What Is Trauma Therapy — and Why It Matters
What Is Trauma-Informed Practice?
Trauma-informed practice isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a comprehensive framework that understands, acknowledges, and responds to the impact of trauma on a person’s life. It moves the conversation from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
This shift is powerful. Many behaviors, emotional reactions, and coping patterns are not signs of pathology — they are adaptive responses to overwhelming or unsafe experiences.
Trauma Training Matters
Most graduate-level counselling programs provide foundational clinical training. However, specialized trauma training — and learning how to work with trauma safely and effectively — typically occurs after graduation through advanced education, trauma-specific modalities, and supervised clinical experience.
If you’re seeking trauma therapy, it’s important to ask your therapist about their training.
At Serene Woods Psychotherapy, all of our therapists are trauma-informed and trauma-trained. We recognize gaps in the healthcare system and are committed to supporting individuals with complex, layered experiences of trauma. We don’t just understand symptoms — we understand survival.
Trauma Is More Common Than Many People Realize
According to the Survey on Mental Health and Stressful Events (2024):
64.4% of adults in Canada have experienced at least one potentially psychologically traumatic event (PPTE)
Common experiences include transportation accidents, physical assault, and life-threatening illness
7.7% of Canadians report having been diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their lives
These numbers highlight how common trauma is — and how many people are carrying it quietly.
Types of Trauma
Trauma is not one-size-fits-all. It may include:
Single-incident trauma: sudden events such as accidents or assaults
Complex trauma: repeated or prolonged exposure to harm
Developmental trauma: early experiences of neglect or instability
Intergenerational trauma: trauma passed through family systems
Historical trauma: collective trauma experienced by marginalized or oppressed groups
Many people experience more than one type — and all are valid.
The Six Core Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed therapy is guided by six principles originally outlined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
Safety
Creating physical and emotional environments where people feel secure.Trustworthiness & Transparency
Clear communication, consistency, and honesty in the therapeutic relationship.Peer Support
Connection with others who understand trauma through lived experience.Collaboration & Mutuality
Shared decision-making and reduced power imbalances.Empowerment, Voice & Choice
Supporting autonomy, agency, and self-direction.Cultural, Historical & Gender Responsiveness
Honouring identity, context, and systemic influences on trauma and healing.
Many clinicians also incorporate the 6 R’s of trauma-informed practice: Realize, Recognize, Respond, Resist re-traumatization, Repair, and build Resilience. Check out Healing Families, Helping Systems: A Trauma-Informed Practice Guide for Working with Children, Youth and Families (2017).
Why Trauma-Informed Therapy Matters
Trauma-informed therapy improves engagement, reduces re-traumatization, and creates the conditions needed for deeper healing. Most importantly, it helps people feel seen, believed, and respected.
Many trauma survivors fear that their story is “too much.” Trauma-informed therapists are trained to hold that weight with steadiness, compassion, and care.
How We Practice It
At Serene Woods Psychotherapy, trauma-informed care is not a checklist — it’s our foundation.
We don’t believe in cookie-cutter therapy. We offer a space where you’re invited to slow down, feel grounded, and speak freely. You won’t be rushed or forced into a formula. You’ll be met where you are.
Our hope is to walk alongside you through healing, growth, and even generational change — because healing doesn’t just transform individuals. It reshapes families and futures.
Let’s Stop the Cycle—Together
Trauma may shape us, but it does not define us.
And healing, when held in the right hands, can last a lifetime.
Free consultations are available to help you begin.
