Fiona Hewkin

Why Counselling?

Counselling is a chance for you to be truly heard. Whether you are here because something has come up for you recently, maybe depression symptoms and anxiety, feeling like you can't cope, or if you have problems that seem to go back to childhood, counselling can help.

About me

I work with all sorts of people from all kinds of backgrounds. I have a special interest in counselling for trauma or difficult childhood experiences. I have a personal understanding of how it feels to heal from that.

What is Trauma, and How Can Trauma-Focused Therapy Help?

Trauma can be a one-off event such as a car crash or assault, or trauma can result from a difficult or abusive childhood or relationship. Trauma can affect our mental, emotional, behavioural and spiritual well-being.

Adverse Childhood Experience

Known as ACEs, Adverse Childhood Experience is a way to talk about difficult childhoods that may have contained events which cause trauma.

This may include family violence, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, or neglect. A difficult childhood may involve a parent who is always busy or did not have time for you, a parent who was always critical, or indifferent.

Chronic childhood trauma is devastating

Trauma affects us, it's meant to. Our brains work very hard at keeping us safe.

The impact of chronic childhood trauma is devastating, and it can affect every aspect of our lives.

Chronic trauma changes how we relate to people. Trauma disconnects us from ourselves and from others.

We may end up in dangerous or abusive relationships as adults, or we can end up trying to numb the pain with drink, drugs, shopping, or sex.

Trauma makes us adapt to a life prepared for threats and danger

Emotional neglect in childhood, abuse, violent or abusive relationships, or any other kind of trauma impacts our ability to manage and regulate our emotions.

This is not because we are crazy or dysfunctional. It's because trauma makes us adapt to a life prepared for threat and danger, not joy and fun.

We are always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Counselling for trauma and Trauma Focused Therapy can help you to heal

Promoting a sense of safety is vital if the brain is going to switch out of fight-or-flight mode and learn to live without constantly looking for threats.

Getting support from a trauma-focused therapist can be so helpful to move out of fight or flight and into a calmer state. I know from my own experiences that it is possible to heal from trauma and thrive.

If you would like to explore any of these ideas, or think counselling for trauma would be helpful, please get in touch.

I am passionate about helping people to recover from adverse childhood experiences or any other kind of trauma.