Trauma Counselling Calgary

Even if you’ve accumulated a house full of nice things and the picture of your life fits inside a beautiful frame, if you have experienced trauma but haven’t excavated it, the wounded parts of you will affect everything you’ve managed to build. ~Bruce D. Perry

Seeking trauma therapy with Shelly Qualtieri & Associates in Calgary is your first step in treating trauma. As individuals, whether adults or children, who have experienced trauma, emotional stress, ptsd trauma, sexual assault, or childhood trauma, we have helped many clients with traumatic experiences.

With a specialized, trauma-focused approach led by skilled psychologists and counsellors, we offer tools and coping strategies tailored to your unique needs. We can address issues like PTSD through specialized training and trauma-focused counselling services to support your emotional and mental well-being.

Our team, with expertise in CBT, DBT, solution-focused therapy, attachment therapy, and EMDR therapy (a type of movement desensitization and reprocessing), will guide you through managing emotions, traumatic memories, and past experiences, fostering resilience, and empowering you to navigate life with greater emotional well-being.

Failing to address trauma and PTSD may have long-term impacts on anxiety, feeling stuck, and emotional and psychological health. Taking the proactive step of seeking trauma therapy in Calgary with our team of therapists will help build ways to cope, promote recovery, and lead to a more fulfilling life.

Reach out today for support.

Calgary Trauma Counsellors Ready for Hire

Marizabel Forno

• Credentials: Registered Psychologist

• Clientele:  Adults, couples, families, children 6+, teens

• Location: 3rd Floor, 4503 Brisebois Dr NW 3rd Floor, Calgary, AB T2L 2G3

• Virtual therapy?: Yes 

Laura Laidlaw

• Credentials: Clinical Counsellor

• Clientele:  Adults, youth 13+

• Location: 3rd Floor, 4503 Brisebois Dr NW 3rd Floor, Calgary, AB T2L 2G3

• Virtual therapy?: Yes

If you’ve experienced a traumatic event, you’re not alone.

If you've experienced a traumatic event, it's important to know that you are not alone. Many individuals have faced similar challenges and sought help to navigate the complexities of trauma.

Reaching out for support is a courageous step, showing your strength to address the impacts of your experience. Healing from trauma is a collaborative journey, and with the right support, you can move toward a renewed sense of well-being.

Here are some common types:

1. Physical Trauma: Resulting from accidents, injuries, or violence, physical trauma involves harm to the body, impacting both physical and emotional well-being.

2. Emotional or Psychological Trauma: Often stemming from distressing events, emotional trauma affects mental health, leading to symptoms like anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

3. Sexual Trauma: Involves non-consensual or abusive sexual experiences, leaving lasting emotional and psychological effects that can disrupt intimate relationships.

4. Childhood Trauma: Adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse, neglect, or witnessing domestic violence, can have long-lasting impacts on overall well-being.

5. Verbal or Psychological Abuse: Can deeply affect an individual's self-esteem and mental health through verbal assaults, emotional manipulation, or psychological abuse.

6. Neglect: The absence of essential care and emotional support during critical developmental stages can lead to neglect-based trauma, impacting cognitive and emotional development.

7. Medical Trauma: Resulting from serious illnesses, medical procedures, or life-altering diagnoses, medical trauma can trigger emotional distress and lasting psychological effects.

8. Natural Disasters: Trauma arising from natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, or wildfires causes both physical and psychological distress.

9. Community Violence: Exposure to violence within one's community, such as crime or civil unrest, can lead to community-based trauma and heightened anxiety.

10. Accidents or Near-Death Experiences: Trauma resulting from life-threatening events or accidents, causing psychological distress and potentially triggering symptoms like PTSD.

Understanding that there are diverse types of trauma is essential for effective therapeutic interventions. If you or someone you know is dealing with trauma, seeking professional support can be a crucial step toward recovery.

We would love for you to reach out today.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

When faced with fears about PTSD symptoms, it is important to address them with compassion and understanding. Individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder frequently experience symptoms that may be overpowering.

It is key to recognize that getting support from a therapist who specializes in PTSD can offer a safe and supportive environment to navigate these feelings and a path towards healthier emotional well-being.

Symptoms of PTSD:

• Recurring Memories: Vivid, distressing recollections of the traumatic event may intrude on daily thoughts.

• Nightmares: Disturbing dreams related to the trauma can disrupt sleep and contribute to heightened anxiety.

• Emotional Distress: Feelings of intense sadness, unexplained crying, heightened emotions, fear, or anger may arise when reminded of the traumatic experience.

• Avoidance: Individuals might steer clear of places, activities, or discussions that trigger traumatic memories.

• Anxiety: A heightened state of nervousness or unease, sudden overprotectiveness, impacting daily functioning and well-being.

• Hypervigilance: Constant alertness, often leading to difficulty concentrating or relaxing in various situations.

• Flashbacks: Experiencing the traumatic event as if it were happening again, often with accompanying physical reactions.

• Irritability: Increased sensitivity and a tendency to react with frustration or anger more easily.

• Social Withdrawal: Pulling away from relationships, relationship problems, or social activities due to feelings of isolation or fear.

• Negative Changes in Mood: Persistent feelings of guilt, shame, or a diminished interest in previously enjoyed activities

Not everyone will have the same signs and symptoms; some may have very few, and others may have a wide range that is varied and not all of the same level of intensity or severity.

Learn more about how our Calgary PTSD therapists can help.

Our approach to trauma therapy in Calgary

You are dealing with so much and holding everything together as best you can. Behind closed doors and closed eyes, you are struggling; you are hurting inside. And you can’t stop it, no matter what you’ve tried. Sometimes you feel exhausted, confused, angry, empty, or crazy.

In the midst of juggling life's demands, you may be suffering from your own inner struggles, feeling overwhelmed, confused, or emotionally drained. Our trauma-focused therapy in Calgary is a dedicated space where we prioritize your unique needs, ensuring a safe and collaborative environment.

Recognizing that distressing events impact everyone differently and can show up in many forms, our highly trained therapists use evidence-based practices tailored to your circumstances. From solution-focused therapy to CBT and talk therapy, we provide personalized tools and new skills to process, integrate, and reduce distressing symptoms. Emphasizing the importance of self-care, our Calgary approach equips you with practical tools to manage triggers, regulate emotions, and foster empowerment and self-compassion. With our compassionate PTSD therapists, our counselling services aim to guide you towards reclaiming strength and rediscovering joy and connection.

Book a free 30-minute consultation call.

Types of trauma treatment we offer

The effects of unresolved experiences can be devastating. It can affect our habits and outlook and take a toll on our family life and interpersonal relationships. It can trigger real physical pain and symptoms and, at stressful times, lead to self-destructive behaviours. ~ Peter A. Levine

Shelly Qualtieri & Associates will be your compassionate guide to PTSD treatment. Explore the benefits of seeking PTSD treatment with us. Our therapists dedicate themselves to support clients by providing ethical, supportive, and evidence-based care when working on past trauma. With a focus on creating a safe and collaborative environment, we offer bite-sized, practical tools and skills to empower you on your journey, which prioritizes your well-being.

CBT for PTSD: Unravelling the Power of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

Discover why CBT stands out as the best and most effective treatment for PTSD. Our skilled therapists utilize evidence-based CBT techniques to address the cognitive and emotional aspects of PTSD, foster resilience, and promote lasting healing.

Solution-Focused Therapy: Navigating Positive Change in PTSD

Delve into the positive impacts of solution-focused therapy on PTSD. Our therapists employ this goal-oriented approach, emphasizing your strengths and solutions rather than dwelling on problems. Experience a shift towards positivity, resilience, and empowerment as we guide you through solution-focused strategies for managing PTSD symptoms.

DBT and PTSD: Building Emotional Resilience

Explore the synergy between dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and PTSD. Our therapists incorporate DBT's skill-building approach and prolonged exposure therapy to enhance emotional regulation and promote well-being. Uncover the transformative benefits of DBT in navigating the challenges of PTSD.

Narrative Therapy Support: Rewriting Your PTSD Story

Embark on the journey of narrative therapy to reshape your PTSD narrative. We will guide you through reconstructing your story, fostering a sense of agency and empowerment.

With these evidence-based practices, we provide a therapeutic space where you can redefine your narrative, highlighting your strengths and resilience in the face of your PTSD challenges and struggles. We look forward to supporting you and your loved ones.

Who do we help?

Our treatment approach is inclusive, respectful, and empathic, tailored to your unique experiences. We welcome people from diverse origins, ethnicities, and identities.

We specialize in individualized counselling for people of all ages who have experienced traumatic events and may feel lost. This includes abuse, accidents, an unforeseen and distressing event, and violence. Our approach is personalized for your needs and helps you heal.

Childhood Emotional Neglect

Childhood emotional neglect constitutes a form of trauma where essential emotional needs go unaddressed, hindering emotional development. The absence of necessary emotional support during formative years can lead to challenges in the future with emotional regulation, depression, feeling stuck, and interpersonal relationships. Recognizing and addressing childhood emotional neglect with professional support is crucial for fostering emotional wellbeing. Improving low self-esteem and processing a distressing event such as sexual abuse will help build healthier, more fulfilling connections in adulthood.

Connect with a registered provisional psychologist to get started.

Adults with Childhood Trauma

The echoes of childhood abuse or trauma often reverberate into adulthood, influencing the ability to forge healthy relationships, cope with stress, have low self-esteem, and face challenges with mood regulation. Additionally, the physical manifestations of trauma may include heightened sensitivity to pain, gastrointestinal issues, compromised immune function, or chronic pain. Seeking professional support is instrumental in unravelling these complexities and addressing the physical toll of past traumas for a more balanced and fulfilling adult life.

Regardless of where you are in your healing process, our counselling services in Calgary, Alberta, are here to provide a compassionate and non-judgmental space for you to explore and find renewed hope and strength.

If you are seeking therapy, Learn more here.

FAQs about Calgary trauma counselling

Our Calgary trauma therapists will empower you on your mental health journey.

Our Calgary trauma therapists at Shelly Qualtieri & Associates are committed to empowering you on your mental health journey. As committed and skilled counsellors, we understand the difficulties, barriers, and anguish that can accompany recurring thoughts, depression anxiety, and other emotions. We are dedicated to creating a safe environment in which we can tailor individualized, evidence-based approaches to your specific needs. We recognize that trauma may have a significant influence on a person's life, and we approach each session with sensitivity, kindness, and understanding.

To address the complex nature of trauma, we use techniques and incorporate elements such as eye movement desensitization into the therapy process. Our goal is to create a collaborative and supportive environment in which you can examine and navigate the impact of trauma on your nervous system and mental and physical health. We aim to provide you with realistic and easily implemented techniques and tools that effectively integrate tangible coping mechanisms in healthy ways.

We prioritize you and work carefully to cultivate a therapeutic connection that fosters transparency and trust. Our goal is to help you towards healing, resilience, and a rekindled sense of well-being by addressing trauma within a compassionate and personalized framework. Contact us for a free 30-minute phone consultation.