Trauma Counselling

Trauma Counselling helps you understand your intense emotions after you’ve experienced a traumatic event.

You have experienced a traumatic event (an injury, loss of a loved one or property, or a serious threat, or any overwhelming emotional experience).  Even though the event may be completed, you may now be experiencing or may experience later, some strong emotional or physical reactions. Your reactions are normal. The situation is abnormal.

It is very common, in fact quite normal, for people to experience emotional aftershocks when they have passed through an horrible event.

Sometimes the emotional aftershock (or stress reactions) appear immediately after the traumatic event.

Sometimes they may appear a few hours or a few days later.  And, in some cases, weeks or months may pass before the stress reactions appear.

The signs and symptoms of a stress reaction may last a few days, a few weeks, or a few months and occasionally longer, depending on the severity of the traumatic event.  With understanding and the support of loved ones or significant others, the stress reactions usually pass more quickly.

Occasionally the traumatic event is so painful that professional assistance from a counselor may be necessary.  This does not imply craziness or weakness. It simply indicates that the particular traumatic event was just too powerful for the person to manage by himself or herself.

Here are some very common signs and symptoms of a stress reaction:

PHYSICAL:  Nausea, Upset stomach, Tremors (lips, hands), Feeling uncoordinated, Profuse sweating, Diarrhoea, Dizziness, Chest pain (should be checked at hospital), Rapid heart beat, Rapid breathing, Increased blood pressure, Headaches, Muscle aches, Sleep disturbance.

COGNITIVE:  Slowed thinking, Difficulty making decisions, Difficulty in problem solving, Confusion Disorientation (especially to place and time), Difficulty calculating, Difficulty concentrating, Memory problems, Difficulty naming common objects, Seeing the event over and over, Distressing dreams, Poor attention span.

EMOTIONAL:  Anxiety, Fear, Guilt, Grief, Depression, Feeling lost, Feeling abandoned, Feeling isolated, Worry about others, Wanting to hide, Wanting to limit contact with others, Anger, Irritability, Feeling numb, Startled, Shocked.

If the symptoms described above are severe or if they last longer than six weeks, the person may need professional counselling.

Helpful hints as you start trauma counselling:

• Rest a bit more – Contact friends
• Fight against boredom – Physical activity is often helpful
• Next re-establish a normal schedule as soon as possible
• Express your feelings as they arise
• Talk to people who love and care about you
• Have someone stay with you for at least a few hours or days
• Recurring thoughts, dreams or flashbacks are normal – don’t try to fight them – they’ll decrease over time and become less painful
• Of course maintain as normal a schedule as possible
• Eat well-balanced and regular meals (even when you don’t feel like it)
• Try to keep a reasonable level of activity. Find a good counselor if the feelings become prolonged or too intense!
• And much much more!

And here’s the good news – You CAN succeed with trauma counselling even if you are a COMPLETE beginner!

Here’s what you get from Trauma Counselling with Karen Gosling:

All you need is guidance and know-how from Karen…

Karen Gosling conducts face-to-face Trauma Counselling by appointment in her counselling rooms in Labrador, Gold Coast or by telephone, Skype or online Zoom meetings. All consultations are confidential. In any case Trauma counselling may occur over several days, weeks, or months with clients, depending on the issues, and often will result in an ongoing conversation between the clients and counsellor.