Therapy for Trauma
Heal trauma and find freedom
In Calgary and ONLINE across Alberta
Your past doesn’t have to define you
Trauma lives in all of us. Trauma is anything that overwhelms our perceived ability to cope. Trauma comes in many forms; there is the trauma of our lived experiences; abuse, neglect, violence, accidents, illness and grief. There is the trauma of our ancestors, passed on to us through relationships and DNA. There is the trauma of living in an oppressive society. This trauma can live in our minds, bodies, memories and beliefs about ourselves and the result can be devastating. You may be feeling overwhelmed and anxious or numb and exhausted. You may be experiencing racing thoughts, sleeplessness, flashbacks or nightmares.
Maybe you are struggling with guilt and shame, a loss of trust in yourself or the world, difficult relationships, or feeling like you don’t even know who you are any more. Whatever it is that you’re experiencing, know that you are not broken, because alongside the trauma story, there is always a story of resilience.
The aftermath of trauma, however, may be impacting so many areas of your life: your emotions, your sense of safety, your sense of self, your relationships, and your wellbeing, and you are wondering what on earth to do….
Signs That You May Be Experiencing Effects of Trauma:
Trauma is anything that overwhelms your perceived ability to cope—whether a single incident like a motor vehicle accident, or ongoing experiences such as childhood abuse or domestic violence. When left unresolved, traumatic experiences can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns.
Intrusive thoughts and flashbacks of traumatic memories
Sleep disturbances, including nightmares
Persistent anxiety and hypervigilance
Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected
Overwhelming feelings of shame or self-blame
Low self-esteem and negative beliefs about yourself
Relationship concerns and difficulty trusting others
Physical symptoms like chronic pain or fatigue
Panic attacks when triggered by reminders
Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and overachieving as coping strategies
For high-functioning women, these symptoms often manifest as an exhausting cycle of overthinking, overgiving, and putting others first—patterns that may have helped you survive but are now limiting your ability to thrive.
Heal from Trauma
It may feel impossible now, but you can heal from trauma, whether that trauma happened once or throughout your life; whether it was yesterday or over 40 years ago. You can feel better. You can achieve deep and lasting change. And I can help you get there with a mind-body therapies that go way beyond just talking — in fact, you don’t even need to talk about what happened to process that painful stuff, unless you want to!
Evidence-Based Trauma Therapy Approaches
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As a certified EMDR therapist in Calgary, I use this powerful approach to help process traumatic memories without requiring you to discuss them in detail. EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation to activate both hemispheres of the brain, allowing traumatic experiences to be processed and integrated in a new way.
EMDR can help you:
Resolve distressing memories and reduce their emotional impact
Develop more positive beliefs about yourself
Experience relief from PTSD symptoms
Improve self-esteem and emotional regulation
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Accelerated Resolution Therapy is an innovative approach that can produce rapid results for trauma processing. Similar to EMDR but with distinct differences, ART uses eye movements with imagery rescripting to help you process traumatic memories efficiently.
Benefits of ART include:
Often requires fewer therapy sessions than traditional treatments
No need to verbalize details of traumatic events
Effective for both single-incident and complex trauma
Particularly helpful for treating trauma-related anxiety and depression
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For those seeking more concentrated trauma work, I offer EMDR intensives—longer, more immersive therapy sessions that allow for deeper processing in a condensed timeframe. These sessions are ideal for processing specific traumatic events when your schedule makes weekly appointments challenging.
Additional Trauma-Focused Approaches
My comprehensive trauma therapy services also include:
Internal Family Systems (IFS-Informed): A compassionate approach to understand different "parts" of yourself that developed to cope with trauma
Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy: Techniques to develop emotional regulation and create safety before deeper trauma processing
Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy: An integrative and gentle approach particularly effective for trauma and complex trauma
Accelerated Resolution Therapy and EMDR can help…
Build on your innate strengths, with practical skills to help you tolerate distress, calm your nervous system and handle those overwhelming emotions, so you can be more present, feel more in control of your life and build your resilience.
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Reprocess painful memories, draining away the emotional charge locked into them at the time of the trauma, so that you can access more positive beliefs about yourself and the world.
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Take those gains made in the therapy room out into real life, to transform your relationships, your self-esteem, and your future.
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I’ll help through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and your goals.
My approach is rooted in a compassionate, integrative, and growth oriented process that builds on your innate wisdom and resilience. We all have “stuff”, because, well, life happens. I believe we are all seeking wholeness, that we already have everything we need to heal, and that yes, sometimes we all need a little help along the way.
Addressing Common Mental Health Issues Related to Trauma
Anxiety
Trauma frequently manifests as anxiety, with symptoms including persistent worry, restlessness, and physical tension. EMDR therapy and other trauma-focused treatments address the root causes rather than just managing symptoms.
Depression
Many individuals with trauma history experience depression, characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and hopelessness. Trauma therapy helps process the underlying painful experiences that contribute to these feelings.
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
PTSD symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance can significantly impact daily functioning. Through trauma-focused therapy, these symptoms can be reduced as traumatic memories are processed and integrated.
Relationship Issues
Trauma often affects how we relate to others, leading to patterns of distrust, people-pleasing, or emotional distance. As you heal from trauma, you can develop healthier relationship patterns and deeper connections.
Childhood Trauma
Early life experiences can have lasting impacts on self-esteem, attachment, and emotional regulation. Specialized approaches like EMDR are particularly effective for healing childhood trauma and its effects on adult life.
Who Benefits Most from My Trauma Therapy Services
I specialize in working with adult women who may appear successful externally but struggle internally with anxiety, depression, racing thoughts, and self-doubt.
My trauma counselling practice is particularly well-suited for women who:
Work in helping professions (nursing, teaching, social work) or high-stress careers
Experience perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and people-pleasing tendencies
Have patterns of overthinking and putting others first
Are experiencing physical manifestations of stress (possibly chronic pain)
Feel burnout despite achievements and competence
Have experienced a recent crisis that has motivated seeking help
You don’t have to live life feeling like you can’t heal from trauma.