Trauma counselling is a specialised form of therapy designed to help individuals process and heal from overwhelming experiences that have disrupted their sense of safety and wellbeing.
Trauma counselling recognises that traumatic memories are often stored in the body and nervous system in ways that can continue to impact daily functioning long after the original event.
A skilled trauma counsellor creates a safe, non-judgmental space where clients can gradually work through their experiences at their own pace, using evidence-based approaches such as EMDR and TIST that help regulate the nervous system and reprocess traumatic memories.
The goal is not to erase difficult memories, but rather to reduce their emotional charge and help clients develop healthy coping strategies, rebuild their sense of safety, and reclaim their personal power.
Trauma counselling acknowledges that healing is possible and that with the right support, individuals can move from surviving their experiences to truly thriving in their lives.
Trauma is the internal response to a situation/perceived threat which overwhelms the individual’s ability to cope and can elicit feelings of overwhelming fear, terror, powerlessness, helplessness, shock and physical pain.
In early childhood, repeatedly not having your needs seen, understood or validated by significant others can be traumatising. It can diminish your sense of self and your ability to feel the full range of emotions and experiences.
Trauma is stored in the body. It is ingrained in the nervous system – Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Holds the Score, 2015. You can experience adverse events directly or witness them indirectly (eg. seeing a family member being physically abused). However the response in your body and mind can be the same.
PTSD and unresolved past traumas are absolutely treatable!
At Mind Wellness Therapy, trauma counselling is delivered by Suzanne Staal, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and trauma therapist with extensive specialised training in evidence-based trauma treatments.
With over 15 years of trauma-focused work across various settings, Suzanne brings a wealth of experience in treating adults affected by trauma related to family of origin, attachment, and early life experiences.
Her approach integrates gold-standard treatments including Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma Informed Stabilisation Treatment (TIST) – particularly effective for Complex PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder – alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness-based interventions.
At MWT, clients receive personalised trauma treatment that honours their unique experiences while drawing on internationally recognised therapeutic frameworks to support their journey from surviving to thriving.
Trauma isn’t always about the catastrophic events we see in the movies—the wars, natural disasters, accidents and other life-threatening events. Trauma comes in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes, it’s the quieter, more insidious wounds—the unmet needs, the emotional neglect, the constant feeling of being unseen—that also leave deep scars.
In the realm of psychological distress, we often distinguish between big ‘T’ trauma and small ‘t’ trauma, acknowledging that both can significantly impact an individual’s mental and emotional well-being.
Big ‘T’ trauma events are typically life-threatening, and the impact is so profound that it can reshape a person’s entire worldview. A PTSD diagnosis may result after exposure to a big ‘T’ trauma.
Examples of big “T” Trauma include:
PTSD is a mental health disorder that can develop in some individuals who have experienced big ‘T’ trauma.
Symptoms can include:
You can have unresolved trauma and not have PTSD symptoms. It is important to note that PTSD is one of a number of mental health disorders that may result from exposure to a traumatic event. Depression, generalised anxiety and/or substance use are also risk factors that may develop in response to trauma.
Research identifies that approximately one third of individuals who experience a severe traumatic event will develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PubMed 2019 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31520677/
Considerable research in this field suggests that predisposing factors which increase risk of PTSD include:
While small ‘t’ traumas might not be as immediately life-threatening as big ‘T’ traumas, they can still have a profound and lasting impact on an individual’s mental health. Over time, the cumulative effect of smaller stressors can erode a sense of safety and well-being, taking a toll on one’s mental and emotional resilience and contributing to conditions such as low self esteem, anxiety, depression.
Some examples include:
1.Chronic Emotional Neglect: Growing up in an environment where emotional needs are consistently unmet can be a form of small ‘t’ trauma. We can get stuck with thinking:
“I wasn’t abused. My parents didn’t hit or swear at me. So why do I struggle with
anxiety, shame, worthlessness or feeling ‘not enough’?”
The answer is: Little “t” trauma—the good things that didn’t happen.
It’s not about what happened—it’s about what was repeatedly missing from interactions with our important attachment figures, such as:
– Emotional attunement – “No-one sees my emotional distress”
– Unconditional love – “Am I accepted for who I am?”
– Safe attachment “Can I rely on my caregivers?”
Examples:
– A parent who was physically present but emotionally absent.
– Being told “Stop crying, you’re fine” when you were emotionally distressed
– Growing up in a home where your feelings were invisible, dismissed, mocked or
ignored by important attachment figures.
Some of the behavioural symptoms might show up as:
Perfectionism: The constant pursuit of perfection and fear of making mistakes. Individuals who feel an intense pressure to be flawless, fueled by anxiety and self-esteem issues determined by whether they were able to be ‘perfect’ or not.
People-Pleasing: Always prioritizing others’ needs and opinions over one’s own can be a form of small ‘t’ trauma. This constant need for external validation can come from a diminished sense of identity and self-worth.
Microaggressions: Ongoing exposure to subtle, everyday forms of discrimination or prejudice, known as microaggressions, can accumulate and contribute to small ‘t’ trauma. These experiences may include repeated comments, gestures, or behaviors that convey derogatory or belittling messages.
Unhealthy Relationship Dynamics: Being in consistently toxic or emotionally abusive relationships whether romantic or familial, can lead to small ‘t’ trauma. The impact may be subtle but profound, affecting one’s self-esteem and trust in others.
Bullying or Teasing: Persistent teasing, ridicule, or bullying, even if seemingly minor, can have a lasting impact on an individual’s self-image and confidence, contributing to small ‘t’ trauma.
Parental Pressure: Growing up under constant pressure to meet high parental expectations, whether academically, athletically, or in other areas, can create an environment of chronic stress.
Feeling Overwhelmed by Responsibilities: Constantly feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities, whether at work or in personal life. This ongoing stress may lead to feelings of helplessness and exhaustion.
Although such experiences seriously challenge our ability to cope, they have traditionally been left out of the conversation about PTSD. “One of the most overlooked aspects of small ‘t’ traumas is their accumulated effect,” writes psychologist Elyssa Barbash in Psychology Today. “While a single event of a small ‘t’ trauma is unlikely to lead to significant distress, multiple compounded small ‘t’ traumas, are more likely to lead to an increase in distress, identity and emotional functioning.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/trauma-and-hope/201703/different-types-trauma-small-t-versus-large-t
Neglect isn’t just an absence of care—it’s an absence of connection. Without connection to significant attachment figures, a child’s brain stays in survival mode.
Complex Trauma is the cumulative effect of ongoing Big ‘T’ and Little ‘t’ wounds. Complex trauma develops from prolonged exposure to neglect and/or abuse. It often begins in childhood and involves close relationships.
Complex trauma often arises from repeated experiences of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, as well as neglect, particularly during childhood. When such trauma occurs during critical periods of brain development, it can profoundly alter the structural growth of neural networks and disrupt the biochemistry of neuroendocrine systems. These changes can significantly impact emotional regulation, cognitive function, and overall mental health.
A mind resorts to self fragmentation when the experience of how things are, cannot be endured. In the face of trauma, splitting from the present is a form on instantaneous self defense. From that perspective it is a miraculous dynamic allowing vulnerable creatures to survive the unendurable. Gabor Mate
Complex Trauma leads to:
When needs go unmet, kids internalise:
These beliefs can manifest as:
Many “mental health issues” (anxiety, depression, addiction) are actually trauma responses:
The long-term consequences of complex trauma include a strong and often co-occurring relationship with numerous physical health and mental health problems, as well as economic, social, and behavioral issues throughout people’s lives.
Dissociation, a state that involves a level of detachment from reality is a symptom that may present in complex trauma. Trauma Informed Stabilisation Treatment (TIST) is often used in combination with EMDR to increase the level of safety experienced by the individual so that the traumatic memories can be processed.
The World Health Organisation identify EMDR therapy and trauma focused CBT as the recommended treatments for this presentation.
Without professional help, it can be difficult to resolve the effects of trauma. Trauma doesn’t only impact you but also those you interact with.
Parents experiencing trauma or PTSD may struggle to be emotionally available to their children. Partners may experience difficulty communicating or managing emotions, intimacy and trust. In fact, entire family units and communities can be dramatically impacted by trauma; whether it’s the draining of resources such as time and money, or intergenerational trauma which can create a legacy of despair.
Whether you are dealing with a single incident, complex or intergenerational trauma, being able to shift from a pervasive, phobic, fearful state, to a deep knowing of safety in the present is paramount to regaining a sense of wellbeing and quality of life.
Traditionally, trauma counselling can be divided into four general stages.
Your therapist will gain an understanding of your history including any traumatic experiences. They will also want to know about your current mental and physical health, as well as your support network and goals for the therapy.
A intervention plan for the therapy is explored together, any concerns and questions addressed and a safe therapeutic alliance between you and your therapist progressively developed. Building skills and resources to support the trauma counselling will also be an important feature of this phase.
This block of work is generally focused on desensitising the past trauma memory/ies, reprocessing the maladaptive beliefs underpinning the traumatic event/s and resolving any somatic elements.
This phase addresses present triggers as well as templates for any future challenging situations which may be encountered as it relates to the trauma
Besides EMDR, there are two additional trauma-focused treatments that the research consistently identifies as efficacious for trauma treatment in adults. These are exposure-related cognitive therapies which involve prolonged exposure (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT).
All three therapies are considered evidence-based, which means multiple studies have found them to be effective in the treatment of Trauma and/or PTSD.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma treatment developed for PTSD. It involves processing the memory and the way it is stored in the brain to resolve problematic triggers and symptoms. During this therapy, bilateral stimulation is combined with a focus on memories of the trauma.
In the treatment of complex trauma, Trauma Informed Stabilisation Treatment (TIST) is often used in combination with EMDR to increase the level of safety experienced by the individual so that the traumatic memories can be processed. A range of other therapeutic interventions (one size never fits all) such as meditation, mindfulness, behavioural therapy, yoga and somatic therapy may also be included.
The number of EMDR sessions required to address your symptoms will vary depending on the complexity of your psychopathology and the degree of protective factors available to you.For example, EMDR treatment can work very rapidly for the client who has only experienced a single incident trauma. A psychologically healthy person who has had a supportive childhood, no history of drug or alcohol abuse, and generally happy, intimate and supportive relationships with loved ones, is likely to respond to treatment very quickly.
However people who have been exposed to multiple, often interrelated forms of traumatic experiences, as in complex trauma, will generally require longer treatment. Adults presenting with trauma that began in childhood, who were perpetrated by persons within formative attachment relationships and whose trauma was compounded by co-morbidities of mental illness, addiction, domestic violence, poverty, racism and a host of other stresses are likely to need longer therapy.
Good therapy helps your brain and nervous system learn non-reactive ways of responding to triggers via connection to adaptive neural networks. But a brain that is dealing with a multitude of long established stressors will usually take much longer to achieve this.
Our experiences in childhood shape the lens through which we view the world. If our experience in childhood was generally positive, safe, and consistent, then underlying beliefs about ourself, important others and the world in general will be shaped by resilience and optimism and our ability to navigate life’s adversities is likely to be more robust.
Conversely, if we experienced trauma in childhood, then those overwhelming experiences are inclined to remain partially or un-processed and maladaptive beliefs about ourselves and the world around us may have formed as a result. If these experiences have not been adequately addressed, they will remain active in adulthood, impacting negatively on our mental health and our choices in the external world.
Some ways childhood trauma may impact us as adults:
Much of our sense of self is derived from the blueprint that develops out of the repeated experience with our caregivers. If our attachment experience was neglectful or abusive, our sense of self worth is likely to be negatively impacted.
Those who endured trauma perpetrated by persons within formative attachment relationships learned early that people are not to be trusted.
Beliefs that the child did something to deserve the trauma they were subjected to is common.
Based on actual early experiences of neglect or abandonment, this overwhelming experience may be wired up in the brain as a threat to look out for.
Untreated symptoms arising from early trauma may continue to be triggered.
Avoidant, anxious or chaotic attachment styles shaped by early attachment experiences become templates for all future relationships. See Attachment styles in Family of Origin Difficulties
Children learn their emotional regulation skills through their experience of how their caregivers soothed them. These skills may be poorly developed in childhood trauma survivors.
Unprocessed beliefs of unworthiness may shape future romantic choices. If the initial attachment was with toxic caregivers, this love template may also influence the choices of future partners. (Please see Family of Origin Difficulties on website for more information on how early family of origin difficulties impact on adult mental health)
Early exposure to stress and trauma is known to have physical effects on neurodevelopment which may lead to changes in the individual’s long-term response to stress as well as vulnerability to psychiatric disorders including depression. ( Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15985923/ )
Research has identified complex trauma in childhood as dramatically increasing risk for some of the leading causes of death in the western world. These include autoimmune diseases, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. ( Source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/childhood-traumas-devastating-impact-on-health/ )
To fully treat trauma, training in trauma therapy is essential. At Mind Wellness Therapy, we are specifically trained and experienced in supporting people struggling with trauma. Our quality counselling is highly effective in desensitising and reprocessing your traumatic experiences to rebuild safety in the present and resilience for the future.
Contact us today or call us on 07 3374 2770.
Mind Wellness Therapy offers a safe environment and extensive experience across a range of presentations to help explore our psychological issues and shape a rich, meaningful life.
