Trauma Counselling, Throughout Vancouver, Lower Mainland and BC
Trauma’s shadow can linger, but you don’t have to live in it. Discover how to live free of your past.
Facing the impact of trauma and the parts of us
we had to hide away to cope, takes courage.
At Turning Point Therapy, we start with you
By listening deeply, being curious to understand, and finding the path to healing. We offer you attention, compassion, and presence to help process traumatic experiences.
What Is The Nature of Trauma?
The Lasting Impact of Childhood Trauma
With childhood trauma, the consequences run deep. As a child, you have fewer resources to deal with the impact, and many people develop ways of coping, such as addictions, self-harm, destructive relationships, and isolation.
Unresolved trauma leads to repetitive ways of managing life-based on trauma response, making it harder to deal with stressful situations. Over time, this can lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD.
When trauma remains unprocessed, we tend to under-react to extreme situations like rage, abuse, or neglect and overreact to everyday experiences like misunderstandings, emotions, or not feeling heard. Trauma counselling can help uncover and heal these patterns, allowing you to regain balance and resilience.
Most of you may understand trauma as events where your life is threatened. These might include;
- Assault/ Witnessing violence/death
- Car Accidents
- War
- Natural Disaster
- Surgery/birth trauma
- Sexual Assault/
- Child sexual abuse
- Child abuse
and neglect
These experiences can also be traumatic especially on top of unprocessed childhood trauma.
- End of relationship/friendship
- Bullying
- Victim of gossip
- Victim of discrimination
- Workplace stress, harassment, job loss
- Moving or significant change in circumstances
- Illness
- Living with ongoing criticism and contempt
"The roots of resilience are to be found in the sense of being understood by and existing in the mind and heart of a loving, attuned, and self-possessed other."
Diana Fosha
How Do I Know I Need Trauma Counselling?
The truth is most struggles in life have roots in some kind of trauma. Which isn't to say every hardship is trauma. From our point of view, trauma affects people's responses to the way they manage things. So if you find yourself repeatedly managing some parts of your life through strategies and ways that end up disconnecting you from yourself or other people, there is a good chance this is influenced by trauma. Because that is overall how trauma affects us.
This doesn't necessarily mean you need 'trauma counselling'. However, you can rest assured that our therapists can address underlying experiences that were traumatic if you find yourself coming up against that in the course of therapy.
It is best to think of it in layers. We start with the layer you are most concerned about. Even if you are aware of an event/s in your life that you think you need to address, trying to go there immediately is likely to find yourself bumping up against the layers of protection and avoidance that are common.
So, whether you are struggling with relationships, depression/anxiety, self-esteem, important decisions, or emotional overwhelm. The main considerations are going to be, do I need to work on myself, or on my relationship (couples counselling)? Starting here and then, who do I want to work with?
Here are a few things that we strive for in providing Trauma Counselling
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You decide what you want to share and when.
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We address material that is tolerable.
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You are not alone in your experience. We walk alongside you.
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We seek to be in collaboration with you. To invite you into the process as a fellow traveler.
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We work from many approaches to find what works for you.
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We see your difficulties and struggles as ways of managing the world, NOT that you are the problem.
