Trauma-Sensitive Therapists

Choosing a Therapist

Not every trauma-trained therapist practices in a trauma-sensitive way.

Trauma-sensitive therapy is less about a specific approach and more about how a therapist shows up.

It's the difference between a therapist who moves at your pace and one who moves at the protocol's pace.

What to look for to find a trauma-sensitive therapist:

• their profile uses language about safety and relationship
• they describe what they believe, not just what they treat
• they offer a consult call and care about a good fit
• they answer your questions before you commit

You can choose a therapist based on your concern, your identity or your therapist's identity.

Paying for Therapy

Cost shouldn't be a reason to go without support.

If you can afford to pay the full fee, it supports your therapist and might allow them to offer sliding scale fees for those who can't.

Alberta doesn't cover private therapy, but you can use:

• insurance or extended health benefits
• a health spending account or EAP
• auto insurance after a collision

If you're paying out of pocket, you can ask about sliding scale fees.

Many Alberta organizations offer free or pay-what-you-can sessions, and Breaking Free Foundation offers private therapy grants. 

The guides below walk you through different options.

Finding a Therapist on Psychology Today

The link below opens a pre-filtered list of private therapists in Alberta who specialize in trauma-focused therapy.

Once you're there, use the All Filters button to narrow your search by:

Read several profiles and watch the short videos to find a few therapists whose words reflect your personal experience.

Call or email through Psychology Today to ask questions or go to their website to read more or book a free consult.

Consulting with a Therapist

Most therapists offer a free 15 minute consultation.

It's a chance to get a sense of each other before you commit to booking a session.

Notice if you get a feeling of ease or a desire to talk to them more and take the next step.

You can ask about their approach, training or experience.

Other questions you can ask in a consultation:

• What does a typical session look like?
• How do you build safety before we go deeper?
• What do you do if I feel overwhelmed or shut down?
• How do you work with the body in sessions?

You might talk to two or three therapists before you find one you feel safe enough with to book a first session.

Evaluating if Therapy is Helping

Notice how you feel before, during and after a session.

Are you looking forward to it or dreading it? Do you feel safe and trust your therapist? What does your gut say?

If something isn't working, you can tell your therapist. 

Therapy can be hard, but it's not supposed to be harmful.

Trauma-sensitive therapists tend to: 

• receive feedback without defensiveness
• check in and talk about safety, not just goals
• adapt the sessions and process to meet your needs 

If the fit isn't right, or if a therapist causes harm or you don't feel safe, leaving is good judgment.