Trauma Counselling And Trauma Debriefing

Throughout our lives, we are faced with challenges, many of which we are able to handle using our own learned coping skills.

Other times we may need the support of our friends and families. When we find that the support structures we normally rely on are not able to fully assist us through trying times, it is recommended to seek professional trauma counselling. Tears of sadness can be transformed to tears of relief and joy.

Trauma can be referred to as a big, often very painful and unexpected “shock to the system.”

How people respond to trauma varies from person to person and family to family. It is very important to be able to process the extreme emotions and thoughts as soon as possible after the traumatizing event. So often people will say they feel “okay” after a traumatic incident and then all of a sudden start having symptoms that can have a long-lasting and negative impact on their entire lives. Another factor in why professional trauma counselling can be helpful lies in the more objective role and training of the counsellor. People are not really able to process the full experience with people they know. Either we don’t want those who know us to see our vulnerability and the extent of our pain or we naturally try to “be strong” for our loved ones around us.

South Africa finds itself in a “continuous trauma context.” This means that people often suffer from repeated trauma more often than many other places in the world.

As a trained and experienced trauma counsellor in Pretoria who is also affiliated with two Employee Wellness Programs (EAP) in the South African context, I do trauma counselling for groups and individuals on a regular basis and would encourage any victim of trauma to seek help without hesitation.