Clinical Presentation
Trauma & PTSD Therapy
Work carefully with the impact of overwhelming life events, including flashbacks, avoidance, high alert and disconnection.
Presenting Challenges
Are you or a loved one experiencing these patterns?
- 01.Struggling with vivid, intrusive flashbacks, distressing memories, or recurring nightmares of past events.
- 02.Constantly avoiding certain places, people, or conversations that trigger intense anxiety or dread.
- 03.Living in a hyper-vigilant state of high alert—easily startled, irritable, and struggling to sleep.
- 04.Feeling emotionally flat, detached from loved ones, or unable to experience positive emotions.
Therapeutic Approach
How we work together to restore agency:
- ✓Prioritising stabilisation, consent and grounding before directly addressing traumatic memories.
- ✓Considering Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) where it is clinically appropriate and acceptable to you.
- ✓Using trauma-focused CBT to examine patterns of self-blame, danger and trust linked to traumatic experiences.
- ✓Using compassion-focused work to respond differently to persistent threat and self-criticism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is your approach to treating complex trauma?
My approach is phased and trauma-informed. We begin by agreeing priorities, boundaries and ways to manage distress before considering memory-focused work. Later phases may include EMDR or another trauma-focused approach, followed by integration and review. The sequence and pace vary, and processing is not assumed to be suitable at every stage.
What is the difference between PTSD and Complex PTSD?
PTSD can follow one or more traumatic events and may involve re-experiencing, avoidance and a persistent sense of threat. Complex PTSD includes the core PTSD features alongside difficulties with emotion regulation, a negative self-concept and relationships. A proper assessment is needed because experiences and diagnoses vary; therapy options are discussed without guaranteeing an outcome.
How long does trauma therapy take?
Trauma therapy is highly individual. The number and pace of sessions depend on your goals, current stability, the nature of the experiences, other pressures and how you respond to the work. We review progress and consent regularly rather than setting a guaranteed timetable.
Let's discuss how we can work together
I offer a free, no-obligation 15-minute phone conversation to explore your needs, answer your questions, and see how we might work together.