Our approach
Trauma-focused CBT is a structured, evidence-based way of working with trauma: building coping skills first, then gently working with the memory and the beliefs it left behind.
A method tailored to you, never one-size-fits-all.
In plain language
After trauma, the mind often draws conclusions that made sense at the time: it was my fault, nowhere is safe, I cannot cope. Those beliefs, and the avoidance that grows around them, can keep the alarm switched on long after the danger has passed.
Trauma-focused CBT works in a clear order. First come skills for settling your body and managing strong feelings. Then, at a pace you agree to, we work with the memory and with the beliefs attached to it, so they become more accurate and less punishing.
The structure is part of what makes it feel safe: you know what each stage is for, and nothing happens before you are ready for it.
Coping and grounding tools come before any memory work.
Each stage is agreed together, never sprung on you.
Guilt, blame and danger get looked at carefully and fairly.
In our work together
What we work on is yours to name. Here is how it tends to show up in sessions, woven in with whatever else fits you.
We make sense of flashbacks, startle, numbness and avoidance as normal responses to abnormal events.
We build tools for settling your body and riding out strong feelings, and practise them until they work for you.
Gradually and by agreement, we approach what happened so it loses some of its power over the present.
We examine conclusions about blame, safety and trust, and test them against what is actually true now.
Is it a fit?
If some of this resonates, it may be part of how we work, always at your pace.
You have trauma symptoms after an accident, assault, loss or medical event, you avoid reminders and life has narrowed, you are carrying guilt or self-blame, or you like a clear structure and plan.
Understand your reactions, feel more able to cope with triggers, reduce avoidance, and loosen self-blame. Some people prefer this structured talking approach and others prefer EMDR; a free consult is a good place to talk through both.
Who offers this here. Kate Katkouskaya, Registered Psychotherapist, uses trauma-focused CBT with adults, in English and Russian, online across Ontario.
No single method fits everyone, most of our work blends a few, always at your pace.
Explore more
Most of our work blends a few of these, tailored to you.
Acceptance and Commitment
Learn moreEmotionally Focused
Learn moreInternal Family Systems
Learn moreMemory reprocessing
Learn moreCognitive Behavioural
Learn moreDialectical Behaviour
Learn moreSoftening the inner critic
Learn morePresent-moment grounding
Learn moreQuestions, answered
A few of the things people ask about this approach. Anything else, just ask on your free call.
Mindful Connections Therapy
Book a free 15-minute call and we will see if we are a good fit. No pressure, no commitment, phone or video, in person in North York or online across Ontario.