Sexual Abuse Counselling in Vancouver
Many people seek counselling for sexual abuse many years after the abuse has taken place when they encounter triggers in their life that remind them of their sexual abuse.
Sexual abuse triggers include:
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Having a child and feeling fearful and overprotective and fearful they will also experience abuse despite taking necessary steps to ensure their safety
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Having difficulty with intimacy and trust in intimate relationships
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Avoiding intimate relationships despite a desire for connection and companionship
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Having poor boundaries, sharing too much with people, and finding yourself easily hurt by those you are in a relationship with.
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Feeling as if your “picker”-your ability to choose good relationships- is off as you seem to have difficulty seeing red flags in relationships until after the relationship is over
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Being triggered by friends’ or clients’ (if you are in the helping field) stories of sexual abuse and having increased nightmares and flashbacks as sa result
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Experiencing ongoing nightmares and flashbacks despite the abuse happening many years ago
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Avoiding any media content that contains themes of abuse
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Feeling unnecessary guilt and/or shame about what happened, not speaking up or not saying no, and not escaping despite you being a child or adolescent, or not giving consent
Sexual Abuse Counselling in Vancouver
How Can I Heal from Sexual Abuse?
Sexual abuse is something that happened to you, but does not define you or your worth as a person. It is important to remember that you did not do that abuse, the perpetrator is the one who should bear the guilt and shame. Sharing openly with others, starting with a counsellor, can alleviate the guilt and shame you may feel.
Through the trauma therapy for sexual abuse our therapists can help you heal the impact on your well-being and self worth. You can let go of the weight you have carrying that is not yours to carry any longer.
EMDR therapy can heal sexual abuse. After EMDR therapy memories start to feel as if they happened in the past. EMDR therapy helps to clear out and heal body based trauma responses so you can feel more at peace and less triggered by past sexual abuse reminders.
There is no trauma too complicated that we cannot work together towards healing. It can be difficult to share your story or acknowledge the impact of what happened to you, but doing so will help release the burden that you have been carrying for many years that tells you that somehow it was your fault or that you are burdened with the weight of this experience forever.
How We Can Help You Heal
We offer in-person counselling in Vancouver and virtual counselling with counsellors who are trained in sexual abuse counselling. Our counsellors draw on EMDR, Narrative Therapy, Feminist Therapy and DBT to help find lasting emotional healing for sexual abuse.
Contact us today to connect with one of our counsellors for a free consultation session!
