Healing from Trauma, Anxiety, Depression & Grief
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My name is Jennifer Brum. I am a Master Therapeutic Counsellor, a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.
I specialize in helping individuals with trauma resolution, anxiety, depression, and grief.
Traumatic events can happen to anyone, at any age, at any time. Trauma is an extremely subjective experience and what may be highly traumatic for one person may not even phase another. Trauma may begin as acute stress from a perceived life-threat or as the end product of cumulative stress. Both types of stress can seriously impair a person’s ability to function with resilience and ease. The good news is, trauma symptoms are treatable.
Trauma may result from a wide variety of stressors such as accidents, invasive medical procedures, sexual or physical assault, emotional abuse, neglect, war, natural disasters, loss, birth trauma, or the corrosive stressors of ongoing fear and conflict. If you have experienced a traumatic event you may be struggling with symptoms such as: nightmares, intrusive thoughts or flashbacks; avoiding thoughts, feelings, people, and places associated with the trauma; persistent negative thoughts and moods; sleep disturbance; and an increase in irritability and anger. These are all normal responses to an abnormal event. Healing from these experiences is possible! Counselling can help reduce traumatic symptoms and restore balance to your life.
There are many different treatments for post-traumatic stress and it’s important to find the treatment that works best for you. My training includes a variety of different therapies and techniques which allows me to draw from different resources and customize a treatment plan for each unique client. I would be honoured to support you in gently navigating towards and through the trauma that’s been preventing you from living the full life that you deserve. When given the tools to manage your trauma symptoms you can live the life you choose, rather than living a life dictated by post traumatic stress.
If you are struggling with anxiety you are not alone! Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health illness in Canada. Symptoms may include: persistent fear, sometimes without any obvious cause, that is present every day; inability to concentrate; muscle tension and muscle aches; diarrhea; eating too little or too much; insomnia; irritability; and loss of sex drive.
There are techniques and tools available to help you plan for more healthy living including relaxation techniques, reframing situations, and setting goals. As your tolerance or capacity for anxiety grows, your ability to be with your stress and anxiety does as well. If anxiety is interfering with your regular schedule of work and social life you may benefit from counselling. Together we can explore techniques that will enable you to live a happier, healthier life.
When feelings of sadness last 2 weeks or longer, affect most areas of your life, and stop you from enjoying the things you normally like, you may be experiencing depression. Depression can originate from challenging or overwhelming events or it can just be a general feeling that you can’t seem to shake. Symptoms may include sadness, low self-esteem, hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, and fatigue. Together we will start the process of healing so you can take ownership over your life again.
Your past experiences have laid down beliefs at an emotional, usually pre-cognitive, level. These subconscious and unfelt experiences have kept you believing certain things about yourself, others, and the world in order to keep you safe, a completely natural phenomenon. You will be supported in sharing and exploring those beliefs and the feelings you harbour to enable you to live the full life you deserve. You will be encouraged to see things from other angles and feel empowered to make decisions that will allow you to meet your therapeutic goals.
The most common, and typically the most painful, feelings of grief are usually due to the loss of a loved one. Sometimes, however, other life events such as the end of a romantic relationship, the loss of a job, or a relocation to a new home can also lead to grief. Unfortunately, grief is inevitable for all of us at some stage or another.
There are different stages to grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Each person may experience the transition between these stages differently, skip a stage or return to previous stages. It’s not a steady graduation from one stage to another. Grief is unique to each of us and understanding the stages and being able to ride the ebb and flow of the waves of grief helps us cope.
Together we will explore emotions, discuss healthy coping skills, and implement tools to help you manage your grief. In time, you will learn to live with knowing the event happened and you are still ok. You don’t have to do this alone.
It is imperative to find a therapist that you feel comfortable with. Should you decide that we are a good fit, we will arrange our first visit during which I will invite you to tell me a little more about yourself and what has brought you to this decision of seeking counselling. We will then schedule a weekly visit and work together at a pace that feels right for you as we begin the path of your recovery.
Contact Jennifer Today to Schedule An Appointment
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