PTSD & Trauma Therapy Sydney
What is trauma therapy?
Trauma counselling refers to a specialty of psychology where a mental health professional provides counselling to help you deal with past trauma, events, abuse, and experiences. New Vision Psychology’s trauma therapy services are delivered by psychologists and counsellors who are experienced in treating trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our highly qualified practitioners have the relevant expertise, skills, and knowledge to provide professional trauma support.
Trauma therapy may involve individual, family, relationship, and/or group counselling – there are a variety of environments and psychological practices that are effective in managing and treating traumatic disorders.
The good news is… you’re not alone. While trauma and difficult experiences can have an enormous impact on your day-to-day life, mental health, and relationships, these issues can be treated with the help of effective, compassionate psychology services.
How New Vision Psychology can help
New Vision Psychology are Sydney’s leading providers of PTSD treatment and trauma counselling. With clinics across Sydney in Chatswood, Burwood, Castle Hill, Hurstville, and Sydney’s CBD, and a team of psychologists that provide trauma-informed counselling, we’re here to help you overcome your experiences and make meaningful changes in your life.
Trauma therapy is a general, broad term that covers many different experiences and concerns associated with trauma. PTSD counselling and trauma psychology also includes helping you to cope with grief and loss, and recovery from physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Traumatic events may include:
- Accidents (e.g. car accident)
- Complex grief
- Domestic violence
- Emotional and psychological abuse
- Home invasions
- Interpersonal violence
- Physical abuse
- Physical assaults
- Sexual assault and abuse (as a child, adolescent, or adult)
- Exposure to war or conflict
- Experiencing natural disasters
It is important to note that while some people can pinpoint an exact event or experience that has shaped their trauma, others may develop trauma-based symptoms and PTSD from less obvious experiences that may not fall under the above trauma exposure list. Both instances can be equally as devastating and difficult to overcome without the right support.
Our Session Fees
A standard session at New Vision Psychology is 50-minutes in duration.
Registered Psychologist
$146.65*
Registered Psychologist
$240*
Clinical Psychologist
$142.95*
Clinical Psychologist
$280*
Our PTSD & trauma counselling psychologists
New Vision Psychology have a team of psychologists with expertise in PTSD & trauma therapy in Sydney, across all five clinics in Chatswood, Hurstville, Burwood, Castle Hill and Sydney CBD. Browse the different profiles of each of our psychologists to find the team member that best fits your requirements and needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is trauma?
Trauma refers to the exposure to or experience of an incident that has been extremely frightening or distressing for a person. These traumatic events can have lasting impacts, affecting the person’s ability to cope or function normally. The reaction or way in which someone experiences trauma can vary enormously, and can be the result of an event like an accident, crime, natural disaster, or abuse.
Symptoms of trauma include:
- Severe anxiety and panic attacks
- Re-living the traumatic event through unwanted and recurring memories, vivid images, and nightmares
- Sustaining an overly alert or ‘wound up’ energy which results in sleeping difficulties, irritability, lack of concentration, and excessive wariness
- Avoiding reminders of the traumatic event, whether it be avoiding activities, places, people, thoughts, or feelings associated with the event
- Becoming and feeling emotionally numb; withdrawing, losing interest in day-to-day activities, detachment from friends and family
Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder are recognised as stress-related disorders that can be extremely difficult to manage without the help and support of a mental health professional.
What are the kinds of trauma that New Vision’s psychologists work with?
Our psychologists provide interventions for all kinds of trauma. There is no defining factor or framework that determines whether or not someone has experienced trauma and how they should cope with it. Trauma is an emotional response that can present in a wide range of symptoms and behaviours. The three main types of traumas are characterised as acute, chronic, and complex:
- Acute trauma refers to trauma that has resulted from a single incident
- Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged experienced trauma, such as abuse or domestic violence
- Complex trauma is exposure to a multitude and variety of traumatic events that are often of an invasive, interpersonal nature
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a stress-related disorder characterised by exposure to an event or environment that either physically harmed or threatened to harm someone. Where trauma is the emotional response to the event, PTSD is the mental health disorder that is associated with how someone experiences and reacts to the trauma. If trauma is unprocessed, undiagnosed, and untreated, it can progress into PTSD.
PTSD is often a long-term condition where the person will continue to have flashbacks and re-experiences of the traumatic event. The symptoms of PTSD will often manifest in:
- Vivid flashbacks
- Intrusive thoughts or images
- Nightmares
- Intense distress at reminders of trauma
- Physical symptoms such as pain, sweating, nausea, feeling faint
PTSD can feel extremely frightening, isolating, and hopeless. However, with effective treatment and the right support, it is possible to build healthy responses, and overcome the effects of PTSD.
How can counselling help with PTSD?
Counselling can be extremely beneficial in managing and treating PTSD. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), in particular, has been found to be the most effective treatment of PTSD in both short and long term.
Counselling will help the individual to understand their trauma, how they respond to their trauma, and how to change these responses in an effort to diminish their PTSD symptoms. Counselling will arm those with PTSD with the skills, knowledge, and abilities to cope with the fear, anxiety, and memories associated with their trauma.
How do I know if I need to seek support for trauma?
Trauma disorders are emotional responses to an event, and can vary enormously for each person. If you find yourself experiencing behavioural and physical symptoms of trauma, and believe that a traumatic event may be affecting your day-to-day life, then you should seek the support of a professional.
Is trauma counselling only for those with PTSD?
No – counselling is beneficial for anyone that has experienced some sort of trauma response, even if it is not characterised as PTSD. Trauma counselling can help to reduce anxiety, develop a clear mind, and make real-world changes to your life that will improve your mental health.
Won’t talking about traumatic events make me feel worse?
Not necessarily. For many, the thoughts, reactions, and responses to the traumatic event are what make PTSD and trauma-specific disorders hard to heal from. While denying or minimising the traumatic event is only natural, it does not allow you to get to the root cause and develop life-changing coping mechanisms.
How long will I need to go for?
This will vary depending on your specific concerns, progress made in sessions, and your goals. For some, PTSD counselling and trauma therapy can be extremely helpful early on, and they will begin to notice changes within themselves in the first few sessions. For others, it can take a longer period of time to understand their trauma, and the trauma responses they’re experiencing.
You may require weekly sessions at first, and then move towards fortnightly or monthly sessions. For those with severe cases of PTSD, they will often benefit the most from staying in contact with their psychologist over a long period of time, to ensure that they continue to receive ongoing support.