptoms.

EMDR Trauma Work

Individuals who have dealt with a severe traumatic experience might struggle to talk about it, but EMDR can help to address memories through eye movements guided by a therapist. It’s a trauma-informed approach that enables the brain to access and reprocess memories.

While EMDR might not be for everyone, it’s shown positive results when dealing with PSTD symptoms and helping people process and move on from trauma-related issues.

Somatic Trauma Therapy

Somatic therapy is a form of trauma counselling that focuses on treating the physical responses you might experience. For example, people who encounter panic attacks or chronic pain are taught to be aware of their bodies and how their mental health might result in reactions.

In simple terms, somatic therapy can alleviate a physical trauma response and can help people establish a better mind-body connection, which regulates their nervous system.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Another effective trauma-informed therapy is the psychodynamic approach, which helps patients understand unconscious thought patterns that lead them to display certain behaviours. It promotes self-reflection by looking at the underlying causes of negative reactions in a safe environment.

Individuals who suffer from angry outbursts or severe panic attacks find this approach allows them to build self-esteem and take control of their lives.

Lifespan Integration (LI)

Lifespan Integration© (LI), a gentle, body-based method of therapy, helps people in treatment access their inner child by using memory recall and imagery to resolve repressed trauma and promote healing.

There are many different LI protocols. Some heal birth trauma and other pre-verbal trauma, and others heal attachment deficits which may have occurred during specific stages of development.

Other trauma-focused therapies include:

ART: Accelerated Resolution Therapy is an intensive approach that helps people deal with traumatic events in under three sessions.
Family Therapy: Family and couples therapy can help to build stronger relationships and promote understanding of the individual suffering from trauma.
Inner Child Therapy: Individuals with damaging childhood experiences can benefit from addressing their feelings at different life stages with this form of trauma counselling.

Trust in Well Beings Counselling to help you deal with PTSD symptoms and recover from trauma

Trauma doesn’t have to ruin your life, and our main goal is to empower clients to seek treatment and address the feelings related to trauma. We know how challenging the healing process can be, but our dedicated therapists treat each client individually.

With a bespoke treatment plan and unparalleled support, our Vancouver counselling service can help you:

Be liberated and free from the troubling event(s)
Feel more relaxed, at peace, and sleep better
Get stronger and more resilient
Give yourself a break and practice self-compassion
Feel more connected to the world and loved ones
Acquire skills to help you cope with the stresses in life so therapy is no longer required
Stop destructive behaviours, including avoidance, substance abuse and self-harm
Feel excited about a happier and healthier future

Interested in a Free 15-minute consultation?

How Can We Help

The sooner you get help, the sooner you’ll be on your way to enjoying a more relaxed, stable and enjoyable life. If you live in Vancouver, Call 604-305-0104 to speak to a counsellor today.