Trauma is a toxic time machine. It can take us back to the moment of the trauma, over and over again, in our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. An isolating and debilitating experience, which can feel like there is no coming back from

Before I became a Counsellor, I fostered aspirations of being a photographer. I would regularly get on the train and visit my hometown of Manchester to spend hours walking the streets, photographing people and places, and developing (no pun intended) my skills as a street photographer.

One of the most well-used phrases in photography is' the decisive moment', a term used to describe the instant when all the elements of a scene come together to create a perfect photograph.

This moment is often fleeting and can be challenging to capture, but it can create a truly iconic image when it is.

On a cold October day in 1999, I captured a decisive moment. However, it was not in the form of a picture. It was in an interaction with a person I had phot...

Recently I conducted a poll in the Counselling Tutor Facebook group. 

I asked the question.

"How much trauma-informed Infomation did you receive as a student?" 

I posed three possible responses - 

1. None at all
2. Some but not enough 
3. Well covered 

At the time of writing, 100 people had responded (A useful number if, like me, you are poor at working out percentages...)

The responses were as follows -

1. None at all, 52% (52 people)
2. Some but not enough 41% (41 People)
3. Well covered 7% (7 People)

I was not surprised by these figures. Historically initial training has always focused on the meta-models of therapy, such as psychodynamic, Person-Centred, Cognitive Behavioural or an integrative mix of therapeutic models. 

These models stand up well to contemporary research, and all who train student counsellors would acknowledge that an in-depth understanding and practice of the chosen model is essential before moving on to more complex and integrative ways of practising.

L...