Trauma Therapy,
A Compassionate Pathway To Healing
Addressing unresolved trauma, emotional overwhelm, and PTSD with care and clarity. Through trauma therapy, we create space for healing, resilience, and personal transformation. Together, we gently explore the wounds of trauma, emotional overwhelm, and CPTSD and PTSD with grounded care and clarity.
WHAT IS TRAUMA THERAPY
Trauma Therapy, A Gentle, Grounded Path to Healing
Trauma doesn’t just live in our memories; it lodges itself in the body, the breath, and the nervous system. It can quietly shape the way we feel, think, move, and relate to the world around us. Whether rooted in a single overwhelming event or the slow accumulation of distress over time, trauma often disrupts our sense of safety, leaving us feeling disconnected from ourselves and others.
Additionally, trauma can leave lasting imprints; emotional, physical, and psychological, that disrupt our sense of safety, connection, and self. Trauma therapy offers a compassionate and specialized space to begin making sense of what feels overwhelming or fragmented. Whether you’re navigating the impact of a single traumatic event or the complex layers of long-term adversity, this work supports you in reclaiming your voice, your story, and your strength.
How I Can Help
My approach to trauma therapy is deeply integrative. I draw from evidence-based frameworks such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), as well as somatic and mind-body practices that gently support nervous system regulation and emotional processing. Alongside these, I weave in creative and expressive tools, like journaling, therapeutic art, guided visualisations, and mindfulness-based exercises, to support clients in reconnecting with themselves in safe, empowering ways.
This work is not only about reliving the past; it’s about learning to live with more presence, agency, and self-trust. Trauma therapy becomes a collaborative journey that honours your pace, centres your voice, and nurtures resilience, meaning, and hope.
TECHNIQUES I USE
Offering The Right Tools To Trauma Therapy
As part of my trauma-informed work, I offer an integrative approach that combines evidence-based psychological therapies with creative and holistic practices. This allows for a deeply personalised and flexible healing journey that honours the complexity of trauma and the uniqueness of each individual.
Key techniques I draw upon in trauma therapy include:
Trauma-Informed Therapy
Recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and prioritizes emotional safety, trust, and empowerment in every session.
Attachment-Focused Therapy
Explores early relationship patterns and helps you form healthier emotional bonds by healing attachment wounds.
Somatic and Mind-Body Integration
Uses body awareness and regulation techniques to release trauma stored in the nervous system.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Helps you move through painful thoughts and emotions while committing to values-based, meaningful action.
Creative Therapy (art, drawing, therapy cards and board games, metaphors)
Engages your imagination to process emotions and trauma in expressive, non-verbal ways.
Emotion/ Body Code and TFT (Thought Field Therapy)
Uses energy-based techniques to identify and release trapped emotional patterns from the body.
Benefits Of Therapy For Trauma
Healing that meets you where you are; emotionally, physically, and geographically. Whether you choose to attend sessions in person or online, trauma therapy at my practice offers a compassionate, consistent space to process and heal at your own pace. Both options are designed to honour your comfort, your boundaries, and your unique way of engaging with support.
In-Person Trauma Therapy
Grounded connection in a safe, supportive environment.
For those who prefer in-person sessions, my peaceful counselling space in Jersey offers a calm, welcoming atmosphere, enhanced by the gentle presence (by request) of my therapy dog, Ember. Face-to-face work allows us to tune in to subtle, somatic cues and deepen the embodied aspects of trauma recovery. It also provides a dedicated sanctuary away from the distractions of daily life, where your healing can be fully prioritised.
Online Trauma Therapy
Healing from the safety of your own space.
Online trauma therapy provides the flexibility to receive support from the comfort of a familiar environment, especially helpful if travelling feels overwhelming or you’re in a particularly vulnerable emotional space. It removes logistical barriers while still offering depth, connection, and consistency. Whether you’re at home, abroad, or in a transitional phase of life, therapy is only a click away.
THERAPEUTIC PROCESS
My Process, From Discovery To Emotional Freedom
I know how much courage it takes to reach out for support, especially when you’re feeling vulnerable. That’s why I’ve designed the process of beginning therapy to feel as easy, gentle, and reassuring as possible. From the very first contact, my aim is to help you feel welcomed, heard, and cared for. In 4 easy steps, the process includes:
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You can book your initial consultation directly via the contact form. I respond personally within 24 - 48 hours and offer flexible evening and weekend availability to fit around your schedule. Alternatively, you can also book your session online at your convenience through my booking website.
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Our first session is a relaxed and informal conversation where we’ll explore what’s bringing you to therapy, your goals, and your story. It’s a chance for you to share what’s on your mind and for us to discuss how I can best support you. It’s also a space for you to ask any questions, get a feel for my approach, and decide if this is the right fit for you. After our session, you’ll receive a personalized document pack with all the information you need. It will include ways to set clear therapy goals, outline the process, and explain the legalities, professional boundaries, and other important details. The pack is designed to be a helpful resource, keeping all your materials and techniques organized in one place as you move forward in your therapy journey.
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When we decide to move forward together, we’ll agree on a 10-session minimum commitment, which can be either weekly or fortnightly, depending on what works best for you. The length of therapy can vary depending on the issues you wish to work through, but this structure gives us a solid foundation to start making meaningful progress. I’ll share a clear working agreement with you, outlining details like fees, confidentiality, and the cancellation policy, so you feel fully informed and supported from the very beginning. This ensures we’re both aligned in terms of expectations and commitments, helping you feel confident and at ease in our work together. You can choose between 50 and 90 minutes sessions.
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We begin your personalized therapy journey by weaving together evidence-based tools with creative and body-based practices like journaling, drawing, and mindfulness. I deeply believe in the power of creating a safe, nurturing space where you can truly feel seen, heard, and supported. It’s so important to me that you feel secure and respected here, as we work together to guide you from survival mode into a place of deeper connection, healing, and well-being. You are not alone in this journey, and I am here with you every step of the way.
AFTER TRAUMA THERAPY
How Healing Looks Like After Counselling
After completing trauma therapy with me, individuals often experience a renewed sense of clarity, emotional balance, and self-trust. Many report feeling more grounded in their bodies and better equipped to manage triggers, with an increased sense of confidence in their relationships and daily life. Therapy goes beyond symptom relief, fostering lasting resilience, deeper self-awareness, and a stronger connection to one’s authentic self. The tools and techniques we explore together, such as mindfulness, emotional regulation skills, and creative practices, help build a foundation for continued growth and healing, empowering you to navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and confidence.
MEET YOUR COUNSELLOR
Hi, I’m Alicja,
your Go-To Counsellor in Jersey
I’m someone who carries both fire and gentleness, with the heart of a healer and the mind of a strategist. I’ve walked through burnout, grief, major life changes - not untouched, but reshaped. These experiences didn’t break me; they clarified my purpose. They taught me how to hold space for pain, for hope, for truth, and for healing.
I’m trained in creative and integrative approaches, including CBT, DBT, ACT, somatic work, meditation, Thought Field Therapy, and energy-based practices like Emotion and Body Code. What this means is we don’t have to stay in one lane. We can draw from what works for you. Whether it’s grounding breathwork, therapy cards, nervous system regulation tools, or quiet reflection, each session is shaped around where you are and what you need.
I don’t believe in fixing people. I believe in walking alongside them - gently, honestly, with depth and care.
Creativity is woven through everything I do. It’s how I understand the world, and how I invite others to explore theirs. Therapy with me might include colour, metaphor, art, movement, or simply a different way of looking at something. You’ll also receive thoughtful tools, printouts, and practices to carry into your day-to-day - because healing doesn’t stop at the end of the session.
I’m a mother. I love all animals. A passionate advocate. A bit quirky. Deeply human. I believe in softness, structure, humour, and soul.
And I will always, always hold hope for you, especially when it feels hard to hold it for yourself.
Alicja Raffray,
Dip Couns, MBACP
Counsellor & Founder, Soul Healing Counselling
FAQs on
In-Person & Online
Trauma Therapy
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Yes, absolutely. Trauma therapy can be just as effective online as in person when the space is safe, consistent, and relational. Many clients find that being in their own familiar environment helps them feel more grounded and open. With a secure platform, a strong therapeutic relationship, and structured support, online sessions offer both depth and flexibility, allowing you to attend therapy even during busy times, from anywhere that feels safe to you. You are also welcome to choose in-person sessions in my quiet and nurturing counselling room in Jersey if you prefer face-to-face connection, or even alternate between formats to suit your needs.
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Trauma therapy is designed to help you safely process unresolved pain, reduce symptoms like anxiety, hypervigilance, dissociation, emotional numbing, or flashbacks, and gradually reconnect with your inner sense of safety and control.
Clients often report feeling:
More emotionally regulated and resilient
Less reactive to triggers
Clearer in relationships and boundaries
More connected to their body and inner wisdom
A growing sense of self-worth, peace, and clarity
This work is about moving from survival mode to grounded, intentional living. It’s not just about symptom relief—it’s about creating space for self-trust, freedom, and choice.
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Healing trauma is hard because trauma isn’t just a memory; it’s an experience stored in the body, nervous system, and emotional landscape. The mind may “know” you’re safe now, but the body can still respond as if danger is present. That’s why healing often requires more than talking; it requires regulation, safety, and time.
Protective patterns (like avoidance, overthinking, emotional detachment, or people-pleasing) form to help us survive. Therapy helps gently shift those patterns, not by forcing change, but by creating conditions where your system can safely unlearn and rewire. The process can be tender, but with consistent support, it becomes possible and deeply transformative.
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Trauma is often stored in the nervous system and body tissues, particularly when overwhelming experiences weren’t processed or supported at the time. This can manifest as:
Chronic tension, pain, or fatigue
Digestive issues
Shallow breathing or tight chest
Hyperarousal (e.g., anxiety, restlessness) or hypoarousal (e.g., numbness, shutdown)
Disconnection from bodily sensations
Through somatic and mind-body practices, like grounding, breathwork, movement, or body scanning, we gently support the body to release what it’s been holding, and restore a sense of safety and aliveness.
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Trauma therapy can help with a wide range of experiences, including:
Childhood emotional neglect or abuse
Sexual or physical assault
Medical trauma or birth trauma
Loss, grief, or abandonment
Relational trauma, attachment wounds, or toxic relationships
Bullying, workplace trauma, or burnout
Living with chronic fear, shame, or feeling “not enough”
You don’t have to “qualify” your pain, if something still affects you today, it’s valid and worthy of care.
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That depends on what you want to work through. Some clients find meaningful change in 10–12 sessions when focused on a specific event or issue. Others, particularly those healing from long-standing or complex trauma, benefit from longer-term support. Healing takes time, but it also responds to consistency. What matters most is that therapy moves at your pace, with regular check-ins to reflect on what’s working and where you want to go next. There’s no pressure; just space for steady, supported growth.
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That’s completely okay and incredibly common. Trauma therapy doesn’t require you to tell your story all at once, or even at all. We begin by building safety and stability first. You’ll learn tools to regulate your emotions, ground your body, and feel more in control before we explore anything sensitive. We can also use creative and non-verbal tools (like art, cards, metaphors, and journaling) if talking feels too much. The goal is not to push, but to create a space where you feel safe enough to open up; gently, in your own time.
Get In Touch
A safe first step starts here.
Whether you’d like to ask a question, arrange an appointment, or simply explore if counselling might be right for you, I’d be glad to hear from you.
You can reach out through the contact form, browse my online calendar to book a time that suits you, or sign up to my newsletter if you’d like occasional gentle tools and updates. Whichever option feels easiest today is the right place to begin. Anything you share will be treated with respect, confidentiality, and the care it deserves.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Alicja
Reach out to me for any inquiries or to schedule our first consultation. I am happy to support you!