Summit Counselling Services
Sexual Trauma & Abuse Recovery Healing is possible — and you don't have to do it alone.
Whether your experience is recent or from long ago, trauma leaves real marks. Our therapists offer compassionate, specialized care for survivors of sexual trauma, abuse, and domestic violence — at whatever pace feels right for you.
Understanding Trauma
What is sexual trauma?
Sexual trauma refers to the lasting psychological impact of any unwanted sexual experience — including sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, coercive control, harassment, or exploitation. Trauma is defined not just by what happened, but by how the nervous system responded to it.
You don't need to have experienced something that others label as "serious enough." If an experience felt violating, frightening, or wrong — it matters. Many survivors minimize their own experiences or feel shame about how they've been affected. These feelings are common, and they don't reflect reality.
Sexual trauma can also be complex — layered with grief, betrayal, confusion about relationships, and questions about trust, safety, and identity. Therapy offers a space to work through all of it, gently and at your own pace.
You might recognize yourself in this
- You feel like something is wrong with you, but can't explain it
- Certain situations, smells, sounds, or touch feel suddenly unsafe
- You're struggling with relationships, intimacy, or trust
- You feel numb, disconnected, or "not quite yourself"
- You're having intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares
- You've been carrying shame, blame, or guilt — even though it wasn't your fault
- You've never told anyone, and the weight of that is exhausting
- You're not sure if what happened "counts" as trauma
How Trauma Shows Up
The effects of trauma are real and wide-ranging
Trauma doesn't stay neatly in the past. It lives in the body, shapes how we relate to others, and can quietly influence every area of life — often in ways that aren't immediately connected back to the original experience.
Emotional
Anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, anger, emotional numbness, sudden mood shifts, difficulty feeling safe or happy, grief, and overwhelming fear responses.
Physical
Chronic pain, tension, sleep disturbances, fatigue, changes in appetite, heightened startle response, and physical sensations linked to trauma memories.
Cognitive
Intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, distorted thinking about self-worth, and persistent negative beliefs about the world.
Relational
Difficulty trusting others, withdrawal from relationships, challenges with intimacy and closeness, hypervigilance around people, or patterns of unhealthy relationships.
Behavioural
Avoidance of reminders, substance use, self-harm, overworking, people-pleasing, or other coping strategies developed to manage overwhelming feelings.
Identity & Sense of Self
Confusion about who you are, difficulty feeling at home in your own body, disconnection from values or beliefs, and a fractured sense of self-worth or belonging.
What We Support
Experiences we work with
Our therapists are trained to work with a wide range of experiences. Whatever brought you here, you will be met with care — not judgment.
Sexual Assault & Rape
Unwanted sexual contact in any context — including by a stranger, acquaintance, partner, or family member. Both recent and historical.
Childhood Sexual Abuse
Experiences of abuse, exploitation, or inappropriate sexual contact during childhood or adolescence, including by adults in positions of trust.
Intimate Partner Violence
Physical, sexual, emotional, or coercive abuse within a romantic or intimate relationship — including current or past relationships.
Domestic Violence
Patterns of control, fear, and abuse within a household — whether or not you have left the situation. Safety is always the first priority.
Coercive Control & Manipulation
Non-physical forms of abuse including emotional manipulation, isolation, financial control, and psychological harm that leave lasting impact.
Sexual Harassment & Exploitation
Unwanted sexual attention, harassment in professional or social settings, exploitation, and experiences that left you feeling unsafe or violated.
The Healing Journey
Recovery is not linear — and that's okay
Healing from trauma is rarely a straight path. There will be hard days and better days. Here is a general sense of how trauma therapy tends to unfold — though your journey will be entirely your own.
Safety & Stabilization
Before anything else, we work to build a sense of safety — internally and externally. This includes developing coping tools, grounding techniques, and a strong therapeutic relationship built on trust.
Processing & Making Meaning
When you feel ready, therapy moves toward gently processing the traumatic experience — not reliving it, but gradually reducing its power over you. Your therapist guides this carefully.
Integration & Moving Forward
Healing doesn't mean forgetting. It means the experience no longer controls you. This phase is about reconnecting with yourself, rebuilding relationships, and reclaiming your life.
A note about your pace
There is no rush. Trauma therapy is not about pushing through or "getting over it." You set the pace. A good trauma therapist will never push you further than you are ready to go.
Many clients find it helpful to know that even the first session — just showing up and talking — can begin to shift something. You don't have to have it figured out before you come in.
If you are currently in an unsafe situation, your therapist will prioritize safety planning first. Therapy and safety can work together.
You are the expert on your own experience. We are here to support, not direct, your healing.
How We Help
Therapeutic approaches for trauma recovery
Our therapists draw on evidence-based modalities specifically suited for trauma — always adapted to your unique needs, history, and comfort level.
EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the most well-researched treatments for trauma. It helps the brain process distressing memories so they lose their emotional charge — without requiring detailed verbal discussion of the event.
Trauma-Focused CBT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy adapted for trauma helps identify and gently challenge unhelpful beliefs that developed in the aftermath of trauma — things like "it was my fault" or "I can never trust anyone again."
Somatic Experiencing
Trauma lives in the body. Somatic approaches work with physical sensations, breath, and movement to release stored trauma and restore a sense of safety within your own body — without needing to talk through events in detail.
Emotion-Focused Therapy
EFT helps survivors understand and transform the painful emotions at the core of trauma — including shame, grief, fear, and anger — building a more compassionate relationship with yourself and others.
Attachment-Based Therapy
When trauma occurs within relationships, it can deeply affect how we connect with others. Attachment-based approaches help rebuild trust, security, and the capacity for healthy relationships over time.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy
ART is a newer, highly effective approach that uses rapid eye movements to help the brain restructure traumatic memories, often producing significant relief within a small number of sessions.
Our Specialists
Therapists who specialize in trauma recovery
Finding the right therapist is especially important when it comes to trauma. Every clinician listed below has specific training and experience in trauma-informed care. Use the Find Your Fit tool to explore further, or book a free call before committing to a session.
Common Questions
Questions about trauma therapy
You deserve support that truly understands.
Reaching out takes courage. Our free phone consultation is a no-pressure way to ask questions, meet your therapist, and decide if it feels like the right fit — before committing to anything.
We acknowledge that our practice is located in Treaty 6 territory, on the traditional lands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, and Nakota Sioux Peoples. We recognize that healing and reconciliation is a responsibility shared by all and are proud to partner with organizations that help Indigenous community members access culturally safe mental health care.