Trauma & PTSD Support London
Trauma & PTSD
Trauma
Trauma is a word that is used to describe the impact of difficult events that we experience in our lives. All of us experience trauma at some point in our lives. Whether it’s due to witnessing or experiencing a significant traumatic or violent event first hand, or experiencing an event in our lives that causes a sense of anxiety, distress or a sense of helplessness, trauma can shape you and cause you to develop patterns of avoiding, withdrawing, lashing out in anger/irritability, fear of being hurt, and so on. The impact of trauma in your life can be very significant, and you may experience difficult emotions such as sadness/depression, anxiety, and anger. Everyone experiences trauma differently, and there is no right or wrong way to feel when you have experienced trauma. Sometimes people develop intense emotional reactions right away, while others may not experience any difficulties until later on. It’s important to remember that trauma is a normal human response to an abnormal situation, and that with time and support, most people are able to recover and heal from traumatic experiences.
It is often the impact of trauma that leads people to seek help through counselling. Whether you are experiencing some emotional difficulties as a result of your experiences, or perhaps it has impacted your relationships with your family, partner or friends and you’re wanting to find a way to address this, we can help.
Our therapists are trained in a wide range of different evidence based approaches for working with Trauma. These approaches include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye-Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) or Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) and others. These approaches can help you understand how your experiences have impacted and shaped you, and work towards reducing the negative impacts of these past experiences. This can lead you to finding new ways to move forward with life in ways that can lead to more contentment, connection and joy in your life. We are committed to providing a space for you to feel comfortable, safe and able to deal with the impact of trauma in your life. Contact us today to learn more about the approaches that we use to help you overcome trauma.
PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is a clinical term which describes a range of symptoms that individuals can experience in the aftermath of a traumatic experience or experiences. The symptoms of PTSD can include things like flashbacks or nightmares of the traumatic incidents, avoiding situations that remind you of the trauma, feeling anxious or on edge, and being easily startled or irritable. These symptoms can be very distressing and can interfere with your daily life. If you experience symptoms like this, it’s important to know that help is available to cope with these symptoms, reduce their intensity and work towards reducing them all together. Sometimes these symptoms start immediately following the traumatic event, but other times the symptoms can develop slowly over time. Oftentimes, these symptoms are a result of your brain and body trying to manage the impact of the experience on you, but can result in you continuing to feel as if you are reliving the trauma, or prepared for these experiences to happen at any time in your day to day life. This can make it very difficult to rest, find calm and peace in your life, and harmony in your relationships.
Treatment for PTSD can involve participating in counselling/psychotherapy which can help to reduce the impact that your past experiences have on your current functioning and emotions. Other interventions are also available and are important to discuss with both your medical doctor and mental health professional.
We have therapists that specialize in working with clients who have been diagnosed with PTSD. If you are interested in learning more about how counselling can help you with what you’re experiencing, please contact us today.
Occupational Stress
Occupational stress is the stress that people experience because of their job and the impact it has in their life. It happens when the psychological and emotional demands of a job start to cause overwhelm in your life, or when you feel a sense of hopelessness or lack of control over you work. This can cause negative effects on your mental and physical health, your relationships and life outside of work, as well as your job performance.
The symptoms of occupational stress can vary from person to person, but some common signs include:
- Feeling anxious or worried about work
- Feeling tired or fatigued
- Having difficulty sleeping and often overthinking about work
- Feeling irritable or angry
- Losing motivation or interest in work
- Having difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Experiencing physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, or muscle tension
- Withdrawing from social situations or relationships
- Using drugs or alcohol to cope with stress.
Occupational Stress can also include dealing with moral injury and sanctuary trauma that can result from experiencing extremely stressful situations that cause you to feel conflict within yourself or difficulty finding safety and support in areas of your life that are supposed to be safe.
While all careers and jobs have the potential to result in the experiences of occupational stress, certain types of employment are at higher risk for the stress of the job to impact employees in negative ways. Jobs in which employees deal directly with stressful situations, high conflict and trauma like police, paramedics, firefighters, corrections officers, teachers, mental health professionals, medical professionals and other careers often place us at a high risk of experiencing the impact of repeated workplace stressors.
At North Counselling and Psychotherapy, our therapists are skilled at working with the symptoms of Occupational Stress and are passionate about working with you as part of your ongoing support team to address the root causes of Occupational Stress, manage the impact of it’s symptoms in your life, and support you in continuing to do your work with a sense of purpose and passion in a way that promotes balance in your life outside of work as well. Contact us today to get connected with a therapist that can help you address the occupational stress you experience in your life.