Trauma Counseling - Where to Begin & How it Can help

Maybe you have been thinking about therapy for a while and are overwhelmed where you would even start. It is normal to come into therapy not knowing what your goals are right away or how you can start to feel better from your experiences. There is not one specific thing that an individual needs to have to work to start the therapy process. This article will talk more about how a therapist can help you feel less overwhelmed in the process of starting therapy work. This is not an exhaustive list but will scratch the surface into how your therapist can assist you.

1.)  Organizing thoughts out of overwhelming emotions

When coming into therapy it can be expected that a lot of different emotions could come up. Your therapist is there to listen to your story and to provide compassion and understanding to what you have gone through. During an intake session for example, your therapist will work to gather some information about your history. It is okay and not important to have all of the facts of the situation. What is more important is how you view yourself and how different events have impacted you. Your therapist is there to work with you in your story to help create goals in how you can both process thoughts, feelings, and emotions that come from the narrative. Therapy helps so that you are not working through this ini isolation.

2.)  Psychoeducation on Trauma and Its Impacts

Early on in the therapy process your therapist will work to help you understand the science behind trauma, anxiety, and depression. It can be hard to know how to work through emotions without having a deeper understanding about why you react the way that you do in certain situations. Your therapist helps to highlight patterns in relation to reactions. You might be surprised to learn more about the science behind the brain that elicits different emotions and reactions. It is okay to ask more questions with your therapist and inquire more resources and information to learn more about it outside of sessions.

3.)  Regulating Skills

It is not recommended to dive into trauma work until you have learned from your therapist different coping strategies to help manage feelings and emotions that can come up. Your therapist will work with you to find ways to regulate whether it be breath work, or grounding techniques. If something doesn't work for you when learning about different coping skills your therapist will work with you to find an effective approach that works for you.

4.)  Taking back your power 

Trauma and hard life experiences can make you feel powerless. Your therapist will work with you to process these feelings and emotions. Healing can happen when you are provided a safe space to talk about your experiences. Your therapist will do their best to ensure that they are meeting you where you are at with your goals. Your therapist may challenge you to practice compassion work towards yourself and your experiences. How you feel about yourself may start to change when you begin therapy work and that is okay! Your therapist is there for you throughout the entire journey.  

Are you feeling hopeful about starting trauma therapy work? Contact us today at Inward Counseling to see if we might be a good fit to meet your needs. We would be more than happy to assist you in what you are looking for.