Trauma

Trauma

MORE ABOUT TRAUMA

Trauma

Care That Prioritizes Safety, Choice, and Respect for Your Lived Experience

Many people carry the effects of difficult or overwhelming experiences, even if they wouldn’t describe themselves as having “trauma.” These experiences can shape how safe you feel in your body, how you relate to others, and how you respond to stress or change.

Trauma-informed services recognize this reality. They are not about revisiting or treating trauma directly unless and until you choose to. Instead, they focus on creating care that feels safe, respectful, and empowering. A place where your experiences are understood in context, not pathologized.

At Four Wings Psychology, trauma-informed care is woven into all of our services, both in Nepean and virtually across Ontario. Our clinicians work with intention and care to ensure that therapy feels collaborative, paced, and responsive to your needs.

What Does “Trauma-Informed” Mean?

Trauma-informed care is grounded in the understanding that many people have experienced events or environments that impacted their sense of safety, trust, or control. Rather than asking “What’s wrong with you?” a trauma-informed approach asks “What might you have been through?”

Trauma-informed services emphasize:

  • Emotional and physical safety
  • Choice, consent, and collaboration
  • Respect for boundaries and autonomy
  • Predictability, transparency, and trust
  • Strengths, resilience, and coping

This approach does not require you to talk about trauma or focus on the past. It simply ensures that care is delivered in a way that reduces the risk of overwhelm or re-traumatization.

When Trauma-Informed Care Can Be Helpful

Trauma-informed services can be especially helpful if you:

  • Feel easily overwhelmed, anxious, or shut down
  • Struggle with trust, boundaries, or feeling safe with others
  • Experience strong emotional or physical reactions to stress
  • Have a history of difficult relationships, loss, or instability
  • Live with chronic stress, illness, or caregiving demands
  • Feel “on edge” or disconnected without knowing why
  • Want support that moves at your pace and respects your limits

You don’t need a diagnosis or a clear trauma history to benefit. Trauma-informed care meets you where you are.

What Trauma-Informed Care Looks Like at Four Wings

At Four Wings Psychology, trauma-informed principles guide how we work, not just what we work on. This means therapy is flexible, collaborative, and tuned into your nervous system and emotional capacity.

In trauma-informed services, you can expect:

  • Clear communication about what to expect in sessions
  • Space to pause, slow down, or change direction
  • Attention to emotional and physical comfort
  • Support for regulation and grounding when needed
  • Respect for your boundaries, preferences, and pace
  • A focus on present-day functioning, not forced disclosure

If and when deeper trauma processing becomes appropriate, this is discussed collaboratively with care, consent, and preparation.

Approaches Used Within Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma-informed services may include a range of evidence-based approaches, depending on your goals and readiness, such as:

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Attachment-informed and relational approaches
  • Mindfulness and emotion regulation strategies
  • Somatic awareness and grounding techniques
  • Strengths-based and values-oriented work

The focus is always on helping you feel supported, capable, and in control of your own process.

Why Choose Four Wings Psychology For Trauma-Informed Care?

Trauma-informed care at Four Wings reflects our values: genuineness, compassion, professionalism, and collaboration. Our clinicians are trained to recognize the impact of trauma and stress while offering care that feels human, respectful, and grounded.

Our services are:

  • Trauma-informed and person-centered
  • Evidence-based and ethically grounded
  • LGBTQ2S+ affirming and culturally responsive
  • Collaborative, never directive or rushed
  • Accessible, with in-person care in Nepean and virtual services across Ontario

You are the expert on your own experience. Our role is to support you in a way that feels safe and empowering.

Ready for Care That Respects Your Whole Experience?

You don’t need to relive the past to get thoughtful, supportive care. Trauma-informed services offer a way to move forward with clarity, stability, and self-trust at your own pace.

At Four Wings Psychology, we’re committed to providing care that honours your history, your boundaries, and your capacity for growth with compassion and respect at every step.

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