Trauma can often feel like it’s become a cornerstone of our lives, shaping our present into a world of hurtful memories. Your courage has carried you through these moments, and you deserve to live a life free of its pain. With counseling we can begin to build towards that life, together.
If the effects are connected with prolonged childhood or relational experiences, learn more about our Complex PTSD therapy in Vancouver.
Understanding Trauma Counselling
Understanding your trauma is an incredible undertaking. Drawing the connection between one’s traumatic history and current circumstances, or even acknowledging that the trauma is there in the first place, is a feat of courage that deserves recognition.
Trauma, as both a mental and physiological experience, manifests differently for each of us. It similarly has no one source of origin, meaning the personal nature of our traumas will significantly dictate our relationship to it. Some of the reasons people seek out trauma therapy can include emotional, sexual, or physical abuse, or witnessing/experiencing a traumatic event. This list is naturally non-exhaustive, nor are these experiences mutually exclusive.
One commonality people often experience is the intrusion of traumatic memories in our day to day life. This can look like flashbacks to the event(s) in question, sleeping difficulties or nightmares, anxiety, depression, or isolating oneself in order to avoid memories or triggers. Trauma in many ways demands to be recognized. Addressing it, however, is much harder to do than we often appreciate. While necessary, confronting our past also means feeling our past, which can bring up a lot of emotions we would rather keep to the side. Yet even so, you deserve to live a life that is light, free from yesterday’s burden.
What Counselling in Vancouver and Online Can Offer
Counselling is an invitation. For trauma specifically it is an opportunity to bring your most painful moments to light, so that together we may understand its presence in a safe, compassionate environment. Through working together, you can begin to process these emotions, become patient with your pain, and find ways to cut through the noise and take back your enjoyment of life.
There are many complex dynamics at play when we begin to discuss trauma. Your unique personal experiences, cultural values and perspective each play a significant role in how trauma shows up in your day-to-day life. Counsellors aid in your healing journey by helping you make connections between these different elements of your psyche. Your work together will begin to dissect a dialogue between your conscious and unconscious, revealing how your trauma seeks to manifest in your present.
While this process may seem daunting and heavy, connecting with a counsellor is a way to ensure that you are not facing this alone. As a result of trauma therapy, clients often feel a reduction/elimination of triggers, reduced anger and frustration, more peace of mind, and improved connections with others. Working in person is lovely, and online counselling has high efficacy rates.
Nightingale Counselling’s Approach to Trauma Therapy
At Nightingale, our trauma-informed approach serves to care for the whole of you and your experiences, no matter how heavy they may be. We operate from the perspective that the triumphant undertaking of understanding trauma is a journey we are privileged to join. Our care thus reflects a compassionate, client-centered approach.
Trauma therapy, being a multifaceted topic in and of itself, can utilize many different theoretical models of counselling to best address your needs. Your counsellor will draw from one of the many approaches at their disposal, establishing a dynamic, personalized methodology of care.
One of the many ways your therapist may approach trauma therapy is through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Originally developed as a treatment for PTSD, EMDR is a method that seeks to reprocess traumatic memories in an effort to reduce the negative feelings that accompany it. In other words, it helps mitigate the mental and physiological distress that these traumatic memories can create. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is another methodological tool which focuses on the stories we tell ourselves about our own lives. This approach aims to reframe your perception on your story thus far, usually in order to bring compassion and empowerment to your personal narrative. Another technique that Nightingale Counsellors use for trauma therapy is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT highlights our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours and the interconnection between each of them. It allows for a deeper understanding of how we are thinking of our trauma, and seeks to reshape these thought processes into more helpful ones.
Your unique personal experiences, cultural values and perspective each play a significant role in how trauma shows up in your day-to-day life.
Counsellors aid in your healing journey by helping you make connections between these different elements of your psyche. Your work together will begin to dissect a dialogue between your conscious and unconscious, revealing how your trauma seeks to manifest in your present.
Meet the Trauma Therapists at our Vancouver Location and Online
Take a look at some of our different counselors below:
Melanie Fernandez, RCC
Melanie’s therapeutic approach rests on the theoretical foundation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She takes great care in creating a space that is safe, warm, and compassionate, and seeks to collaboratively nurture each obstacle you may face. Counselling with Melanie is an invitation to sit at the table as your whole, authentic self.
Check out Melanie’s full bio here.
Jane Rea, RCC
Jane’s approach is relational and trauma-informed, rooted in Emotion Focused Therapy and Attachment Theory. She believes healing begins in the safety of genuine connection—where all parts of you are welcome to be seen and heard. Her work with grief and loss honours the complexity of mourning, exploring how loss shapes identity, relationships, and meaning. Drawing from ACT, DBT, and feminist perspectives, Jane offers compassionate guidance that helps clients move through pain toward self-understanding and integration.
Check out Jane’s full bio here.
Faranak Ghorbami, RCC
As a counsellor, Faranak’s work is guided by her belief that healing is sought through connection with our inherent wisdom and intuition. Her trauma-informed approach utilizes modalities such as art therapy, attachment theory, and intersectional feminist theory. Through interweaving spiritual, physical, and mental aspects of wellbeing, sessions with Faranak become places of exceptional encouragement and warmth.C
Check out Faranak’s full bio here.
Why Choose Nightingale Counselling for Trauma Counselling
Nightingale Counselling and Research is committed to providing you the best possible therapeutic care. We set out to ensure this by providing a breadth of counselors from various backgrounds and specialities, adaptable scheduling, community centered care, and flexible intake approaches.
Ensuring the best client-counsellor match is integral to this goal. At Nightingale, we set out to achieve this through our Discovery Sessions. Most clients start here. It’s a short, no-cost session with our Senior Clinician & Client Coordinator that helps you get matched quickly with the right therapist. By offering a flexible match approach, it is our hope to pair you with the best possible counsellor for your healing journey, seamlessly. Alternatively, you are also welcome to book introductory sessions with specific counsellors if you have anyone in mind. Both of these intake paths are 20 minutes, entirely free, and require no further commitments should you not wish to book further.
What to Expect in your First Trauma Therapy Session
Whether this is your first or tenth time sitting down with a counsellor, we welcome you openly and warmly to show up as you are.
Your first 30 minute session is the time to explore what brings you to counselling at this moment. Discussing your therapeutic goals and focal points will help both you and the counsellor determine what needs you have, and who best can fulfill them. This is a great time to bring any questions you may have regarding counselling, exploring different approaches, or whatever is top of mind for you.
In your first 50 minute session, your counsellor will both help you to begin the process of talking about your experience, while simultaneously guiding the pace and managing the intensity of the conversation so that you can feel safe and comfortable.
Accessing Trauma Counselling
At Nightingale Counselling and Research, we seek to serve our local community and make our care as accessible as possible. While we operate primarily out of our Granville location, we also have additional service in our Squamish and North Vancouver offices. Online counselling sessions are also available for those who live farther away.
All of our counsellors provide online and in-person therapy options in order to best serve our community. We see clients seven days a week, with sessions usually ranging from 9am-7pm depending on the counsellor.
Our fees are set in accordance with recommendations by the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). Hourly sessions range from $175 — $240, with Sliding Scale options available to a limited number of clients. To learn more about our rates, click here. Our administrative team are able to direct bill for most insurance companies.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve been stronger than you should have to be; our ask is that you let us share this load with you. We would love to meet and discuss how best we can support you on your healing journey. If you would like to book a Discovery Session, click here.