Trauma Therapy In-Person in canberra & Online Across AU

Show yourself compassion & connect to resilience.

You’re tired of feeling controlled by the past.

But it’s hard to focus on the present or future when your mind always wanders back. You go through the motions at work and at home, but it doesn’t really feel like living. If you could, you’d “just get over” what you went through, but in the aftermath, it feels like you don’t even know who you are anymore.

Maybe you clearly remember the event or events that are making you feel haunted by your own thoughts—like emotional, physical, or sexual abuse earlier in life or domestic violence as a young person or adult. Or, maybe, you’re not completely sure what happened to make you feel this way—sure, your family life has its difficulties, but doesn’t everyone’s? Trauma can look and occur many different ways, but the effects it has on us are often long-lasting and disruptive to our lives when not addressed.

Maybe you’ve been struggling with…

  • Being unable to concentrate or feeling detached from others and yourself

  • Feeling like you’re stuck or unable to move forward in life

  • Flashbacks or nightmares related to abuse you’ve experienced

  • Coming to terms with things that happened in your childhood, or the dynamics that exist in your family

  • Feeling unable to trust anyone or unsafe even when everything’s fine

  • Shame and guilt, and blame yourself for things that have happened to you

MY APPROACH

A safe space to process & progress.

In sessions with me, you can trust that you and your story are safe. I’ve had the honor of helping women of many different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences to process traumatic things they’ve been through and begin to feel secure within themselves again—and I’d love to do the same for you.

When we begin our work together, we’ll take it slow. I want you to feel completely comfortable with me before we dive into the tough stuff, so we’ll spend some time getting to know each other and building that trust. When you’re ready, we’ll talk about what’s brought you to therapy. You are always welcome to share as much or as little as you’d like.

I’ll help you more deeply understand how your mind and body hold onto trauma and we’ll discuss possible ways to go about treating your symptoms—I have a toolbox full of different methods to treat trauma and help you heal. However we move forward, I’ll be right alongside you through the whole process. I’ll teach you techniques to help you manage the emotions that might come up so you can stay grounded in the present.

Throughout the work we do, I’ll continually check in with you to see what’s working for you (and what’s not), so we can adjust our approach as necessary. After we’ve worked through some of your past experiences, we’ll learn some ways you can practice self-care and grow.

Trauma therapy can help you…

  • Understand how your past experiences influence your present perspective

  • Feel empowered to navigate future challenges with confidence and resilience

  • Be more self-aware and self-compassionate

  • Identify triggers and more effective ways of managing emotions

  • Challenge and reframe the negative beliefs you have about yourself and the world

  • Recognize your own strengths, capabilities, and capacity for growth

You are strong enough to heal & grow.

FAQS

Frequently asked questions

  • Trauma can impact the brain in various ways, affecting regions responsible for memory, emotions, and stress responses. It can lead to changes in neural pathways and brain chemistry, influencing how we perceive and respond to future experiences. Trauma-informed therapy methods like EMDR help the brain begin to heal from traumatic experiences.

  • Trauma can be stored in the body through physical sensations, muscle tension, and nervous system responses. These bodily experiences can become associated with traumatic memories, contributing to feelings of constantly being on edge. Therapy can help you address the physical manifestations of trauma, and break through those associations.

  • When it comes to trauma responses, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer because everyone's experience is unique. However, there are generally four main trauma responses that people might have: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. These responses are our body's way of trying to protect us when we're faced with a threat or danger. Some people might naturally lean towards one response more than the others, but it's important to remember that how we respond to trauma can change over time and in different situations. Therapy can help you identify your trauma response and learn to soothe your nervous system so you’re not controlled by it.

  • There are several methods to treat trauma, including EMDR and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Each approach focuses on helping individuals process traumatic experiences in a way that makes them less painful and promotes healing. You can learn more about the methods I use on my About page, and more about EMDR here.