Healing from Trauma
Trauma can follow experiences such as accidents, assault, abuse, medical events, workplace incidents, sudden loss, or ongoing adversity in childhood or adulthood. While many people recover naturally over time, for others distressing memories, feeling constantly on guard and avoidance can persist and affect daily life.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related difficulties are treatable. Our psychologists offer safe, paced, trauma-informed care that is tailored to your needs and your readiness.
Signs of Trauma-Related Distress
Everyone responds to trauma differently. Some common experiences include:
Intrusive Memories: Unwanted memories, flashbacks or nightmares that feel as though the event is happening again.
Avoidance: Staying away from reminders, or trying not to think or talk about what happened.
Changes in Mood and Beliefs: Feeling numb, detached, ashamed, guilty or seeing yourself, others or the world in a more negative way.
Feeling On Edge: Being easily startled, constantly alert, irritable or having trouble sleeping and concentrating.
Impact on Relationships and Work: Finding it harder to trust, connect or function the way you did before.
These reactions are understandable responses to overwhelming experiences, and they can change with the right support.
How Therapy Can Help
Our psychologists draw on trauma-focused approaches, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, to help you:
Establish Safety and Stability: Build the grounding and coping skills that make it possible to work with difficult memories.
Process Traumatic Memories: Reduce the intensity and power of distressing memories so they feel less present.
Shift Unhelpful Beliefs: Explore and update beliefs about blame, safety, trust and self-worth that developed after the event.
Rebuild Trust and Connection: Strengthen relationships and a sense of safety in your body and daily life.
Move Forward at Your Pace: You will never be asked to share more than you are ready to.
The most suitable approach will be discussed with you, based on your history and preferences.
What to Expect
Therapy for trauma is collaborative and paced around you. It usually involves:
A Thorough Assessment: We begin gently, focusing on your current concerns and what you would like to be different, without needing to go into detail about what happened.
A Tailored Plan: We agree on a plan and the approach that suits you, and check in often about how it feels.
Practical Skills and Support: You will learn ways to feel calmer and safer in your body and mind, before, during and after processing work.
Reviewing Progress: We regularly check in on how things are going and adjust the approach as needed, so therapy continues to fit your goals.
How to Access the Service
To begin therapy, please get in touch with our friendly administrative team via our contact page, phone, or email address and we will send you an intake form and our information sheet and consent form to start the intake process.
You do not need a referral to book an initial appointment, however you may want to discuss your needs with your general practitioner (GP) to determine if you qualify for Medicare funding, which can cover up to ten sessions with a Mental Health Care Plan. In such cases, you would need a referral. Additionally, private health insurance rebates may be available through your provider.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 000. For 24/7 crisis support in Australia, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.