Trauma-Informed Therapy

Trauma is when a person’s reaction to an event has caused them to have symptoms that are preventing them from functioning to the best of their ability. Although most people think of trauma as large catastrophic events, such as physical assaults and life-threatening accidents, there is also a category of trauma referred to as small “t” traumas, which include the messaging that a person may have repeatedly received in childhood. One example is when a parent tells his/her child that they will “never amount to anything.” After hearing this kind of messaging over and over again, some people carry this in their nervous system and will even subconsciously self-sabotage so as to carry through this message. 

As a therapist, it is important to be informed about the various approaches to healing trauma, and being adept at uncovering negative messaging a person may have received in childhood is also crucial. Without being able to uncover this, as person may feel like there is a wall they are unable to climb and which is preventing them from growing and achieving their goals. In order to help clients tear down these walls, I felt it was important to train in trauma therapy, and it informs much of my work, along with my psychodynamic leaning and the useful help of elements of cognitive therapy. It is possible to heal from trauma. Please reach out if this is an area of your life you need assistance with.