Find Healing & Reclaim Your Life with Wellspring Counselling in BC

Trauma Counselling in Richmond, BC

Trauma can leave invisible wounds that affect how you see life and feel your emotions. It can come from significant events, ongoing struggles, or smaller moments that deeply impact. The effects of trauma can feel overwhelming and change your life.

At Wellspring Counselling, we provide caring and professional trauma counselling services in Richmond in person and online. Our mission is to help you deal with the effects of trauma. We want to support you as you heal and build strength, leading you to a renewed sense of hope.

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Trauma Counselling in Richmond

Trauma Counselling in Richmond, BC

What is trauma?

Trauma is a personal response to events or situations that feel overwhelming or scary. It can come from a single upsetting experience, like an accident or losing someone you care about, or from repeated situations like abuse or neglect. Trauma can shake a person’s sense of safety and stability. It often changes how they see themselves, others, and the world. The effects of trauma can be wide-ranging, affecting emotional health, mental health, and even physical well-being.

Each person experiences trauma in their way. Even if two people go through the same event, they may react differently. Their past experiences, emotional strength, social support, and current life situations all influence how they cope with trauma. Some may feel strong emotions like fear or anxiety, or they may avoid certain places or situations. Others might have physical problems, such as tiredness, pain, or trouble focusing.

Trauma is a normal reaction to extreme stress. It does not mean a person is weak. When we reduce the stigma around trauma, more people feel comfortable seeking help. With the proper support—like EMDR, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or somatic methods—healing is possible. People can regain a sense of safety and balance in their lives.

Signs and Symptoms of Trauma

Everyone processes trauma differently, but some common indicators may suggest someone is struggling with the effects of a distressing event:

  • Reoccurring flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts tied to the event.
  • Heightened emotional responses, such as unexpected anxiety, fear, or anger.
  • Steering clear of places, individuals, or activities associated with the traumatic experience.
  • Physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, sweating, or tension.
  • Difficulty concentrating or recalling details connected to the event.

Recognizing these signs is essential for understanding how trauma affects people. This awareness can help guide individuals to the support they need.

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The many faces of Trauma

  • “Big T” Trauma: Major life events like serious accidents, abuse, or losing someone close can lead to conditions such as PTSD or complex trauma. These experiences can cause strong reactions, including unwanted memories, nightmares, and feeling emotionally overwhelmed.
  • “Little t” Trauma: Experiences like ongoing neglect, bullying, constant criticism, or living in an unsafe environment can hurt your nervous system. Over time, these experiences can lead to anxiety, low self-esteem, and difficulties in forming trusting secure relationships.
  • Core Shame & Guilt: Traumatic experiences can lead people to feel that they are flawed or to blame themselves for bad things that happen in their lives. These feelings of shame and guilt can lower self-esteem, making it hard to build healthy relationships and feel confident.

Why Online Trauma Counselling with EMDR Works?

  • Proven Effectiveness: EMDR therapy is an effective way to help people deal with and recover from traumatic experiences. Individuals can heal and find emotional relief by facing the emotional pain linked to these memories.
  • Safe & Accessible: Start your healing journey from home with online therapy sessions. This option is beneficial for those who find it hard to leave home because of trauma.
  • Specialized Therapists: Our therapists are trained to help with trauma using methods like EMDR therapy. They provide caring support to help you deal with painful memories and achieve lasting relief.

The benefits of Trauma Counselling

Trauma counselling helps people recover from complex life events caused by a single incident or repeated challenges. It supports the healing process and helps build resilience and emotional recovery. Here are some key benefits of trauma counselling:

 

  • Healing from Painful Memories: Counselling offers a safe space to face and understand difficult memories. With support, people can slowly lessen the strong emotions linked to these experiences, making them easier to handle.
  • Restoring Emotional Balance: Trauma can upset your emotions, leading to feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, or sadness. Counselling helps you recognize these feelings, understand how they affect you, and regain control. This process can help you achieve a balanced emotional state.
  • Developing Coping Strategies: Trauma counselors help people manage stress and strong emotions. They provide practical tools that improve daily life and build resilience for the long term.
  • Enhancing Relationships: Trauma can hurt relationships and lead to feelings of isolation or conflict. Counselling can help rebuild trust, improve communication, and create healthier connections with others.
  • Alleviating PTSD and Anxiety Symptoms: Therapies like EMDR and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help reduce symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety. This can lead to better overall well-being.
  • Encouraging Self-Discovery and Growth: Counselling helps people consider how trauma has affected their lives. This process can give them more clarity and boost their confidence.

 

Getting trauma counselling is a brave step toward healing. It helps you feel safe again, rebuild your confidence, and look forward to a better future.

How can Wellspring Counselling help with Trauma?

Trauma can come from many different experiences. This includes physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, losing a loved one, natural disasters, or being a victim of a crime. No matter what you’ve been through, our caring and skilled counselors are here to help you understand your feelings and support you on your path to recovery.

Healing can seem complicated, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our team offers a safe space where you can start to heal at your own pace. We use proven methods to help with trauma, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, body-focused therapies, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). We want to help you feel better, develop healthy coping skills, build strong relationships, and create a resilient and purposeful life.

Trauma does not have to control your life. You can recover, and we are here to help you every step of the way.

Our Approach: Compassionate, Effective, Personalized

  • Understanding Your Story: We begin by listening deeply to your experiences, exploring how trauma has impacted your thoughts, emotions, and sense of self.
  • EMDR for Deep Healing: EMDR therapy helps your brain reprocess traumatic memories, lessening their power and allowing you to view the past from a healthier perspective.
  • Beyond EMDR: We tailor therapy to you, incorporating Emotion-Focused Therapy, CBT, and supportive techniques to address shame, guilt, and the broader impacts of trauma.
  • Rebuilding Resilience: Learn tools to manage triggers, regulate emotions, and build a stronger sense of safety and self-worth in the present.

A Special Message from the Director

Clients Say

Testimonials

Mr. Gordon is someone that captures the spirit and the heart of active engagement. He is empathic, genuine and incorporates action and creative problem solving into his practice. I have no hesitation in recommending Mr. Gordon as an effective career and personal counsellor.

NA

I had no experience with therapy and was unsure of the whole process. Alistair made everything very accessible and unintimidating. It was clear that he puts quite a lot of effort and preparation into every session. I'm so glad that I decided to do this, and could not have asked for a better person to help me with this. I would highly recommend Alistair to anyone who has ever thought that they might benefit from talking to a professional.

EH

I am a young professional which for a long time now, has struggled with anxiety, insecurity, and difficulty in finding effective life coping mechanisms. Alistair was referred to me by a friend and upon the first meeting, I found Alistair to be empathetic, compassionate and intuitive. I have now been seeing Alistair regularly for 6 months and through that time my anxiety has significantly decreased, I have found effective methods of dealing with stress, found support dealing with identity issues, as well as finding inner strength to get through a tough break up. Alistair again and again, went the extra mile -thank you Alistair for your candor, openness and a safe space to get support. Thank you for playing such a large role in keeping me healthy and positive.

KL

I have been working with Alistair Gordon as my counsellor at Wellspring for almost 6 months now and cannot begin to tell you how far I have come with his help. I have tried working with other counsellors and therapists in the past but never really found one that clicked for me. I always felt judged, unsupported, and rushed at those appointments until I booked my first appointment with Wellspring and with Allistair. To anyone on the fence about booking an appointment or engaging in therapy: if you are willing to do the work, you couldn't ask for a better partner in your healing journey.

ER

When I decided to find a counsellor, I tried to find someone that I could relate to, someone that is like-minded and down-to-earth and with Alistair I really found the right person. He uses an integrative approach, showed me techniques to relax and get aware of my emotions, and helped me see things in a new perspective. Of course this is an ongoing process but I enjoy meeting and working with Alistair every time. The downtown office is a very neutral place - not too intimate, not too clinical - which is helpful to overcome apprehension, especially the first couple of times. What I find remarkable is that Alistair almost always knows what I'm trying to say, even if I can't put it into words. Working with Alistair helped me a lot and it was the right decision to put my trust in him.

MA

Alistair really cares about you the person, and I could really feel him trying to tackle my challenges. He was also very available for off-session contact via text and email. I think he did a great job with confronting me where I needed it. Alistair always could remember the important peoples' names in my personal life, which really helped with talking about my problems. I really felt like I was talking to a friend.

MS

Alistair is an awesome counsellor. He has been so helpful in working with me through some tough times in my life. He's always been available to chat with me in-between sessions. I'd recommend Alistair to anyone - he's really the ideal counsellor in my view.

JG

I enjoy how sessions are collaborative where I can take the lead for the direction of what we talk about, and at the same time I know that Alistair will offer helpful guidance and insight along the way. I also like how we focus on the future instead of just the past. I find this to be empowering and helpful to move forward in life.

RM

Alistair is an awesome counsellor. He has been so helpful in working with me through some tough times in my life. He's always been available to chat with me in-between sessions. I'd recommend Alistair to anyone - he's really the ideal counsellor in my view.

JG

I have always felt very comfortable with Alistair. He has a calming presence, and you can tell he cares about being the best counsellor for you. He helps you with all aspects of your concern, and is always able to help me find a solution to the problem I'm having.

SD

Alistair is an exceptionally talented counsellor and has always demonstrated strong ethics, great compassion, wisdom and respect for others. I highly recommend him as a counselling practitioner.

MB

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Trauma Counselling in Richmond, BC

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