Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by emotions you cannot explain, or find yourself reacting to situations in ways you don't fully understand?
Perhaps something happened in your past that you have tried to put behind you, yet it continues to affect your confidence, relationships or sense of safety.
You might struggle to trust others, feel constantly on edge, or find that certain situations trigger anxiety, fear, shame or painful memories.
Sometimes, trauma doesn't appear as a clear memory. Instead, you may notice yourself becoming emotionally overwhelmed, withdrawing from people, feeling disconnected from your body or struggling with a persistent sense that something isn't right.
You don't have to tell your whole story before you're ready, and you don't have to face these difficulties alone.
At JP Counselling Group Practice, we offer compassionate, trauma-informed counselling for adults in Hull, Hedon and East Yorkshire, as well as online across the UK.
Our approach focuses on helping you feel heard, respected and supported as you explore the impact of difficult experiences at a pace that feels manageable for you.
What is Trauma?
Trauma can develop when an experience, or series of experiences, overwhelms your ability to cope and leaves a lasting impact on how you feel, think or respond to the world.
For some people, trauma follows a single event, such as an accident, assault or sudden loss.
For others, it may be connected to repeated experiences, including childhood neglect, emotional or physical abuse, difficult relationships or prolonged exposure to stress and fear.
Two people can experience similar events and respond very differently.
Trauma is not simply about what happened to you, its what happens inside of you because of the trauma. It is also about how those experiences have affected your sense of safety, your relationships and the way you experience yourself.
You may have spent years trying to manage these effects without fully recognising their connection to earlier experiences.
Counselling can offer an opportunity to begin understanding those connections.
The effects of trauma are not always obvious. You may have learned to function, work, care for others and carry on with daily life while struggling internally.
You might recognise some of the following experiences:
Feeling constantly on alert: Finding it difficult to relax, scanning for danger or expecting something bad to happen.
Anxiety and panic: Experiencing sudden fear, racing thoughts or physical sensations that feel difficult to manage.
Flashbacks or intrusive memories: Having distressing memories, images or sensations that seem to appear unexpectedly.
Emotional numbness: Feeling disconnected, empty or unable to access emotions.
Difficulty trusting others: Struggling to feel safe in relationships or worrying about rejection, abandonment or betrayal.
People-pleasing and difficulty setting boundaries: Putting other people's needs first or finding it difficult to say no.
Shame and self-criticism: Blaming yourself for past experiences or feeling that you are somehow responsible for what happened.
Sleep difficulties and nightmares: Struggling to settle, experiencing disturbed sleep or waking feeling anxious.
Avoidance: Staying away from people, places, conversations or situations that bring up difficult feelings.
Feeling disconnected from yourself: Experiencing a sense of detachment from your emotions, body or surroundings.
These experiences can have several possible causes and do not automatically mean you have PTSD..
When we experience danger or overwhelming stress, our nervous system responds automatically to help protect us.
You may have heard of the fight, flight or freeze responses. Some people also describe a tendency to appease others as a fawn response.
These are ways of understanding how people may respond to perceived threat.
Sometimes, even when a difficult experience is over, your body and mind may continue to react as though danger is present.
For example, you might feel your heart racing during an argument, become overwhelmed when someone raises their voice, or withdraw emotionally when you feel criticised.
Understanding these responses can help you develop greater awareness of what happens when you feel threatened or unsafe.
Counselling may help you recognise these patterns, explore what they mean for you and develop ways to feel more grounded.
At JP Counselling, we understand that talking about painful experiences can feel vulnerable or frightening.
Our aim is not to push you into revisiting memories before you feel ready.
Instead, we work collaboratively to understand how your experiences may be affecting your life today.
Trauma-informed counselling may help you to:
Develop a Greater Sense of Safety
Explore what helps you feel emotionally and physically safe, both within counselling and in everyday life.
Understand Emotional Triggers
Recognise situations, feelings and relationship patterns that may activate fear, anxiety or other difficult responses.
Manage Overwhelming Emotions
Develop grounding and emotional regulation strategies to support you when feelings become difficult to manage.
Reduce Shame and Self-Blame
Explore painful beliefs about yourself and begin developing a more compassionate understanding of your experiences.
Reconnect With Your Needs and Boundaries
Recognise your own feelings, needs and limits, particularly if past experiences have made it difficult to express them.
Strengthen Relationships
Explore how earlier experiences may influence trust, closeness, communication and your relationships with others.
Make Sense of Your Experiences
When appropriate, and at a pace agreed together, explore difficult memories and their emotional impact.
Healing does not mean forgetting what happened. It can involve finding ways for past experiences to have less control over your present life.
Our counsellors work from a person-centred, integrative and trauma-informed perspective, according to their individual qualifications and experience.
We believe the therapeutic relationship is central to meaningful counselling.
Feeling accepted, listened to and respected can help create the conditions in which difficult experiences may be explored.
Depending on your needs and the counsellor's training, our work may include:
Person-centred counselling: Providing an empathic, non-judgemental relationship where you can explore your experiences and feelings.
Experiential work: Helping you notice and understand emotions, personal meanings and internal responses.
Somatic awareness and grounding: Exploring how emotions are experienced in your body and using appropriate techniques to support present-moment awareness and regulation.
Compassion-focused approaches: Supporting you to develop a less critical and more compassionate relationship with yourself.
Psychoeducation: Helping you understand common trauma responses and how prolonged stress can affect emotional and physical wellbeing.
We recognise that each person's experience of trauma is different. There is no single approach that works for everyone.
Some people who have experienced trauma develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex PTSD.
These conditions can involve intrusive memories, avoidance, a persistent sense of threat and, in complex PTSD, additional difficulties with emotional regulation, self-worth and relationships.
If you are experiencing symptoms of PTSD, it is important to consider an appropriate clinical assessment.
NICE recommends specific trauma-focused treatments for PTSD, including trauma-focused CBT and EMDR, delivered by appropriately trained practitioners.
We can discuss your circumstances and whether the counselling we offer is suitable for your needs or whether a specialist trauma service would be more appropriate.
Beginning trauma counselling can feel daunting, particularly if you have found it difficult to trust others or talk about your experiences.
Our first session is an opportunity for us to get to know you and understand what has brought you to counselling.
We will discuss:
What you are currently experiencing and how it affects your everyday life.
What you would like help with.
Your hopes, concerns and expectations about counselling.
Confidentiality, safeguarding and how sessions work.
Whether our approach is appropriate for your circumstances.
You will not be expected to describe traumatic experiences in detail during your first session.
We can begin by focusing on what you need to feel comfortable, understood and supported.
Perhaps you've spent a long time minimising what happened, blaming yourself or believing that you should have moved on by now.
You may find it difficult to explain your feelings or worry that other people won't understand.
At JP Counselling Group Practice, we aim to offer a compassionate, respectful space where your experiences are taken seriously.
You do not have to have everything figured out before reaching out.
You can begin wherever you are.
Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail?
No. You have choices about what you share and when. Your counsellor will work with you to explore what feels manageable and clinically appropriate.
Can counselling help with childhood trauma?
Trauma-informed counselling may help you explore how earlier experiences affect your emotions, beliefs, boundaries and relationships. The suitability of the approach will depend on your particular needs and symptoms.
What if I find it difficult to trust a counsellor?
This is something we can explore together. Building trust can take time, and there is no expectation that you will immediately feel comfortable sharing personal experiences.
How long does trauma counselling take?
There is no fixed number of sessions. The length of counselling depends on your needs, the difficulties you are experiencing and the type of therapeutic work required.
Are counselling sessions confidential?
Your privacy is important. Your counsellor will explain confidentiality and its limits, including relevant safeguarding and legal responsibilities, before counselling begins.
Can I have trauma counselling online?
Yes. We offer online counselling across the UK where this is suitable for your needs, as well as face-to-face appointments in Hull and Hedon.
Difficult experiences can continue to affect your life long after they have happened.
You may have learned to survive by staying busy, keeping your feelings hidden or putting the needs of others before your own.
Counselling offers an opportunity to begin understanding these patterns and exploring different ways of relating to yourself and others.
At JP Counselling Group Practice, we work to provide a compassionate environment where you can explore your experiences without pressure or judgement.
Individual counselling from £60 per session.
Face-to-face appointments in Hull and Hedon, with online counselling available across the UK.
We offer a free 15-minute introductory conversation to discuss your needs, answer your questions and consider whether our counselling service is right for you.
Contact JP Counselling Group Practice to arrange your free introductory conversation.
Working Together – Changing Your Future.