Healing from Trauma, PTSD or C-PTSD: Trauma-Informed Counselling and Therapy, Online and in Chepstow
I offer trauma-informed online counselling and therapy for adults living with trauma, PTSD or C-PTSD, anywhere in the UK, and face-to-face in Chepstow, Monmouthshire. We work at your pace, so you never have to share more than you’re ready to. I’m Catriona Standingford MBACP, MNCPS (Acc.), a counsellor with further training in trauma.
How can trauma counselling and therapy help?
Trauma can come in many shapes and sizes, from a single overwhelming event to multiple experiences over time. For some people this may be PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) or C‑PTSD (complex post traumatic stress disorder), and it may show up through familiar survival responses such as fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. When you’ve lived through a single or multiple traumatic experiences, working with someone in a way that feels safe, steady, and genuinely shaped around you and your needs is vital.
As a trained trauma‑informed therapist and someone with lived experience of trauma, I offer a space where your emotional safety, pace, and boundaries are respected from the very beginning. We work together in ways that promote safety and support healing while avoiding overwhelm or re‑traumatisation. Instead of pushing, assuming, or moving too fast, we move in ways that are manageable and grounded—where your boundaries matter and your experiences are met with care.
Together, we’ll explore what has happened to you, how you are feeling, and why certain patterns or reactions might be showing up, including fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses that may have once protected you but now feel confusing or exhausting. We’ll look at how your experiences may be affecting your present: your mood, your sleep, your confidence, your relationships, your daily life, and your sense of self.
Our sessions will help you make sense of what’s happening in your life, build coping strategies, process difficult experiences, and find a way forward that feels grounded and manageable. This is your space to understand yourself more deeply, to recognise the impact of trauma—including PTSD or C‑PTSD—and to navigate your world with greater clarity, steadiness, and support.
You may be looking for support with:
- A single traumatic event, such as an accident, an assault or a sudden death
- Repeated or long-term trauma, including C-PTSD
- Childhood trauma, abuse or neglect
- Abuse, coercive control or violence
- Trauma linked to family conflict, dysfunction or estrangement
- Flashbacks, nightmares, feeling on edge or feeling numb
- Fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses that no longer feel helpful
What does being a trauma-informed therapist mean and why is it important?
As a trauma informed therapist, I have undergone additional in-depth training. This ensures I work with you in a safe manner prioritising emotional safety, choice, and steadiness. I understand how overwhelming experiences affect the body, mind, and nervous system and how to help with all aspects of trauma.
Being trauma informed means I recognise signs of trauma, including PTSD and C-PTSD, and respond with care rather than pressure or assumption. I respect your pace, avoiding re-traumatisation, and create a space where fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses are understood rather than judged. As a trauma informed therapist I support you to build regulation, make sense of patterns, and reconnect with a sense of control, helping you move forward with clarity, grounding, and self trust. You will receive the high standards of knowledge, understanding, experience and help that you deserve.
Do I need a PTSD or C-PTSD diagnosis to have trauma therapy?
No. You may have heard of PTSD or C-PTSD, but you don’t need a diagnosis to be affected by traumatic events. Trauma is any experience that overwhelms your thoughts, emotions or body, whether it happened once, now and then, or over a long time. If something that has happened is affecting you now, counselling and therapy can help.
How does online trauma counselling and therapy work?
Online sessions work in the same way as sessions in a room. Many people find it easier to talk about trauma from a place that already feels familiar and safe, and you stay in control of your own space. I see clients online anywhere in the UK.
I also see clients face-to-face in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, which is easy to reach from Monmouth, Caldicot, the Forest of Dean, Newport and Bristol.
Sessions are £60 for 50 minutes, online or in Chepstow. You can read more about fees in my FAQs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to talk about what happened?
No. You decide what to share and when. We go at your pace, and we can focus on how things are affecting you now without going into every detail of what happened.
Can I have trauma counselling and therapy online?
Yes. I offer trauma-informed online counselling and therapy to adults anywhere in the UK.
Can counselling and therapy help with C-PTSD?
Yes. C-PTSD often comes from repeated or long-term trauma. Counselling and therapy can help you understand your reactions, feel steadier day to day and rebuild a sense of safety and control.
What does trauma-informed mean?
It means I have additional training in how trauma affects the body, mind and nervous system. I put your emotional safety, choice and pace first, and avoid pushing you into anything that could re-traumatise you.
Can counselling help with childhood trauma?
Yes. Experiences in childhood can shape how you feel about yourself and your relationships long after. Counselling and therapy can help you make sense of those patterns and find ways forward.
How many sessions will I need?
There’s no set number. Some people come for a month or so, and others for much longer. We’ll review how things are going together, and you can take breaks if you need to.
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Why choose me?
Free 15 minute chat
I offer a free 15 minute chat so we can discuss what you’d like help with and whether I’d be the right therapist for you.
Qualified and Registered
I’m a registered counsellor/therapist with BACP and NCPS, two of the main professional bodies in the UK
I offer flexibility
Online (camera on or off) or in person sessions. No commitment to the amount of sessions you have. Discounts available.
Free 15 minute chat
Let's have a chat!
If you’re ready to talk, explore what’s going on, or simply take the first small step, I offer a free 15 minute phone or video call so you can get a feel for me, ask any questions, and see whether counselling / therapy with me feels like the right fit for you. This includes:
- Talking about what you’re looking for in counselling / therapy
- Giving you time to ask me anything you need such as who I am, my experience, how I work whether online or face-to-face in Chepstow, South East Wales (close to Newport, Bristol and South Gloucestershire)
- No pressure to continue afterwards
- If you are ready, we can discuss my availability to book your first session. My working days are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday daytime.
- Referring you to someone else if I am not a good fit for you
To book your free 15 minute chat, you can fill in the form below, email me at cs@catrionastandingford.co.uk, or send me a WhatsApp message or text message on 07564 069711. I will then contact you to arrange.
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Are you in an emergency?
Are you currently experiencing an emergency or major crisis? Are you considering serious self-harm? Please seek immediate help from your GP, visiting your nearest A&E or dialing 999.
If you would like to have someone listen to you, you can also contact the Samaritans immediately on 116 123. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.