Trauma Counselling in Perth: Therapy Options and How to Start

Trauma affects people in all kinds of ways, and knowing where to start isn't always easy. This guide is here to help you make some sense of it. Feel free to reach out any time if you'd like to talk through whether I can help or you have any questions.

What is trauma?

Trauma is the response that may follow a deeply distressing or overwhelming experience. Traumatic events are actually quite common, and most people will go through at least one at some point in their lives, around 75% of Australian adults.

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event goes on to develop ongoing difficulties. For some people though, the effects may linger, and can develop into a diagnosable condition like acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or complex PTSD.

The effects of trauma aren't limited to PTSD. Trauma can show up as depression, anxiety, changes in alcohol or substance use, and difficulties in day-to-day life and relationships. This is part of why trauma can feel so hard to put into words, as it presents in different ways.

Trauma isn't always dramatic or easy to name. Sometimes it's quiet or you've carried it for so long it just feels normal. If something is still affecting how you feel, sleep, or relate to others, it's worth talking about. You don't need to justify or give it a name first.

Is it stress or trauma?

Stress and trauma often get mixed up. Stress is a normal response to challenging or demanding situations, like a deadline, money worries, or a relationship breakdown. It's uncomfortable, but usually passes. However, when stress becomes persistent or overwhelming, support can also help.

Trauma is different. It's the response to something deeply distressing or overwhelming, an experience that was too much to process at the time. Its effects tend to run deeper and last longer than everyday stress. Some people recover from trauma with time and the support of those around them, but when it doesn't ease on its own, therapy can help you work through it.

What is trauma counselling?

Trauma counselling is a type of psychological treatment that helps people recover from the effects of a traumatic experience. It can also be called trauma therapy or trauma-focused therapy. This treatment is evidence-based and supported by current research. Without getting into too much detail, in Australia, the benchmark for this is the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder, PTSD and Complex PTSD. These guidelines are a combination of the current research on best-practice care for people affected by trauma, endorsed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and the Australian Psychological Society.

These guidelines set out which treatments work, so that the care you receive is grounded in evidence rather than one practitioner's personal approach.

How can trauma counselling help me?

Trauma counselling helps by giving you a safe, structured way to work through what happened, so it stops having such a hold on your day-to-day life. Over time, that can mean the memories feel less raw, the anxiety and low mood ease, sleep improves, and you feel more like yourself again.

A psychologist who works with trauma is trained to assess what's going on for you and to work through it using approaches that have been shown to help. Different treatments exist, and it's important to findwhat works best for you. These treatments can include trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy, cognitive therapy, prolonged exposure, and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).

EMDR is the one people most often ask me about. It's designed specifically to help the brain process distressing memories, and not every psychologist is trained in it. If you'd like to understand how it works, I've written a separate guide to EMDR that explains it in more detail.

No single approach is right for everyone. Part of what a trauma psychologist does is work with you to find the one that fits your situation, at a pace you can manage. Sometimes the first step isn't processing the trauma at all, but building enough steadiness and safety to make that deeper work possible.

If you're someone who has more than one thing going on at once, that's common, and it doesn't make you too complicated to help. Trauma often arrives alongside other difficulties, and the right support is one that can hold the whole picture rather than sending it elsewhere.

Starting trauma counselling in Perth

I'm a registered psychologist based in Thornlie, in Perth's southern suburbs, working with adults and adolescents on trauma, PTSD and the overlapping challenges that often come with them. Sessions are available in person or online across WA. You can read more about me and how I work here.

Starting begins with a short enquiry, and from there we'd have a conversation about what's brought you in and whether I'm the right fit. There's no pressure to commit to anything, and you don't need to have it all worked out beforehand. If we decide to go ahead, I'll send through some registration and consent forms, and we can book your first proper session from there.

I provide thoughtful psychological care for diverse mental health needs in Perth. If you think we might be a good fit, get in touch and we'll take it from there, at your pace.