Is this what you are going through?
Trauma is a specific kind of mental health issue. It can happen within seconds and to anyone. Situations such as a car accident, burglary, assault, adverse childhood experiences, domestic violence, or any other form of violence can leave a mark for many years and make you feel uneasy and not safe, even in your own home.
Because traumatic experiences are stored both in your mind and your nervous system, it can be very difficult just to get rid of them or forget about them.
Traumatic experiences can keep coming back to you in the form of:
Flashbacks
Depression
Constant alertness
Increased anxiety
Avoidance behaviours
Attention problems
Sleep
disturbances
Physical symptoms
(e.g., headaches, stomach issues)
If that is what you are experiencing, we want to tell you that you are not alone and you can overcome these issues and live a happy and stable life again. And that is what trauma therapy is for.
Discover trauma therapy and let the difficult past go!
We approach trauma therapy with utmost care and understanding of the sensitive nature of how you feel. While we can use more than one therapy approach to help you overcome trauma, a trauma-informed approach is our main one, primarily because it is particularly beneficial in one-on-one therapy.
We fully understand that various people react to traumatic experiences in different ways. With this approach, we can create a safe, supportive and empowering environment that acknowledges the impact of trauma on your mental and emotional well-being.
We will start by getting a deep and compassionate understanding of your experiences and then come up with a treatment plan. We will work together to develop such a plan that aligns with your needs and goals, to ensure the therapeutic process is effective and tailored to your situation.
A holistic approach to trauma therapy
Trauma is not only about physical or cognitive symptoms. It is about how you feel about those difficult experiences and whether they still adversely affect your life and functioning today. The trauma-informed approach is particularly beneficial here because it considers you as the whole person, not just your symptoms.
When working in a trauma-informed approach, we can work using different therapeutic modalities (e.g., CBT or narrative therapy) in order to address the three dimensions of trauma and their impact on your:
-
Physical
-
Emotional
-
And psychological state
Such a holistic approach produces better results and leads to long-lasting healing.
What can you expect from trauma therapy?
First of all, you can expect a safe and supportive environment where you are not judged or rushed but supported when it comes to navigating both the emotions and memories associated with your traumatic experiences.
Trauma therapy always proceeds at a pace that feels comfortable for you. First, we focus on understanding your circumstances and responses to trauma and empowering you to regain control over your life. We achieve that through various therapeutic techniques.
We will not only guide you in processing trauma, but we will also help you develop healthy coping mechanisms and actually heal from trauma (instead of just removing the symptoms). This way, you can achieve more resilience and stability in your life, ultimately leading to improved mental well-being.
Meet our experienced trauma therapists!
Mahnoor Shaikh
MS Clinical Psych., RP
Mahnoor is a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. She holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology with an experience of 8 years providing psychotherapy to her clients. Mahnoor uses a person-centred, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach in her therapy to help them overcome difficult past experiences.
Mahnoor is also certified in the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and applies techniques from Narrative Therapy, Psychoanalysis, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and more in order to achieve the best results. She always strives to create a warm, empathetic, non-judgmental space for her clients to foster growth and independence.
Waleed Riaz
HBSc, MACP, RP
Waleed is a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and a Registered Psychotherapist with the CRPO.
He is experienced in providing mental health support to residential, outpatient, and inpatient clients. His broad base of training and experience working with various types of mental health issues (including trauma) enables him to cater to your needs empathetically and sensitively.​ Waleed primarily works within the trauma-focused CBT framework, with the ability to integrate mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT), as needed to cultivate positive outcomes from psychotherapy.
Book trauma therapy in Mississauga
(or across Ontario)
If you are ready to take the next step and let the traumatic experiences go, we are here for you! At Aks Counselling and Psychotherapy, we offer both online (available to everyone living in Ontario) and in-person (our office is located in Mississauga, at 28 Village Centre Pl, Suite 306) therapy services.
We understand that you may have some questions about trauma therapy before you start it. That is why we offer a free and non-committal 15-minute phone consultation during which you will find out more about us and our approach and will get to ask your therapy-related questions. You have two options:
Book a free initial consultation through our JaneApp account (below) or using our contact form: