Therapy for Trauma, PTSD, and C-PTSD
Therapy for PTSD, complex PTSD and childhood trauma, at a pace that feels manageable
Available in Calgary, Toronto, and across Canada
Trauma doesn't always look the way people expect.
You might...
These are common reactions to hard experiences.
Many of them started as ways to cope.
What counts as trauma?
Trauma comes from an event, a series of events, or ongoing circumstances that felt physically or emotionally harmful, or life-threatening, and that keep affecting you long after they're over.1
That could be one event, like a car accident, an assault, a medical emergency or a sudden loss. It could also be something that happened over and over, like abuse or neglect in childhood, living with a parent whose moods were unpredictable, bullying, or ongoing racism and discrimination.
Going through something hard doesn't automatically mean you'll develop PTSD. Most people who go through a traumatic event never do.2 But plenty of people who don't meet the criteria for PTSD still live with the effects of what they went through.
PTSD and complex PTSD
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder. The World Health Organization's diagnostic manual (ICD-11) describes three main groups of symptoms:3
- Reliving it through intrusive memories, flashbacks or nightmares
- Avoiding thoughts, places or people that remind you of it
- A constant sense of threat, like being on high alert or easily startled
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
Usually follows trauma that was prolonged or repeated and hard or impossible to escape, like childhood abuse or long-term domestic violence. It includes the PTSD symptoms plus ongoing difficulties with:3
- Emotions: big reactions that are hard to settle, or feeling shut down and numb
- How you see yourself: feeling worthless or defeated, with a lot of shame or guilt
- Relationships: finding it hard to feel close to people or keep relationships going
Complex PTSD is a diagnosis in the ICD-11 but not in the DSM-5-TR, the manual more commonly used in North America. Either way, you don't need a diagnosis to start trauma therapy.
How I work with trauma
Your reactions make sense
Things like people pleasing, shutting down, staying busy or always being on guard probably helped you get through something. We'll look at what they've been protecting you from, instead of treating them as flaws to get rid of.
You set the pace
We start by practising ways to steady yourself when things feel like too much. You decide what we talk about and when, and you never have to share every detail of what happened.
Mind and body
Trauma often shows up in the body as tension, a racing heart, trouble sleeping or feeling numb. We'll pay attention to those signals as well as your thoughts and feelings.
Depending on what you need, I draw on EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Coherence Therapy and somatic (body-based) approaches. Of these, EMDR has the strongest research support for PTSD, and it's recommended in treatment guidelines from the World Health Organization and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.4,5
When trauma overlaps with who you are
Children of immigrants
The stress of migration, war or family sacrifice can shape how a family relates to each other for generations, often without anyone talking about it.
Therapy for children of immigrants →Neurodivergent adults
Many ADHD and autistic adults grew up being misunderstood, punished or bullied for how their brains work, and still carry that with them.
ADHD & autism therapy →Common questions
Do I need a PTSD diagnosis to get trauma therapy?
No. Many people come to therapy because of how hard experiences are still affecting them, without ever being diagnosed. We start with what's bothering you now.
Will I have to talk about everything that happened?
No. You decide how much to share and when. Some approaches, including EMDR, don't require you to describe a memory in detail at all.4
How long does trauma therapy take?
It depends on what you've been through and what you want from therapy. Working through a single event usually takes less time than trauma that went on for years, like childhood abuse. We'll check in regularly about how it's going.
Can I do trauma therapy online?
Yes. I see clients in person in Calgary and online across Alberta, BC, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. EMDR can be done online too.
Can I use my insurance?
I provide receipts you can submit to your insurance provider. See my rates page for fees and what to check with your plan.
In person in Calgary. Online across AB, BC, ON, MB, SK and NL.
Therapy isn't an emergency service. If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 any time. If you're in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
Sources
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA's concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach. samhsa.gov
- Van Ameringen, M., Mancini, C., Patterson, B., & Boyle, M. H. (2008). Post-traumatic stress disorder in Canada. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 14(3), 171–181. doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-5949.2008.00049.x
- World Health Organization. ICD-11: 6B40 Post traumatic stress disorder; 6B41 Complex post traumatic stress disorder. icd.who.int
- World Health Organization. (2013). Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress. who.int
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. (2019). Posttraumatic stress disorder prevention and treatment guidelines. istss.org