Trauma Therapy
Trauma Therapy in Buckinghamshire and Kent
Trauma can affect far more than memories of what happened.
You may notice changes in how you feel, react, relate to other people or respond when something reminds you of the past. You may also know that something does not feel right without having a clear explanation for it. I am Genovieve Feasey, a trauma psychotherapist working with adults across Buckinghamshire and Kent. My approach is integrative and paced around you. You decide what you want to share and when.
Professional Accreditations & Practice Standards
BACP Registered
CNHC Registered
2,000+
Fully Insured
What Is Trauma?
Trauma is about the effect an experience has on you
People sometimes think trauma must involve one dramatic event. That is not always how it is experienced. Difficult experiences may be:
- Sudden
- Repeated
- Long-lasting
- Connected with relationships
- Connected with childhood
- Connected with loss
- Connected with feeling unsafe or powerless
Two people can experience similar events and respond very differently. What matters in therapy is not whether your experience meets someone else’s idea of what “should” be traumatic. We begin with how it is affecting you now.
How Trauma May Show Up
You may recognise changes in everyday life
Trauma can affect people in different ways. You may notice experiences such as:
Feeling constantly alert
You may find it difficult to fully relax or feel that you always need to be prepared for something going wrong.
Feeling emotionally overwhelmed
Strong emotions may arrive quickly or feel difficult to manage.
Feeling disconnected
At times you may feel distant from yourself, other people or what is happening around you.
Avoiding reminders
You may avoid certain places, conversations, situations or memories because of how they make you feel.
Difficulties with trust
Relationships may feel complicated when closeness, vulnerability or uncertainty feels difficult.
Repeating patterns
You may find yourself responding in ways that make sense in the moment but later leave you frustrated or confused.
Physical responses
Stress and emotion can also be experienced physically: tension, restlessness, changes in breathing, racing sensations or feeling frozen.
You do not need to experience all of these for therapy to be relevant.
Do I Need a Trauma Diagnosis?
You do not need a label before asking for help
No. You may already have a diagnosis. You may have been told that what you are experiencing relates to trauma. Or you may simply know that past experiences continue to affect your present life.
You can begin with what feels difficult now. We can understand the wider picture together.
How I Work with Trauma
Therapy does not begin by forcing you into the hardest part
Trauma work needs pacing. My approach can be understood in three broad stages. These stages are not rigid boxes, and people do not always move through them in a straight line.
-
Step 1: Safety and stabilising
Building enough steadiness to begin. Before working directly with difficult memories, we may first focus on understanding triggers, recognising emotional responses, grounding, developing ways to manage distress and building trust within therapy. You do not need to rush past this part.
-
Step 2: Processing
Working with experiences that continue to affect the present. When appropriate, we may begin working more directly with difficult memories, beliefs, emotions or responses. The approach depends on your needs.
-
Step 3: Integration
Bringing the work back into everyday life: relationships, boundaries, communication, self-understanding, emotional regulation, choices, work and family life. The aim is not to erase your history, but to understand how it affects you and what you want to be different now.
Approaches I May Draw From
Different methods, chosen around you
During the processing stage I may draw from several therapeutic methods. No single method is automatically right for every person.
EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is a structured therapeutic approach often used within trauma work.
Somatic Body Psychotherapy
Somatic work pays attention to how emotional experiences may also be noticed through physical sensations and patterns of response.
CBT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help explore relationships between thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
DBT-Informed Skills
Skills drawn from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy may support emotional regulation, distress tolerance and communication.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy may sometimes form part of my integrative work, depending on the issue being explored and the individual.
You Set the Pace
Do I have to tell you everything?
No. You decide what you share and when. There may be information that is useful for me to understand, but trauma therapy should not depend on forcing you to describe painful experiences before you feel ready.
If something feels too much, we can slow down. If you need more preparation before working with a particular memory or issue, we can make space for that. Your pace matters.
Who I Work With
Trauma can affect different parts of life
People come to trauma therapy with very different experiences. Some already identify strongly with the word “trauma.” Others do not. You may be looking for help because of experiences connected with one of the following areas.
PTSD & Complex Trauma
When the past keeps feeling present: reminders, strong emotional responses, avoidance, feeling constantly on guard or difficulty feeling safe.
Childhood Trauma & Attachment
When earlier experiences still affect trust, boundaries, relationships, emotional responses and self-worth.
Anxiety, Panic & Phobias
When fear starts shaping everyday decisions. Anxiety may connect with earlier experiences, learned patterns or situations that now feel threatening.
What Is a Trauma Therapy Session Like?
We begin with where you are now
Your first sessions are not an interrogation. We usually begin by understanding:
- What has brought you to therapy
- What is affecting you now
- What you would like help with
- Relevant background
- What feels manageable to discuss
- What you hope may be different
- Which approach may be appropriate
You can also ask questions. Therapy is collaborative.
Do We Start EMDR Immediately?
Not necessarily
EMDR is one of the approaches I may use, but starting trauma therapy does not automatically mean beginning memory processing immediately. Preparation can be important. We first consider:
- What you are experiencing
- Your current circumstances
- What support you have
- How you manage distress
- What feels safe enough to work with
- Your goals
From there, we can decide what makes sense.
What If I Become Overwhelmed?
We can slow the work down
Therapy should leave room for you to say:
- “I need to stop.”
- “I do not want to talk about that today.”
- “Can we slow down?”
- “I do not understand.”
- “I need more time.”
You do not have to perform therapy correctly. If an approach is not feeling useful or manageable, that is something we can talk about.
Trauma & the Body
Difficult experiences may also have physical effects
Emotional experiences are not always felt only as thoughts. You may notice physical responses such as muscle tension, restlessness, feeling frozen, changes in breathing, racing sensations, numbness or difficulty settling.
Somatic psychotherapy can bring more attention to these physical experiences. This does not mean trauma is literally “stored” in one specific part of the body. It means that emotional and stress responses can also have a physical dimension.
Trauma & Relationships
The effects of trauma can sometimes appear most clearly with other people
You may want closeness but also find it difficult to trust. You may become highly alert to changes in someone’s tone or behaviour. You may withdraw, become defensive or feel responsible for keeping everyone else happy.
Therapy can help you explore these patterns without reducing everything about you to your past.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
There is no fixed number
People come to trauma therapy with different experiences, circumstances and goals. For that reason, I do not promise:
- A fixed number of sessions
- A particular result
- A success percentage
- A guaranteed timeframe
We can review the work together as therapy develops.
Trauma Therapy Fees
Understand the cost before you decide
Trauma / EMDR Psychotherapy
£100 per session
Low-Income Therapy Place
£75 per session
Please ask when you enquire if you would like to know whether this may apply.
Home Visit Therapy
£120 per session + travel
Where available.
Not ready to speak with a therapist yet?
You may prefer to begin with something small. I have created a short Grounding Guide with practical ideas you can explore at your own pace. You do not need to book therapy to receive it. It is not therapy, a diagnosis or emergency support.
Where I Work
Trauma therapy in Buckinghamshire and Kent
I work with clients across Buckinghamshire and Kent, and online.
Buckinghamshire
Sessions around High Wycombe, Marlow, Bourne End, Stokenchurch, Lane End and Cressex.
Online
Confidential video sessions from the comfort of your own home.
Genovieve Feasey • BACP, EMDR, CNHC
About Genovieve
Trauma therapy with Genovieve Feasey
I am Genovieve Feasey. My work focuses particularly on trauma and EMDR therapy for adults. I have completed more than 2,000 clinical client hours and work integratively, drawing from different therapeutic approaches according to the person and the work we are doing.
I am fully insured, and I undertake ongoing professional development and clinical supervision.
Common Questions
Trauma therapy FAQs
Ready to Talk?
You do not have to work through this alone.
You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis. You do not need to know which therapy you want. And you do not need to tell your whole story during the first conversation. We can begin with what is happening now and what you would like help with.