Trauma & PTSD Counselling in Squamish & Online Across BC
Trauma isn’t always obvious. It’s not only about what happened — it’s about what stayed with you.
You might notice it as:
- reactions that feel bigger than the situation
- shutting down, pulling back, or going numb
- patterns in relationships that keep repeating
- a sense of being on edge, even when things are okay
Often there’s a quiet feeling underneath it all — I know this doesn’t fully make sense… but it keeps happening.
What trauma can look like
Trauma can come from a single event — or from experiences that built up over time. Overwhelming or frightening moments, ongoing stress or unpredictability, or relational experiences where something important was missing or never quite felt safe.
The impact often shows up in the present — as anxiety or hypervigilance, emotional overwhelm or shutdown, or difficulty feeling settled, connected, or at ease in yourself or your relationships.
This includes what’s often described as PTSD and complex PTSD — as well as trauma responses that don’t fit a neat category but are still very real in how they affect your daily life. If something happened and it’s still with you, that’s enough.
This work isn’t about pushing through
Trauma work isn’t about revisiting everything at once. In fact, going too fast can make things feel more overwhelming — and less safe.
Instead, we follow the pace that feels manageable. That usually means building awareness and stability first — developing a sense of what’s happening in your body and your experience before going anywhere difficult. We stay connected to what’s happening in real time, rather than pushing toward a particular outcome.
This creates the conditions for something to actually shift — in a way that lasts.
How I work with trauma
My approach to trauma therapy is relational, experiential, and grounded in the body. We’re not just talking about the past — we’re working with how it’s showing up now, in your reactions, your relationships, and your nervous system.
Depending on what comes up, we might work with:
- EMDR therapy — an evidence-based approach for processing specific experiences that feel stuck, widely used for PTSD and complex PTSD
- Somatic awareness — tracking how trauma lives in the body and what it’s still holding
- Present-moment exploration — paying attention to what’s happening between us as we talk, which can itself be part of the healing
- Dreams and nightmares — trauma often shows up at night. If that’s part of your experience, we can work with it directly — not to interpret in a fixed way, but to listen to what it might be carrying that hasn’t found words yet
Being trauma-informed isn’t really about a model or a set of techniques. It’s about how we pace the work — approaching difficult material in small enough doses that your system can stay present rather than shut down or get flooded. We touch in, and we move away. We build your nervous system’s trust that it won’t be overwhelmed before we go anywhere difficult. That’s what actually allows something to shift.
What begins to change
As the work unfolds, people often notice:
- less reactivity to the things that used to trigger them
- more ability to stay present — in their body, in relationships, in daily life
- a greater sense of safety in themselves and with others
- more choice in how they respond, rather than just reacting
These shifts tend to happen gradually — and in a way that lasts.
Trauma therapy in Squamish & online
I also work with first responders and people in high-stress roles — those carrying the cumulative weight of what they’ve witnessed, responded to, and held on behalf of others over time.
This kind of occupational stress builds gradually. It’s not always one specific event — it’s the accumulation of the job, the culture of pushing through, and the way it can quietly start showing up at home, in your sleep, or in how you feel in your own skin.
My 10 years volunteering with Squamish Search and Rescue gave me a real sense of what that world involves. If it’s part of yours, you won’t need to explain it or filter what you share. I’ll have a sense of what you’re talking about.
When You’re Ready
If something here resonates, you’re welcome to reach out — whether you’re ready to book or just want to get a sense of whether this might be a good fit.
You can book a session directly, or start with a free 15-minute phone consultation — no commitment required.
In-person trauma therapy in Squamish and throughout the Sea to Sky corridor — online therapy available across British Columbia.