What it can look like
Trauma doesn't always look like flashbacks or nightmares, though it can. In men it often shows up as hypervigilance - always scanning a room, never quite relaxed - or as numbness, a flatness where feeling used to be. It can look like avoidance: certain places, conversations, films, anniversaries you steer around without quite admitting why.
It can follow one clear event, or it can build from something that went on for a long time - a difficult childhood, a violent relationship, years in a high-stakes job. Both are real. Neither needs a formal diagnosis before it's worth talking about.
When it's worth talking to someone
- Something keeps intruding - a memory, an image, a feeling - that you didn't choose to think about.
- You're avoiding places, people or situations connected to what happened.
- Your reactions to certain triggers feel bigger than the situation warrants, and you know it.
- You feel on edge more often than not, or you feel strangely little at all.
- It's affecting sleep, relationships, or your ability to be present with people you love.
What working with Chris looks like
I work integratively - person-centred as the foundation, with CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy where they're useful - at a pace you set. This isn't a fixed trauma protocol delivered on a schedule; it's a room where what happened can be spoken about honestly, as much or as little as you're ready for, without being pushed further than that.
If what you're carrying is severe or complex - and some trauma is - say so on the free call. Being honest about the shape of it means we can talk plainly about whether 1:1 counselling is the right starting point, or whether a specialist trauma service alongside or instead of counselling makes more sense.
Getting started
Book the free 15-minute call. You don't need to describe what happened in detail before you book - you don't even need to go into detail once we start, unless and until it's useful. No referral, no waiting list.
Questions worth asking.
Do I need a PTSD diagnosis before I can talk to someone about this?+
Do you use EMDR or other trauma-specific therapies?+
What if I don't want to talk about the details of what happened?+
Will this bring things up that make it worse before it gets better?+
What if it happened a long time ago - does that matter?+
No commitment. No form.
Book the free 15-min call.
A short conversation to see if this is the right fit for you. If it is, we book a session. If it isn’t, I’ll point you somewhere better.