Trauma counselling in Marlow gives you a safe, contained space to make sense of PTSD, complex trauma and the lasting effects of toxic relationships — without having to relive everything. Trauma isn't only what happened to you; it's what's still happening inside you — the body that won't settle, the memories that arrive uninvited, the sense of not being safe even in a safe room. PTSD therapy and trauma-focused work gently help the nervous system learn that the danger is over.
I'm Keeley Taverner, a Psychotherapist, BACP Accredited and author of Why Love Hurts. Across 14 years as a psychotherapist — including a decade working in HMP with people whose presenting issues sat on top of deep trauma — I've supported clients through PTSD, complex trauma and the trauma of toxic and controlling relationships. This page explains how trauma counselling and counselling for PTSD work at my practice in Marlow and online.
What is trauma — and what is PTSD?
Trauma is the lasting impact of an event (or series of events) that overwhelmed your ability to cope at the time. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a specific clinical pattern that can follow — intrusive memories or flashbacks, avoidance, hyper-arousal and changes in mood and thinking — that lasts longer than a month and disrupts daily life.
Complex trauma is the term used when the harm was sustained over time and often interpersonal — childhood neglect or abuse, coercive control in a relationship, ongoing harm by someone who was supposed to be safe. It often shows up as much in relationships and self-worth as it does in classic PTSD symptoms.
You do not need a formal PTSD diagnosis to start trauma therapy. If something happened — or kept happening — and it's still shaping how you feel, sleep, relate or react, that's reason enough.
Signs you might benefit from trauma therapy
People I see in Marlow for trauma counselling often recognise themselves in several of these:
- Intrusive memories, images or flashbacks that arrive uninvited
- Vivid nightmares or broken, restless sleep
- Being easily startled, hyper-vigilant or "switched on" all the time
- Avoiding places, people or conversations that remind you of what happened
- Feeling numb, disconnected or unreal
- Quick swings into shame, panic or rage you can't explain
- A sense of safety that won't come back, even when nothing is wrong
- Knowing intellectually that you're safe — and not feeling it
These aren't character flaws. They're the predictable signature of a nervous system still working overtime to protect you from something that's already over.
Therapy for trauma and PTSD — how it works
Trauma work has to feel safe before it can do anything else. My approach is trauma-focused and integrative — I draw on EMDR, ACT, CBT and person-centred work, and pace it to what your nervous system can actually metabolise. As your trauma therapist in Marlow, therapy for PTSD and complex trauma usually moves through:
- Safety and stabilisation — building resources, grounding skills and a steady-enough baseline before any processing work.
- Understanding the impact — naming how the trauma has shaped your beliefs about yourself, others and the world.
- Processing the memory — using EMDR or talking-based methods, at a pace that never overwhelms you, so the memory can become history rather than the present.
- Reconnection — rebuilding trust, intimacy and a sense of self that isn't organised around the trauma.
You cannot think your way out of trauma. You can, gently and at your own pace, help your nervous system learn that the danger is over.
Can EMDR help with PTSD?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is one of the most evidence-based approaches for PTSD counselling and trauma processing. As an EMDR-trained PTSD therapist, I use it alongside talking-based methods — the two approaches often work well together. EMDR doesn't require you to describe events in detail; instead it works directly with how distressing memories are stored, helping them lose their grip on the present. It is widely recommended for both single-event trauma and complex trauma, and is endorsed by NICE for PTSD treatment.
PTSD counsellor in Marlow — what to expect
A first session is a conversation, not an assessment. We talk about what's brought you here, what you'd like to feel different, and whether you need to consider any other support alongside therapy for PTSD. There is no pressure to share details you're not ready for. Many people searching for a trauma therapist near me find that Marlow is easily accessible from High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Henley-on-Thames and the surrounding villages — or choose secure online PTSD therapy from home.
Trauma after toxic and controlling relationships
For many of the people I work with, the trauma did not come from a single event — it came from years inside a relationship that wasn't safe. Coercive control, gaslighting and emotional abuse leave a clinical trauma footprint of their own, often confused with "anxiety" or "low confidence". If that's part of your story, the work on narcissistic abuse recovery and emotional abuse counselling often runs alongside trauma therapy.
Trauma counselling in Marlow & online across Buckinghamshire
I see clients for trauma counselling and PTSD therapy in person at The Courtyard, 60 Station Road, Marlow SL7 1NX — a quiet, private space a short walk from Marlow town centre and easily reached from Bourne End, Maidenhead, High Wycombe, Henley-on-Thames and the surrounding Buckinghamshire villages. Online trauma therapy by secure video is available across the UK; many clients find the privacy of working from their own space helps when processing difficult material. Sessions are £250 and completely confidential.
The simplest first step is a free, no-pressure 30-minute consultation — a brief call to ask questions and see how it feels.
