Trauma & PTSD
Experiencing a traumatic event can disrupt your life and affect how you think, feel, behave and function day-to-day. Trauma affects everyone differently. You may find yourself feeling constantly on edge, avoiding reminders of what happened, struggling with sleep or intrusive memories, or feeling disconnected from yourself or the people around you. Sometimes these difficulties emerge soon after the event, while for others, they may not become apparent until months or even years later.
Whether you have been living with the effects of trauma for a long time or your symptoms have only recently emerged, psychological treatment can help you understand and manage the impact of trauma, reduce distressing symptoms and support your recovery, helping you to move forward with your life.
We provide specialist psychological treatment for trauma and PTSD, with a focus on evidence-based, individualised care. Appointments are available in person in Gordon, Sydney, or via Telehealth.
Understanding Trauma & PTSD
A traumatic event can result in psychological trauma when it overwhelms your ability to cope or leaves you feeling unsafe, helpless, powerless, or unable to make sense of what has happened. Trauma could be the result of a single event, such as a serious accident, assault or major disaster, or from repeated exposure to distressing or threatening experiences over time.
Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will go on to experience psychological difficulties or PTSD. However, for some people, the brain and nervous system can remain in a heightened state of threat, even after the danger has passed. This could mean feeling constantly hypervigilant or anxious, or experiencing low mood and changes in your beliefs about yourself, others and the world around you. Some people experience persistent distressing nightmares, flashbacks or memories of the event. You might also try to avoid anything that reminds you of the event. You might notice that these symptoms begin soon after the event and persist, or they may have a delayed onset and emerge months or years later.
Signs and Symptoms of Trauma and PTSD
Trauma can affect people in different ways. Some of the common difficulties people experiencing trauma may face include:
Persistent intrusive memories, images or thoughts about the event
Distressing nightmares
Feeling constantly on edge or on ‘high alert’
Anxiety, panic or a heightened sense of threat or danger
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
Avoiding people, places, activities or situations that remind you of what happened
Feeling persistently sad or experiencing low mood
Changes in your relationships or ability to connect with others
Feeling unsafe or on guard even when there is no immediate danger
Feelings of guilt, shame or self-blame
You don’t need to experience all of these symptoms to be affected by trauma or to benefit from psychological support. If you are noticing changes in how you think, feel or function following a traumatic experience, psychological treatment can help you understand what you are experiencing and support your recovery.
Trauma in Healthcare Professionals and First Responders
Healthcare professionals and first responders can be exposed to distressing, traumatic and life-threatening situations as part of their work. This may include responding to critical incidents, witnessing serious injury or death, supporting people in crisis, or being involved in unexpected or confronting events. For some people, the impact of a single event can be significant. For others, repeated or cumulative exposure to distressing experiences over time can gradually take its toll. Trauma can also overlap with chronic stress and burnout, which can make it difficult to understand exactly what is contributing to how you are feeling.
The nature of healthcare and first responder roles means that your focus is often on caring for or helping others. You are likely to be accustomed to staying calm under pressure, focusing on the needs of others and continuing to function professionally even after experiencing something distressing. There can sometimes also be the expectation, whether from yourself or others, that you should be able to cope and get on with the job.
Seeking psychological support can sometimes feel particularly difficult for people working in healthcare and emergency services. Concerns about how others will perceive you, appearing unable to cope, or the potential impact on your career can all become barriers to seeking help. Seeking help early, before symptoms become overwhelming, can make it easier to address difficulties and begin working towards recovery.
Discover Clinical Psychology has a particular focus on supporting healthcare professionals and first responders experiencing trauma, work-related stress and burnout. Emma’s experience within NSW Ambulance has provided her with the opportunity to develop a strong understanding of the complexities, demands and challenges associated with these roles.
How Trauma-Focused Psychological Treatment Can Help
Therapy is based on a strong therapeutic relationship, including the establishment of a sense of trust and safety. Effective treatment for trauma aims to help you process distressing or traumatic experiences, reduce distressing symptoms and develop a greater sense of safety and control. It can also involve helping you to refocus on your future, and move forward in line with your own goals.
Emma’s approach involves drawing from a variety of evidence-based treatments for PTSD, including trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). Treatment is always individualised, based on a shared understanding of your symptoms, circumstances and therapy goals.
Seeking Support
If you are experiencing difficulties following a traumatic experience, you don’t have to navigate it on your own. Psychological treatment can provide a safe, non-judgemental and supportive space to understand what you are experiencing, work through the effects of trauma and develop strategies to help you move forward.
Finding the right psychologist is a personal decision, and it’s important that you feel comfortable with the person you choose to work with. If you’d like to have a conversation about whether we could be the right fit to work together, you’re very welcome to get in touch. We can discuss what you’ve been experiencing and how we may be able to help.
Discover Clinical Psychology offers appointments in Gordon, Sydney and via Telehealth.