SPECIALTIES
Trauma & PTSD Counselling in Vancouver, BC
Trauma has a way of making the past feel more present than the present. If you find yourself always bracing for something or going through the motions of your life while feeling strangely disconnected from it, that's what trauma does to a nervous system. And it can change.
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UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCE
What is trauma and how does it stay with us?
Trauma is not simply what happened to you. It's what happened inside you as a result, the way your nervous system adapted to something overwhelming, threatening, or unbearable. That protective adaptation made sense at the time. The difficulty is when those adaptations keep running long after the danger has passed.
Trauma can come from a single overwhelming event like an accident, assault, sudden loss, or medical crisis. It can also develop over time through chronic stress, childhood adversity, relational harm, or environments that were consistently unsafe, unpredictable, or invalidating. This is sometimes called complex trauma or C-PTSD, and it often shows up differently than the PTSD most people recognise from a single incident. Both are real, and both respond to treatment.
How trauma can show up in everyday life
Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares that arrive without warning
Hyper-vigilance — a persistent sense of being on edge, scanning for threat even in safe situations
Emotional numbness or a feeling of disconnection from yourself, others, or the present moment
Avoiding people, places, conversations, or situations that remind you of what happened
Intense emotional reactions that feel disproportionate and difficult to explain
Physical symptoms — tension in the body, easily startled, disrupted sleep, fatigue
Difficulty trusting people or feeling safe in close relationships
A sense that the past is somehow more real than the present
MY APPROACH
How I work with trauma and PTSD
Trauma therapy begins with safety, not with the story. Before we go anywhere near what happened, I want to understand how you're doing right now, what helps you feel grounded, and what your nervous system needs to settle enough to do this work without being re-overwhelmed by it. Pacing matters enormously in trauma work, and I follow your lead on it.
I draw on Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness, and Depth Work in this process. Narrative Therapy allows us to separate who you are from what happened to you. Trauma can inhabit identity, and part of the work is reclaiming the authorship of your own story. Mindfulness practices help develop the capacity to stay present with difficult material without being swept into it. And Depth Work attends to what the experience has left beneath the surface, the patterns, beliefs, and relational wounds that often outlast the original event.
Narrative Therapy
In trauma work, Narrative Therapy is grounded in one foundational idea: you are not your trauma. We work to separate the traumatic experience from your sense of self, examining the story trauma has written about you, and finding the evidence for a different one.
Mindfulness
Trauma lives in the body as much as the mind. Mindfulness practices help develop the capacity to notice what's arising like sensations, emotions, impulses, without being overwhelmed by them. This is the work of building a steadier relationship with your own inner experience.
Depth Work
Trauma often reshapes how we relate to ourselves and others at a deep level, the ways we protect ourselves, the people we trust, and the situations we avoid. Depth Work helps bring those patterns into awareness, where they can be understood and, over time, changed.
WHO I WORK WITH
You might be looking for this support if…
Ambushed by the Past
Something happened, maybe years ago, or recently and you've tried to move on. In many ways you have. But there are moments when it comes back with a force that surprises you, and you're tired of being ambushed by your own history.
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A Quiet Shift
You don't necessarily use the word trauma. You just know that something shifted after a particular experience, and you haven't quite been the same since. Things that used to feel manageable now feel harder, relationships feel more complicated, and you feel further away from yourself than you'd like to admit.
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High-Functioning & Carrying Too Much
You grew up in an environment that was difficult in ways that are hard to name, maybe nothing "dramatic" enough to feel like it counts, but the effects are real. You're high-functioning, self-aware, and exhausted by the gap between how capable you appear and how much you're quietly carrying.
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THE PROCESS
What to expect from trauma therapy at Grounded Practice
The First Session
Our initial meeting is about building safety and connection, not telling your trauma story. We explore what brought you in, what you've tried, and what you hope to change. Feeling both relief and hesitation is entirely normal, and you will never be asked to share details before you are ready.
Ongoing Work
How the Process Unfolds
Non-Linear Healing: Progress isn't a straight line. Breakthroughs are balanced by quieter sessions focused on internal processing and stabilization.
Flexible Pacing: Some clients achieve focused relief within a few months, while others engage in deeper, long-term healing.
Collaborative Cadence: We typically start with weekly sessions and regularly check in to adjust our frequency based on where you are.
In-person sessions are available in Vancouver, BC. Online therapy is available across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut via secure video.
FAQs
Common Questions about Trauma Therapy
Do I have to talk about what happened in detail to heal from it?
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No, and this is one of the most important things to understand about trauma therapy. Re-telling the traumatic story in detail is not always necessary, and for some people it can be counterproductive if the nervous system isn't ready for it. Much of the most effective trauma work happens at the level of what the experience is doing now in your body, your relationships, your sense of self, rather than a detailed reconstruction of the event itself. We move at a pace that feels safe.
PTSD: Typically develops after a single or acute traumatic event. Symptoms often center on flashbacks, avoidance, hypervigilance, and feeling constantly on edge.
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD): Arises from prolonged, repeated trauma, often occurring in childhood or ongoing unsafe relationships. It combines core PTSD symptoms with deeper impacts on self-identity, emotional regulation, and connection with others.
What is the difference between PTSD and complex PTSD?
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How long does trauma therapy take?
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There is no universal answer, and anyone who gives you one with certainty is oversimplifying. Some people do focused work over three to six months and find that enough. Others work over a longer period, particularly with complex or developmental trauma. What I can tell you is that we'll be honest with each other about how it's going, and you'll always have a say in the pace and direction of the work.
That experience is worth taking seriously — and worth talking about. Trauma therapy is an area where approach, fit, and timing all matter significantly. If previous therapy felt overwhelming, moved too fast, or simply didn't connect, that tells us something useful about what might work better. I'm happy to hear what's been tried and to think with you about whether a different approach might make a difference.
I've tried therapy for trauma before and it didn't help. Should I try again?
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OTHER AREAS OF SUPPORT
You may also be looking for help with…
Anxiety & Depression
Trauma and anxiety share deep roots. Hypervigilance, persistent worry, and low mood are among the most common effects of traumatic experience. If anxiety or depression is part of what you're carrying, that work fits naturally alongside trauma therapy.
Addiction & Recovery
Trauma and substance use are closely connected and many people use alcohol or substances to manage the symptoms of unprocessed trauma. Addressing both together, rather than in isolation, often produces more lasting results.
Neurodiversity & Autism
Neurodivergent people are at significantly higher risk of traumatic experiences, and trauma can be harder to recognise and treat when neurodiversity is part of the picture. I approach this intersection with care and specific awareness.
READY TO BEGIN?
What happened to you doesn't have to define what comes next.
Request a free 15-minute consultation to learn more about working together. Whether you’re ready to start therapy in Vancouver or have questions about how we can work together Online in BC · AB · SK · MB · NL · YT · NT · NU, I look forward to hearing what brings you to counselling