Therapy for complex PTSD and childhood trauma in Market Harborough
Not all trauma comes from one event. If you grew up with abuse, neglect, bullying or a home that never felt safe, the effects can follow you into adult life in ways that are hard to name. You might feel constantly on guard, struggle to trust people, criticise yourself harshly, or swing between feeling too much and feeling nothing at all.
These are not character flaws. They are ways you learned to survive, and they can change.
Signs you may be living with complex trauma
- Anxiety that never quite settles, or sudden panic
- Shame, self-blame and a harsh inner critic
- Difficulty trusting others, or repeating painful relationship patterns
- Anger that feels bigger than the moment
- Numbing with alcohol, drugs, work or other habits
- Flashbacks, nightmares or feeling suddenly small and powerless
- Feeling disconnected from yourself or the people around you
A careful, phased approach
With complex trauma, going too fast can do more harm than good. I follow the UK Psychological Trauma Society guidelines for complex PTSD and Dr Judith Herman's three-phase model of recovery:
- Safety and stabilisation: building ways to manage overwhelming feelings, sleep and day-to-day life.
- Processing: gently working with painful memories, only when you have the resources to do so.
- Reconnection: rebuilding your sense of self, your relationships and your future.
You set the pace. Nothing happens without your agreement.
Approaches I use
I am a pluralistic therapist, which means I fit the approach to you rather than the other way round. This may include IFS-informed parts work, which treats your protective reactions with understanding rather than as problems to fix. It may also include trauma-focused CBT, psychodynamic work exploring how early experiences shape the present, the Rewind Technique, or hypnotherapy for symptoms such as nightmares.
About me
I am an accredited member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society and have been a member of the UK Psychological Trauma Society since 2022. My training includes certificates in trauma and PTSD and in complex PTSD, along with IFS-informed practice. I also bring 40 years' experience as a Senior Police Officer and Registered Nurse, and my own lived experience of recovery.
