Our experienced counselors guide women through trauma recovery, using evidence-based therapies that promote healing and resilience.
How trauma can affect women
Trauma can follow a single frightening event or long periods of harm, loss or fear. Its effects are different for everyone and may appear long afterwards. Women may experience:
- Intrusive memories, nightmares or flashbacks
- Avoiding people, places or conversations that bring back memories
- Feeling constantly alert, jumpy or unable to relax
- Numbness, guilt, shame or difficulty trusting others
- Using substances to cope with overwhelming feelings
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one possible outcome. Only a qualified professional can make a diagnosis.
A trauma-informed approach
TNI describes its care as trauma-informed. That means:
- Safety first: a calm, women-only environment and a trusting relationship with the counsellor
- Choice: a woman decides what she is ready to talk about, and when
- Pacing: difficult material is approached gradually
- Strengths: building coping skills and resilience alongside processing the past
Trauma and addiction
For many women, substance use began as a way to manage the effects of trauma. Treating both together — through counselling, addiction treatment and relapse prevention — helps address the underlying causes as well as the symptoms.