iMental Health Counselling Services

Trauma Counselling

Offering in-person trauma counselling in St. Albert, and online across Alberta.

How We Can Help With Trauma

What is Trauma Counselling?

Trauma as described by Gabor Mate, is “a lasting rupture or split within the self due to difficult or hurtful events (Mate, 2022, p.21). It is not what happens to you that is trauma, but what happens wiithin someone as they experience an event (Mate, 2022, p.21).

Trauma can be an event such as witnessing or being part of a situation that caused your brain to go into high alert and trigger your nervous system to go into survival mode. It can also be growing up in an environment with parents who never gave you the love and affection that you needed.

It is not what happens to you that is trauma, but what happens wiithin someone as they experience an event.

–Gabor Mate

iMental Health Counselling Services

Why consider Trauma counselling services?

With the ongoing distractors in our world, it makes it easy to disconnect from ourselves and move towards things that give us immediate gratification, but theres a sense where we come back to ourselves and react with anger to others, or experience ongoing rejection.

Trauma reactions may show up in our reactions to our partners, or our children. It may cause us to turn inward at ourselves and experience self hate; while also causing us to people please in order to not be rejected.

Our response to traumatic situations is our means of survival as humans, but there’s a time where those strategies for coping do not serve us or the people around us.

How do I know its not Trauma?

It does not diminish your capacity to think, feel, trust or assert your self, to experience suffering without moving to despair or witnessing it with compassion.
You are able to hold onto your pain, sorrow, or fear without being overwhelmed or without having to escape into work, compulsive self soothing or self stimulating by whatever means.
You are not compelled to aggrandize or efface your self for the sake of gaining acceptance, or to justify your existence
You are able to experience gratitude for the beauty and wonder of life (Mate, 2022, pg. 25)
There are other things that may be causing you anger

How do I know I have experienced Trauma?

If you have experienced any of these factors mentioned, you may have experienced trauma.

We want to first create safety and resources in preparation for therapy, meaning that we want to make sure you are not retraumatized by opening up all of the boxes.
We want to give you tools to help settle and ground your nervous system so that we can work through issues and reduce your level of distress when those memories come up.
You may find that you are less triggered and memories do not illicit the same emotional response for you.
You are able to come up with strategies to calm your self down.

iMental Health Counselling Services

Why work with a local St. Albert/Edmonton Trauma Counsellor?

Work with a local therapist who is trained to work with trauma. It can be helpful to work with someone who is familiar with how to go about approaching trauma. We work at a pace that is right for you to ensure you are prepared emotionally with tools to settle and ground your self as we then move to more of the processing work when you are ready.

It is helpful to work with someone where you feel comfortable and a local person can be helpful for familiarity with culture of the city, closeness, and comfortability. One of the most important aspects of working with us is that we want you to feel safe enough emotionally that when we delve into deeper issues, you have the tools to manage these emotions that come up.

About Us

Why Work With
iMental Health Counselling

Life can throw all kinds of challenges your way.

In a world where everyone appears to have it all together, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind or not living up to your potential. You may be struggling with anger, resentment, or feeling triggered for unknown reasons. These feelings can often lead to masking your pain through distractions online, self-isolation or even bring you to the edge of addiction.

At iMental Health Counselling, we believe that everyone has a story that shapes how they see the world, themselves, and their future. With the right support, we can help you break free from limiting beliefs and patterns that no longer serve you while we help you understand what you need to start living better.

With over 9 years of combined experience, we’ve created a comfortable and approachable space where you can begin your journey toward healing, clarity, and peace.

When you’re ready to take the next step, we offer a free consultation. Let us help you find a way through with more ease.

At iMental Health Counselling Services, your needs come first. We are committed to:

Trauma Therapists in St.Albert

Meet Our Trauma Counsellors