Counselling and Mental Health Service

One-off workshop

Practitioner referral only

This workshop is psychoeducational, not therapy.

Aims and Objectives:

• To consider definitions of trauma and symptomology

• Give you an opportunity to understand what can happen to our brains and our autonomic nervous systems during and after traumatic events

• Use concepts from Polyvagal Theory to understand our lived experience and identify some strategies to cope day to day

• Provide information about where and how to access therapy for trauma

Suitable for anyone experiencing symptoms of PTSD or complex trauma (CPTSD).

Not suitable for anyone who is currently at significant risk of ongoing trauma events and or is finding it hard to keep themselves safe.

Trauma can occur when an event or series of events are experienced as highly threatening and involve feelings of fear and/or helplessness. These can be singular events or more enduring. This workshop is suitable for you if you are experiencing some or all of the below following trauma:

• Constantly thinking about and or images of the event/s coming into your mind

• Flashbacks / re-experiencing whereby you feel you are back in the trauma event

• Difficulty sleeping and or nightmares

• Problems in affect regulation such as marked irritability or anger, feeling emotionally numb

• Hypervigilance being on high alert

• Feeling numb and or detached from yourself and or your surroundings

• Avoiding situations that remind you of the event

• Denial that the event happened

• Beliefs about oneself as diminished, defeated or worthless, accompanied by feelings of shame, guilt or failure related to the traumatic event/s

• Difficulties in sustaining relationships and in feeling close to others

Below are some examples of traumatic events:

• Being involved in an accident

• Being raped or sexually assaulted or victim of another crime

• Being physically and or emotionally abused / neglected

• Domestic abuse (to self or witnessing to others)

• Being harassed or bullied - including racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, and other types of abuse targeting your identity

• War and conflict

• Terrorist attacks

• Surviving a natural disaster, such as flooding, earthquakes or pandemics

• Losing someone in particularly upsetting circumstances

• Being sectioned or getting treatment in a mental health ward

• Being diagnosed with a life-threatening / serious health condition