Find Healing & Reclaim Your Life with Wellspring Counselling in BC

Trauma Counselling in Vancouver, BC

Trauma can leave invisible scars that affect how you see and feel about the world. You might have experienced life-threatening events, ongoing difficulties, or even smaller situations that hurt you deeply.

Wellspring Counselling provides trauma counselling in Vancouver both in-person and online. We help individuals who are dealing with the effects of traumatic events.

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Trauma Counselling in Vancouver

Trauma Counselling in Vancouver, BC

What is trauma?

Trauma is a personal emotional response to events or experiences that feel overwhelming. It can result from a single distressing incident, like an accident or loss, or ongoing situations, such as abuse or neglect. Trauma affects how we feel and can disrupt our sense of safety and stability. It can change how we see ourselves, others, and life, creating a solid emotional and psychological impact.

Trauma is complex because it affects each person differently. Two people can experience the same event but respond in unique ways. Factors like previous experiences, emotional strength, support from others, and current life situations influence how trauma is felt and its long-term effects. For some, trauma may lead to intense feelings of fear, anxiety, or withdrawal. For others, it could appear as physical issues like tiredness, chronic pain, or trouble focusing.

Trauma is not a sign of weakness; it is a normal response to severe stress. Recognizing this can help reduce stigma and encourage people to seek help. Healing from trauma takes time, patience, and the proper support. Effective therapies include EMDR, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and somatic practices, which can help people process their experiences and recover.

Signs and Symptoms of Trauma

While everyone reacts differently to traumatic events, common symptoms may include:

  • Flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts;
  • Emotional swings, such as sudden intense fear or anxiety;
  • Avoidance of people, places, and activities that remind you of the trauma;
  • Physiological reactions like increased heart rate or sweating
  • Difficulty concentrating or remembering details about the traumatic event.
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The many faces of Trauma

  • “Big T” Trauma: Traumatic events such as accidents, abuse, or loss can lead to PTSD or complex trauma, resulting in flashbacks, nightmares, and emotional overwhelm.
  • “Little t” Trauma: Neglect, bullying, shaming, or feeling chronically unsafe can leave lasting imprints on your nervous system, leading to anxiety, insecurity, and difficulty trusting.
  • Core Shame & Guilt: Trauma often creates deep-seated feelings of being flawed or responsible for bad things. This can hinder relationships and self-worth.

Why Online Trauma Counselling with EMDR Works?

  • Proven Effectiveness: EMDR is an effective therapy for dealing with traumatic memories. It helps reduce their emotional impact and supports the healing process.
  • Safe & Accessible: Online counseling sessions help you heal from home. This is especially useful if you find it hard to leave your house after trauma.
  • Specialized Therapists: Our team is trained to provide trauma-informed care, including EMDR. We will help you gently face and resolve painful experiences.

The benefits of Trauma Counselling

Trauma counselling offers a safe space for people to deal with and heal from difficult experiences. It helps individuals recover, whether their trauma comes from a single event or long-term challenges. Counselling can be an essential step toward healing. Here are some key benefits of trauma counselling:

  • Processing Painful Memories: Trauma counseling helps people deal with painful memories in a supportive and safe setting. This process can lessen the strong emotions connected to those memories, making them feel less overwhelming over time.
  • Restoring Emotional Balance: Trauma can hurt emotional health, causing feelings like fear, anxiety, anger, or sadness. Counseling helps people understand and manage these emotions, helping them feel more stable and in control.
  • Building Coping Skills: Counsellors help people learn practical skills to manage stress and strong emotions. These skills let individuals handle daily life more effectively and build resilience.
  • Improved Relationships: Trauma can harm personal relationships and lead to feelings of isolation or conflict. Counseling helps people rebuild trust, improve communication, and strengthen their connections with others.
  • Reducing Symptoms of PTSD and Anxiety: Trauma-focused therapies like EMDR and cognitive-behavioral therapy can effectively reduce symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and feeling overly alert. This helps improve a person’s quality of life significantly.
  • Fostering Self-Understanding and Growth: Counseling allows people to examine how trauma has affected their identity, beliefs, and actions. This understanding often helps them grow and feel more empowered.

Getting trauma counseling is a brave step toward healing. Through it, individuals can regain their safety, rebuild confidence, and move forward with optimism.

How can Wellspring Counselling help with Trauma?

Traumatic experiences can vary widely. They may include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, natural disasters, losing a loved one, or being a crime victim. Regardless of your trauma, our skilled and compassionate counsellors will help you understand your feelings and guide you toward healing.

We know that healing can be challenging. Our counsellors offer support with understanding and compassion. We use effective methods to help with traumatic stress. Our trauma counseling includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, body-focused therapies, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and more. We aim to help you manage your symptoms, find better coping strategies, build positive relationships, and create a more meaningful life.

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 Vancouver, BC

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