Trauma

Trauma is not about what happened

Trauma is defined by what an experience did to you, not by what the experience was. Two people can go through the same event and respond very differently. That is not about personal weakness. It is about how the nervous system processes what it could not make sense of at the time.

Trauma can show up as intrusive memories, hypervigilance, emotional numbness, difficulty trusting people, or a sense of being disconnected from your own life. It can arrive long after the event itself.

What I can help with

I work with people affected by difficult or traumatic experiences, including childhood experiences, loss, accidents, relationships and situations where they felt powerless or unsafe. I am trauma informed in my approach, which means I work carefully and at a speed that feels manageable. You will never be pushed to go somewhere before you are ready.

You do not need to have a clear narrative of what happened to begin. Sometimes the work starts with understanding how it lives in you now.

Working without forcing the story

Trauma counselling does not require you to give a detailed account of everything that happened. We can begin with what affects you now, such as feeling constantly alert, shutting down, struggling with trust or reacting strongly without fully knowing why. We can slow down, change direction or stop when something feels too much. Safety and choice are part of the work rather than something you have to establish before you arrive.

Ways we can work

Trauma informed counselling is available face to face in Consett, online across the UK, by telephone or as walk and talk sessions locally. Sessions are 50 minutes and current charges are shown on the Fees page.