TRAUMA
Trauma Therapy
Experiencing a traumatic event or bearing witness to an extremely traumatic event can massively affect our psychological and emotional wellbeing. Feeling like your life and safety is put at risk can shatter your sense of security and leave you with a feeling of helplessness.
Trauma has many causes, and it is important to remember that different traumas affect people in different ways. What is traumatic and possibly life-changing for one may not affect another.
For some people, the effects of trauma can take weeks, months or even years to surface.
There are different severities to psychological trauma. Symptoms could be mild and go away in a few weeks, and others can be more severe (PTSD) and need more long-term therapy.
I am a Trauma-Informed therapist. I base my practice on the five principles. Safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness and empowerment. My clients aspire to discover how their individual histories impact them and their system (body).
Everyone has their own stories, and through therapy and self-discovery, they can learn what they need to move forward. Trauma-informed therapy is for everybody.
Abuse Therapy
Any behaviour towards someone that deliberately harms or upsets someone is considered abuse. The commonly known forms of abuse include domestic violence, child abuse and emotional abuse. But in reality, there are many kinds of abuse, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and psychological abuse.
Whatever form of abuse you have been through, it can be helpful to talk to a therapist for you to see a way out and to end that feeling of powerlessness. Whatever you need from therapy, we can look at restoring your self-esteem, supporting your process of leaving an abusive relationship or re-examining your life after the abuse.
Whatever stage you are at, you can openly talk in a non-judgemental, respectful environment.
Dealing with Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse describes any type of sexual activity which is unwanted. Different types of sexual abuse include forced sex (rape), receiving unwanted sexual images/messages (sexting), being touched in a sexual way without your permission (sexual assault), being forced to have sex for money (sexual exploitation) or being bullied in a sexual way (sexual harassment).
Anyone can experience sexual abuse at any age and any gender. People can often feel very alone after, but in fact, there are thousands of people who have gone through the same thing, and there is lots of support.
Speaking out about your abuse to a therapist can help with the psychological effects of the abuse. Whether it was recently or years ago, talking about it can help rebuild your sense of self.
If you feel this is a service you need, please do reach out and get in touch. liz@lizwhiteleycounselling.com or call 07388462807 for more information.