Trauma informed therapy, a compassionate approach in counselling and psychotherapy that recognises how trauma affects the brain, body, emotions, and relationships. Rather than focusing solely on symptoms or diagnoses, it places understanding, safety, and empowerment at the centre of the therapeutic process.
Instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?”, trauma informed therapy at Thinkshift asks:
“What happened to you—and how has it shaped your responses?”
This shift in perspective can be profoundly validating for people whose difficulties are rooted in past experiences of trauma.
What does “trauma informed therapy” mean?
Being trauma informed does not mean that therapy must focus on revisiting traumatic memories. Rather, it means that the therapist works with an awareness that trauma may be present—and adjusts the way therapy is delivered to reduce the risk of re-traumatisation.
Trauma can result from many experiences, including childhood neglect or abuse, family violence, accidents, medical procedures, natural disasters, or ongoing stress within unsafe environments. These experiences can leave lasting imprints on the nervous system, shaping how a person responds to stress, relationships, and emotions.
A trauma informed approach recognises that many coping behaviours—such as avoidance, emotional numbing, hypervigilance, or people-pleasing—are not signs of weakness, but intelligent survival strategies that once served an important purpose.
Core principles of trauma informed therapy
Most trauma informed frameworks are built around several key principles:
Safety
Emotional, psychological, and physical safety are prioritised. Therapy proceeds at a pace that feels manageable, with clear boundaries and predictable structure.
Trust and transparency
The therapist explains what they are doing and why, ensuring there are no surprises. Consistency and honesty help build trust over time.
Choice and autonomy
Clients remain in control of what they share and when. Consent is ongoing, and clients are free to pause, redirect, or decline any part of the process.
Collaboration
Therapy is a partnership. Rather than being treated as a passive recipient, the client is viewed as an active participant and expert in their own lived experience.
Empowerment
The focus is on strengths, resilience, and capacity for healing. Symptoms are understood as adaptations to trauma, not personal flaws.
What trauma informed therapy looks like in practice
In practical terms, a trauma-informed therapist may:
- Avoid pushing for detailed trauma disclosure
- Monitor signs of overwhelm, dissociation, or shutdown
- Prioritise grounding, stabilisation, and nervous system regulation
- Adjust techniques if the client becomes distressed
- Work gently with emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations
- Respect cultural, social, and identity contexts
Importantly, trauma informed therapy often focuses first on helping clients feel safe and regulated in the present before exploring the past—if exploring the past is needed at all.
Trauma informed therapy vs trauma specific therapy
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Trauma informed therapy refers to how therapy is conducted. It is a guiding framework or lens that can be applied across many therapeutic approaches, including CBT, psychodynamic therapy, humanistic therapy, and somatic therapies.
Trauma specific therapy, on the other hand, directly targets trauma memories and trauma-related symptoms. Examples include EMDR, Brainspotting, Havening, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.
A therapist may be trauma-informed without doing trauma-specific work—and in many cases, this is entirely appropriate depending on a person’s readiness and goals.
Who can benefit from trauma informed therapy?
Trauma informed therapy can be helpful for people who have experienced:
Childhood or developmental trauma- Abuse or neglect
- PTSD or complex PTSD
- Medical or birth trauma
- Accidents or sudden losses
- Intergenerational or systemic trauma
It is also valuable for people who find that traditional therapy feels overwhelming, who struggle to stay present during sessions, or who feel anxious about being pushed too quickly into painful material.
What trauma informed therapy is not
Trauma informed therapy is not about forcing disclosure, reliving traumatic events without preparation, or labelling survival behaviours as pathology. It rejects one-size-fits-all approaches and respects that healing unfolds differently for each person.
At its heart, trauma-informed therapy creates the conditions for healing before attempting change. By prioritising safety, choice, and collaboration, it allows people to reconnect with their own capacity for resilience and growth—at a pace that feels right for them.
If you’re considering therapy and are unsure where to begin, a trauma-informed approach can offer a compassionate and respectful starting point.
Contact us now, to see how we can help you to begin your journey.
