Trauma Counselling
Trauma Counselling Services in Calgary
What is Trauma?
Common Signs of Trauma
- Difficulty concentrating
- Impaired memory
- Nightmares, flashbacks, recurring thoughts, and/or intrusive memories
- Maladaptive coping mechanisms (i.e., with problem behaviours or substances)
- Low stress tolerance
- Increased fear, anxiety
- Dysfunctional emotional responses (over-responding or under-responding to situations and stimuli in your life)
- Reactivity (more irritable, tearful than usual)
- Difficulty engaging with life
- Hypervigilance (feeling like you are always on guard)
- Difficulty relaxing
- You have experienced an event or events that you define as traumatic either during this six-month period or before
- You feel these events have had a lasting and profound impact
- Self-harm
- Depression or suicidal ideation
If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these symptoms, it would be a good time to start exploring trauma counselling. These symptoms tend to appear only as mental health difficulties and possible Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms progress. While they may still be minimal and mild for you, getting proper support to prevent progression would be best.
Types of Trauma
There are three main types of trauma:
1) Acute. Acute trauma is a single traumatic event. An example is a motor vehicle accident, sexual abuse, or sexual assault.
2) Chronic.Chronic trauma is trauma that is repeated and prolonged, such as domestic abuse, violence and/or neglect, childhood abuse or trauma.
3) Complex.Complex trauma comes from exposure to events that are varied and multiple, often of an invasive and interpersonal nature.
Events impact everyone differently. There is no objective determiner of what is ‘traumatic.’ If something has happened in your life and you are impacted by it in an upsetting way, then you are a candidate for trauma therapy.
Our Trauma Treatment Approach
- Realizing the prevalence of trauma.
- Recognizing how trauma affects all individuals.
- Responding by putting this knowledge into practice.
Treatment For Those Suffering From Trauma
1) Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). ART is a treatment approach that combines aspects of eye movement from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR therapy), including bilateral eye movement along with guided imagery and Gestalt Therapy techniques. ART will guide you in replacing the troublesome images and traumatic memories associated with PTSD with healthier ones of your choosing. As the name suggests, ART is a time-limited and brief intervention.Many clients find immense benefits after 1-3 sessions. ART can be used to treat PTSD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Eating Disorders, and Generalized Anxiety and Depressive Disorders.
2) Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). This treatment is designed for children and adults who have experienced trauma, whether this was one traumatic event or recurring incidents. This evidence-based treatment is based on the principles of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, one of two therapies endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for those struggling with trauma. CBT involves an action-oriented approach that does not involve as much processing of past events, which some people find triggering. The TF-CBT approach will be incorporated amongst other therapeutic modalities to support you.
Trauma Counselling at Sana Psychological involves supporting you to build up coping strategies, tools, skills, and appreciate your resilience so that you can function in your life however you desire. Treatment at Sana Psychological will primarily focus on the issues you are struggling with while incorporating an understanding that traumatic reactions are normal reactions to abnormal situations. Treatment at Sana Psychological follows an active, engaged, supportive process with provided recommendations for actions you can take out of sessions to support yourself.
Support for Loved Ones
If desired or needed, trauma therapy can incorporate sessions with concerned family members or friends who want to learn more about how to support you through your traumatic experiences best. They are welcome to come in for individual counselling sessions for their own support and/or do some joint appointments with the person engaged in the trauma counselling process.
If you are hoping someone you love and care about will access trauma counselling themselves, but they are not ready or willing, we recommend you consider support for yourself as a change in one family member can lead to a change in the rest of the unit.
Sana Psychological is here to support you and your loved ones in the ways that make sense and resonate for your situation.
Why Choose Sana Psychological?
Trauma therapy is approached from a hopeful, strengths-based stance using either Accelerated Resolution Therapy or Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
At Sana Psychological, we will work with you to identify goals, strengths, and tools that may be helpful throughout your trauma healing journey. ART and TF-CBT are designed to be shorter-term interventions and can be engaged as stand-alone services or incorporated into other work you are doing for yourself in other areas. We are here to help you in the ways that make the most sense for you.
We are here to help you in the ways that make the most sense for you.
Session frequency will be determined collaboratively between you and your registered psychologist. Typically, initial services may be more frequent as we engage in informal assessment. When we start treatment, sessions will be more spaced as progress and change happen. Other things may come up that you want to explore, which is great.
Counselling is about the therapeutic relationship and if you feel comfortable with your provider, this is a great place to explore any aspects of your life that are bothering you.
The initial 1-2 sessions will involve gathering as much background information as possible. Trauma Counselling is about more than just your symptoms. It may involve exploring and developing relationships, self-care, grounding techniques, boundaries, dealing with physical pain and health, communication, and more.
Your trauma psychologist will discuss what Trauma Treatment they recommend for your situation and discuss with you what to expect during and after appointments. Follow-up appointments generally involve a check-in to see how you have been responding to the treatment, any immediate things that have come up that you may want to process and continuation of healing support.
Logistics
Sessions are offered in person in Calgary, Alberta, for ART and TF-CBT; only TF-CBT can be offered as an online trauma therapy method due to the nature of the treatment. Cost, scheduling, and types of therapy available vary by the clinician. For more information on our providers, visit our About page.
Appointments can be scheduled online anytime. If you have questions about the services offered, do not hesitate to reach out. Email will be the quickest way to get in touch. We aim to respond to emails and phone calls within one business day. Each clinician’s direct email address is on the About page, or you can contact our general mailbox.
Sana Psychological is happy to support you in your healing journey.
Book An Appointment Today
We are here to help. Appointments can be booked online anytime. If you would like more information about our services or have specific questions, please reach out and we’ll be more than happy to discuss your situation further.
