Trauma can happen to anybody at any time. It may be something that happened to you or that you witnessed, in the present, the recent past or further back in childhood. It may be a one-off event (like a car accident, fire, assault) or be persistent over a period of time or on-going (domestic violence, childhood abuse/neglect, bullying).

Post-traumatic stress symptoms are normal after a traumatic event; these may include feeling 'jumpy', on edge, upset, having images of the event, fearing that something bad will happen, and avoiding going out. If you have had a recent one-off event, it is good to talk to people you know and trust, to help you process what happened. However, if over time, you find you are still experiencing symptoms and flashbacks, it may be time to seek more specialist help.

In the case of historic childhood abuse/neglect, bullying or domestic violence, trusting people can be difficult, so talking to others is hard, but therapy can be helpful. I will take time to build a rapport between us, where you may feel comfortable to share; I recognise that it is very distressing talking about these experiences, so I recommend going at a steady pace, and will help you to manage if things feel overwhelming.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that may develop when a group of symptoms continue for more than one month after the event, such as disturbing flashbacks, recurring distressing memories, feeling numb, avoidance behaviours and high anxiety levels (for example, feeling constantly 'on alert'). These symptoms may emerge months or years after a traumatic event and can affect your ability to lead your life as you would like to.

Trauma therapy is based on some education about trauma and how it affects you; learning techniques to manage distressing symptoms, to help you cope with day to day life; carefully processing the trauma memories (if appropriate); and, thinking about ways to look to the future and re-gain a sense of yourself.