NCPS-ACCREDITED · SERVING KENT
Trauma Therapy
Confidential, paced support for dealing with trauma — whether from a single event or a longer pattern of difficult experiences — delivered at a speed that feels safe.
What Is Trauma? Signs, Types & How It Shows Up
Trauma is the lasting psychological and physiological impact of an overwhelming or distressing experience — one that exceeds your capacity to cope at the time it happened. Importantly, trauma isn’t defined by the event itself but by how it was experienced: two people can go through the same event and be affected very differently, and that difference is not a measure of strength or weakness.
Trauma-focused therapy is specifically designed to help you process these experiences safely, at a pace that doesn’t overwhelm your system further — dealing with trauma isn’t about “getting over it” quickly, but about rebuilding a genuine sense of safety first.
Signs of Trauma
Trauma can show up in ways that don’t always look obviously connected to the past:
Emotional
- Anxiety
- Low mood
- Irritability
- Emotional numbness
Physical
- Easily startled
- Chronic tension
- Disrupted sleep
- Fatigue
Cognitive
- Intrusive memories
- Flashbacks
- Poor concentration
- Negative self-beliefs
Relational
- Difficulty trusting
- Avoiding closeness
- Boundary struggles
Types of Trauma
Acute (Single-Incident) Trauma
Resulting from one distressing event, such as an accident, assault, or medical crisis.
Chronic Trauma
Repeated or prolonged exposure to distressing experiences over time.
Complex Trauma
Repeated, often relational trauma, frequently beginning in childhood — closely linked to Complex PTSD.
Vicarious / Secondary Trauma
Trauma absorbed through close exposure to someone else’s traumatic experience.
Understanding Trauma Responses
When the nervous system perceives danger, it activates automatic survival responses, commonly described as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn:
Understanding Trauma Responses
When the nervous system perceives danger, it activates automatic survival responses, commonly described as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn:
1
Fight
Confrontation, irritability, or a need to regain control.
2
Flight
The urge to escape, avoid, or stay constantly busy.
3
Freeze
Shutting down, numbness, or feeling disconnected.
4
Fawn
People-pleasing to avoid conflict, first named by Pete Walker.
These responses were originally protective, and understanding which pattern you default to is often a genuinely useful first step in dealing with trauma — not a character flaw, but a nervous system doing what it evolved to do.
Our Approach
OUR Approach to Trauma Therapy
Trauma recovery isn’t linear, and it can’t be rushed without risk of overwhelming the system further. My approach is informed by Judith Herman’s widely-recognised three-stage model of trauma recovery:
1
Safety & Stabilisation
Building a genuine sense of safety and emotional regulation before anything else.
2
Remembrance & Mourning
Processing the traumatic experience at a pace that doesn't overwhelm, with space to grieve.
3
Reconnection & Integration
Rebuilding a sense of self and reconnecting with relationships and life beyond the trauma.
A note on evidence-based trauma approaches: within this structure, I draw on Person-Centred Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, CBT, and Attachment Theory, adapted to your specific experience. The wider field also includes EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and Trauma-Focused CBT, both recognised, evidence-based approaches for processing traumatic memories.
MEET YOUR THERAPIST
Nariman Al-Aloosi
Nariman is an NCPS-accredited psychotherapist based in Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, with over 12 years of experience supporting clients through trauma and a wide range of other difficulties. Her approach is integrative, Person-Centred, CBT, Psychodynamic, and Attachment-based adapted to what actually helps, not a fixed programme. Nariman also brings direct clinical experience from an NHS sexual health clinic and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy, accredited by Middlesex University.
Nariman works with clients of all backgrounds. Everything discussed in session is entirely confidential.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Is Trauma Therapy Right for You?
- A specific distressing event that still affects you — an accident, loss, medical crisis, or similar
- A pattern of difficult experiences over time, including in childhood
- Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or a sense of still being "on alert"
- Difficulty trusting others, or patterns of people-pleasing and appeasing
- Feeling disconnected from your body, your emotions, or yourself
- Wanting to understand a trauma response pattern that keeps showing up
Where symptoms meet the fuller diagnostic picture of post-traumatic stress — including persistent flashbacks, hypervigilance, and avoidance lasting a month or more — PTSD & cPTSD Therapy covers that specifically. If anxiety or low mood is also present, which is common, Anxiety Therapy and Depression Therapy address that overlap directly.
WHERE I PRACTISE IN KENT
In-Person in Kings Hill, or Online Across Kent
Trauma therapy is delivered within Individual Therapy sessions. In-person sessions are available at the Kings Hill, West Malling practice, with online sessions available across Kent.
MORE SUPPORT
Trauma Therapy Often Connects To
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions About Trauma Therapy
Trauma refers to the impact of a distressing experience generally. PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a specific clinical diagnosis, given when trauma symptoms — like flashbacks, hypervigilance, and avoidance — persist for a month or more and significantly affect daily life. Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD.
No. Many people process distressing events without developing PTSD, particularly with support. Risk depends on factors including the severity and duration of the experience, prior history, and the support available afterward.
This varies enormously. Single-incident trauma in someone with an otherwise stable history may see meaningful change in a few months. Complex or childhood trauma typically requires longer-term work, often a year or more, because the foundation being rebuilt is broader than one memory.
No — and in most cases, you shouldn’t. Safety and stabilisation come first. Processing traumatic material before you feel ready can be counterproductive; the pace is led by you.
There’s strong evidence for several approaches, including EMDR, Trauma-Focused CBT, and integrative, paced psychotherapy. The right approach depends on the type of trauma and what feels safe for you to begin with
Yes, entirely. Nothing discussed in session is shared with anyone else, including your GP, except in rare situations required by law around risk of serious harm.
Yes — in-person sessions are available in Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, alongside online sessions.
No — you can book directly, with no referral or diagnosis required.
Start Trauma Therapy Today
Book a confidential 10-minute intro call — no pressure, just a chance to talk through what’s going on and see if it’s the right fit.