EMDR therapy and counselling for trauma and PTSD
Perhaps your life changed in an instant through a car accident, an assault or the loss of someone you loved. Or maybe it wasn't one traumatic event, but years of difficult experiences that left you always bracing for the next blow, questioning your worth or believing you're not good enough.
Traumatic or deeply stressful events can leave you feeling chronically unsafe, overwhelmed, and disconnected from yourself and others.
The past is kept alive through nightmares and flashbacks. You might notice increasing levels of hypervigilance, always scanning for threat, or you find yourself feeling paranoid or suspicious of people and situations that used to feel safe. Everyday life is full of triggers and these become so frequent and unbearable that a life of avoidance starts to feel inevitable.
Depression takes hold and simple tasks feel heavier than they should. Thoughts and emotions become chaotic and unpredictable, relationships start to suffer and you may feel like you're losing touch with who you are.
Life can be lonely and isolating when you are alone with your experience of trauma. But you don't have to work through it on your own.
My name's Janine and I'm passionate about helping people heal from the lasting effects of trauma. For many people, this can include symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression. I offer trauma-focused counselling and EMDR therapy to help you process what has happened, reduce the emotional impact of traumatic memories and develop a greater sense of safety in the present.
It might feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. But there is light, and I can help you find it.
Trauma isn't just something you remember. It can affect your nervous system, leaving you reacting to everyday situations as though danger is still present. A particular tone of voice, crowded room, unexpected change or relationship difficulty can trigger a powerful reaction before you've had time to think. You might find yourself wondering:
'Why can't I just get over it?'
'Why am I still reacting like this?'
'Why can't I stop feeling anxious when I know I'm safe?'
There is nothing wrong with you for responding this way. Something happened, or perhaps many things happened and your nervous system learned that the world wasn't safe. Now you're living with the consequences, even though the danger has passed.
You don't need to simply learn to live with it. Therapy can help you understand these reactions, challenge learned patterns of responding and create opportunities for new experiences that help you feel safer in the present.
EMDR is the primary way I help clients who are struggling with the effects of trauma. Unlike traditional talking therapy, you don't necessarily need to talk through every painful detail of what happened. EMDR helps your brain process traumatic memories so they become less distressing and no longer have the same hold over your life.
The aim isn't to erase your memories. It's to help you remember what happened without feeling as though it is still happening now.
As therapy progresses, you may begin to notice that triggers feel less powerful, your nervous system settles more quickly and you have greater freedom to respond rather than automatically react.
My belief in EMDR is both professional and personal. Following a significant life event, EMDR became part of my own healing journey and transformed the way I understood trauma and recovery.
That's why it's at the heart of my practice.
I don't just recommend EMDR because I'm trained in it, but because I've experienced how transformative it can be. I've seen how it can help clients move beyond survival mode and start living again. You can read more about my journey into counselling on my About Me page.
Read my Complete Guide to EMDR therapy to learn how it works, what to expect and how it can help you move forward.
It's an opportunity to understand what's happening, take back some control and begin healing before things become even harder.
You don't need to have everything figured out before you get in touch. If you're tired of feeling on edge, overwhelmed or haunted by the past, EMDR therapy and trauma-focused counselling can help you process what you've been through and develop a greater sense of safety.
If you're ready to move beyond the effects of trauma and start living life on your own terms, I'm here to help. Together we'll work to calm the chaos and rebuild your confidence, so you can feel more like yourself again.
Take the first step today. Get in touch to arrange your initial consultation and begin your journey towards healing.
You can choose to have your counselling via video or telephone. Online therapy sessions take place via Whereby; a straight forward, easy to access video call platform. I will send you a link to Whereby before your first therapy session.
Counselling over the phone or computer has all the benefits of home-based therapy, but you get to maintain the privacy of your home environment. There are no restrictions on location so you can take your therapy session anywhere that there is a reliable internet connection or phone reception. For confidentiality, you will need the use of a room or area where you will not be overheard or disturbed. Should the internet connection fail, we can move to phone-based applications such as Facetime or What’s App.
I offer face to face therapy from a comfortable ground-floor therapy room in North East Leeds, as well as online sessions using a platform designed specifically for remote EMDR.
Online therapy gives you the flexibility to access counselling from a location of your choice, while face-to-face sessions offer a private, welcoming space away from the demands of everyday life.
Online and telephone counselling is £45 per 50 minutes.
Home-based counselling is £45 per 50 minutes plus travel and mileage expenses, and I cover all Leeds postcodes.
If you want a one-off single therapy session, the cost is £55 for 1 hour. You can choose to have this session online, by telephone or at home. A home-based single session counselling is £55 plus travel and mileage.
