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Trauma Counselling in Vancouver

Expert Support for Healing, Confidence & Safety

 

At Avery Therapy Centre, trauma counselling fosters emotional healing, rebuilds self-esteem, and strengthens relationships. Our expert guidance equips clients with effective coping strategies, empowering them to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and resilience.

 

What is Trauma?

Trauma is any experience you perceive as overwhelming, threatening, or deeply distressing. It occurs when your ability to cope is pushed beyond its limits. Many who struggle with trauma-related symptoms may feel hopeless about recovery, but healing is possible. Trauma therapy offers a safe space to process your experiences, develop coping strategies, and work toward emotional healing. With the right support, you can overcome trauma and find relief from the pain of the past.

Common Types of Traumatic Experiences:

  • Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in childhood

  • Domestic violence or sexual assault

  • Bullying and harassment

  • Discrimination and ongoing criticism

  • Loss of a loved one

  • Divorce or the end of a significant relationship

  • Serious illness or witnessing severe illness/death

  • Car accidents and other serious accidents

  • Surgery or birth-related trauma

  • Natural disasters

  • War trauma or being a refugee

  • Workplace stress, harassment, or job loss

The Impact of Trauma on Mental and Emotional Well-Being:

Trauma can create lasting changes in the nervous system, keeping the brain in survival mode. During a traumatic event, the fight-or-flight response is triggered, releasing stress hormones that impact how we process information and react to stress. This can lead to heightened agitation, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, and increased startle responses. Over time, these effects can interfere with relationships, work, and overall mental health. Trauma therapy can help regulate these responses and support long-term healing.

Recovering from Childhood Trauma:

 

Childhood trauma can leave a lasting impact, affecting self-worth, relationships, and emotional well-being. While trauma is often associated with physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, or emotional manipulation, any experience that makes a child feel unloved, powerless, or unworthy can be deeply traumatic. This can lead to:

  • Difficulty expressing emotions

  • People-pleasing and self-sacrifice

  • Struggles with setting boundaries or saying no

  • Self-criticism and guilt over past mistakes

  • Fear of asking for help or support

  • Low self-esteem and seeking external validation

 

At Avery Therapy Centre, our experienced trauma counsellors in Vancouver and BC provide compassionate, evidence-based support to help you heal. Trauma therapy can address the root causes of your struggles, empowering you to process past experiences and build a healthier, more fulfilling future.

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How Trauma Counselling Supports Healing

 

We use neuroscience-based, mind-body approaches to address the root causes of trauma and stress. For many clients, unresolved past experiences contribute to emotional and psychological distress.

Our specialized trauma therapy techniques help release the lingering effects of trauma, promoting healing and resilience. Our experienced trauma counsellors provide expert support, offering secure online counselling and psychotherapy for individuals across Vancouver and BC. With the right guidance, you can regain control, find relief, and move forward with confidence.

 

What to Expect from Trauma Counselling in Vancouver – A Holistic Healing Approach

 

Starting trauma therapy is a courageous step toward healing. At Avery Therapy Centre, we go beyond traditional talk therapy by offering a holistic, trauma-informed approach that addresses the mind, body, and spirit. Our experienced trauma counsellors in Vancouver create personalized treatment plans designed to support your unique healing journey.

Our Comprehensive Trauma Therapy Approach:

  • Safe & Supportive Environment – Process trauma at your own pace with compassionate guidance.

  • Cognitive & Mindfulness Techniques – Reframe traumatic experiences, challenge negative thought patterns, and build emotional resilience.

  • Somatic Therapy – Since trauma is often stored in the body, we use body-based interventions to support healing.

  • Emotion-Focused Therapy – Navigate difficult emotions safely, improving emotional regulation.

  • Attachment & Relationship Support – Develop healthier interpersonal skills and rebuild secure connections.

  • Spiritual & Meaning-Based Approaches – If meaningful to you, therapy may integrate mindfulness, meditation, or spiritual exploration for deeper healing.

Your first session includes a comprehensive assessment of your history, symptoms, and therapy goals to create a personalized treatment plan that aligns with your needs. Our Vancouver trauma therapists use evidence-based, integrative modalities to help you regain control, restore inner balance, and move forward with confidence.

Understanding the Trauma Healing Process – A Path to Healing and Growth

 

Trauma recovery is a personal and non-linear journey, unique to each individual. While healing looks different for everyone, many survivors go through common phases of healing. At Avery Therapy Centre in Vancouver, our trauma-informed approach helps guide you through these stages with expert support.

Phases of Trauma Recovery:

1. Stabilization & Safety

The first step in healing focuses on regaining a sense of control over your emotions and daily life. This phase helps you:

  • Establish emotional and physical safety

  • Recognize and manage trauma responses

  • Learn coping skills to regulate your nervous system

  • Create a stable foundation for deeper healing

2. Processing the Trauma

Once stability is established, therapy moves towards processing traumatic experiences in a safe, supportive environment. This phase involves:

  • Exploring how trauma has shaped your thoughts, emotions, and self-beliefs

  • Revisiting traumatic memories in a controlled way

  • Engaging with subconscious and body-stored trauma

  • Finding new ways to express and make meaning of past experiences

3. Integration & Reconnection

The final stage involves rebuilding your sense of self and reconnecting with life. This phase helps you:

  • Strengthen personal relationships and support systems

  • Develop post-traumatic growth and resilience

  • Reclaim personal values and strengths

  • Create a new, empowered life narrative that acknowledges trauma without being defined by it

 

Healing is Not Linear – And That’s Okay

Recovery isn’t a straight path. Setbacks and breakthroughs are natural parts of the journey. At Avery Therapy Centre, our therapists tailor therapy to your unique needs, offering compassionate support every step of the way.

With the right guidance, healing is possible. You can move beyond trauma, rediscover your true self, and create a fulfilling, meaningful life.

Our Approach to Trauma Counselling

 

We offer a range of evidence-based trauma therapy approaches to help individuals heal from trauma and PTSD. These therapeutic methods, some long-established and others more recent, have been proven effective in supporting recovery from traumatic experiences.

Types of Trauma Counselling We Offer:

  • Somatic Experiencing (SE) – Focuses on releasing trauma stored in the body to restore emotional and physical balance.

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – A highly effective therapy for processing traumatic memories and reducing distress.

  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy – Integrates body awareness with talk therapy to process trauma at a deeper level.

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) – Helps individuals heal by working with different internal parts shaped by trauma.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Helps reframe negative thought patterns and develop healthier coping strategies.

Our trauma therapists in Vancouver customize treatment plans based on your unique needs, ensuring a compassionate and personalized healing journey. If you're seeking trauma therapy in BC, our expert team is here to help you reclaim control and move toward a healthier, more fulfilling life.

We would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

© 2023 AVERY THERAPY CENTRE

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