PSYCHOTHERAPY & COUNSELLING SERVICES
Therapy for Trauma
PTSD, Complex Trauma (C-PTSD), Relational Trauma, Developmental Trauma
Toronto & across Ontario • Online Sessions
Burlington • In-person Sessions
What is trauma?
We can think of a traumatic event as an experience that involves a large degree of actual, threatened, or perceived physical or mental harm to ourselves or those around us.
Trauma can occur in the form of a single experience, or in the context of a long-term exposure to a traumatic environment.
For many people, long after the traumatic experience or environment is over, we might continue to experience trauma as a ‘wound’ in our system. We can get stuck in mental, emotional, or physical patterns that try to protect us, such as by anticipating danger or taking cover when danger is sensed.
In other words, when we encounter things that remind us (whether consciously or not) of a distressing time, mental, emotional and physical responses often reactivate which make it feel like the traumatic event or environment is happening in the present, even if we might know logically that we are safe in the present.
Of course, this can be confusing, scary, and exhausting!
What are some common ways that trauma and the impacts of traumatic events are talked about?
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (also known as PTSD): Can arise when we have experienced a single distressing event.
Complex PTSD (also known as complex trauma, CPTSD, C-PTSD): Can occur from experiencing repeated traumatic events or from when we live, work, or go to school (for example) in an environment that is traumatic.
Relational trauma: Can happen when we have experienced repeated distressing events in the context of relationships, such as abuse, neglect, bullying, or having no one to turn to.
Developmental trauma: Can occur when we have experienced traumatic events or environments during stages of development such as infancy, childhood, or adolescence.
What are some signs of unhealed trauma?
Feelings & Emotions
• Anxiety
• Emotional overwhelm
• Shame
• Feelings of worthlessness
Experiences & Patterns
• Panic attacks
• Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
• Nightmares
• Flashbacks
• Difficulties in relationships
• Patterns such as people pleasing
• Ruminating or overthinking
• Feeling stuck or unsure of our path
• Internal conflicts
• Feeling like it’s overwhelming when we are seen by others (even if people are commenting on a success)
Physical Sensations
• Being hypervigilant or always on edge
• Feeling numb or disconnected
• Dissociating
• Feeling unreal or out of body
• Chronic pain, headaches
• Difficulty breathing
• Clenching or churning in stomach
• Tense muscles
How can Yellow Leaf Therapy help with trauma?
When we experience symptoms of trauma, we can understand that there may be a ‘wound’ in our system. We get stuck in confusing, scary, or tiring responses and patterns when we encounter things that remind us of the traumatic event or environment.
Yellow Leaf Therapy can help by, for example, supporting in:
Noticing patterns of responses that are arising when we are triggered
Being curious about how our patterns of responses have helped or are trying to help us survive
Building skills to notice when we are triggered and to differentiate feeling memories of past traumatic times from present safety
Being curious about what a fuller life looks like, and taking steps to move toward this
At Yellow Leaf Therapy, I hold respect and compassion for the parts of you that have learned that it is their job to try and keep you safe in traumatic times. I also believe that these parts of you have many strengths.
Together, we hold a space of curiosity where we can think about what it means to you to live a more full life and take steps to get there. We go at a pace that feels okay for the different parts of who you are.
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Social Worker, Psychotherapist
Session Location:
Ontario, Canada - Online
Rate for Individual Therapy:
$160 / 50-minute session
covered under many health benefit plans
More about our approach
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I primarily work with mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches.
My therapy approach is trauma-informed and grounded in an anti-oppressive framework.
I believe that who we are is shaped by the world around us and the generations before us. This means, for example, that our strengths and difficulties can be connected to both our individual lives as well as to various larger structures and systems. I have experience supporting clients in curiously and gently noticing and reflecting on the stories that we have learned about ourselves and others, how they shape our lives, and how they may be (or may not be) supporting our well-being.
Therapeutic modalities and frameworks that inform my approach include:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Trauma-informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), which can be known as “parts work”
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Ego State Therapy
Attachment Theory
Feminist Therapy
Anti-oppressive Practice (AOP)
Emotion-focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
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I have completed my Master of Social Work (MSW) and am a Registered Social Worker (RSW) with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) [Registration Number: 843711]. This means that I am required to follow the standards and code of ethics outlined by the OCSWSSW.
I engage in ongoing professional development and training. Some of my completed and ongoing trainings include:
ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) for Perfectionism and People Pleasing [Russ Harris]
Level 1: Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy (TIST) [Janina Fisher, PhD]
Level 2: Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy (TIST) [Janina Fisher, PhD]
ACT for PTSD, Anxiety, Depression & Personality Disorders [Dr. DJ Moran]
EFFT (Emotion-Focused Family Therapy) [Dr. Adele Lafrance]
DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) [Broadview Psychology]
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) [Broadview Psychology]
Attachment and Families - Strategies for Engaging and Helping [CRTI Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute]
Shame and Self-loathing in the Treatment of Trauma [Janina Fisher, PhD]
I engage in regular clinical supervision with Oona Fraser, M.A., R.P. (CRPO registration# 003448).
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Mindfulness is popularly defined as noticing what is occurring in the present moment without judgment.
Many Western therapies that are widely used, such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and some forms of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - use aspects of mindfulness.
Mindfulness has also been an important presence in many spiritual, religious, and knowledge traditions for thousands of years. Within these spaces, mindfulness often has additional meanings that were often removed when mindfulness began to be used by Western therapies. For example, Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist Master, says that an important aspect of mindfulness is to support the insight of ‘interbeing’ – in other words, to notice the interconnection between all beings.
I am a spiritual person (though I do not identify with a particular religion) and daily practices such as meditation help me to nourish myself so that I can be attuned and present.
In our work, I approach mindfulness from a secular (non-religious) perspective. In our therapy sessions, we use mindfulness to, for example, notice the different parts of you and notice how these different parts are present in your moment-to-moment experience through thoughts, emotions, or sensations. Noticing with mindfulness may also support you in noticing interconnection between yourself, your experiences, and the experiences of others around you.
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In my work, a trauma-informed approach broadly means that we move at a pace that feels comfortable for all parts of you.
It means that you can ask questions, pause, or change your mind at any time.
It means that we work together to notice what support feels helpful, or unhelpful to you, and to respect that understanding.