Trauma Psychologist Melbourne
Trauma Therapy for Childhood Trauma, Complex Trauma and PTSD
Trauma does not always look the way people expect.
Many people assume trauma only refers to major events such as accidents, violence, natural disasters, or other life threatening experiences. While these experiences can certainly be traumatic, trauma can also develop through experiences that are less obvious but equally impactful.
Growing up in an environment where you felt unsafe, emotionally neglected, criticised, unsupported, or chronically misunderstood can leave lasting effects. Difficult relationships, bullying, medical experiences, grief, betrayal, or repeated exposure to stress can also shape how we see ourselves, other people, and the world around us.
The effects of trauma are often felt long after the original experiences have passed. You may find yourself constantly on edge, struggling to trust others, feeling emotionally disconnected, experiencing overwhelming emotions, or repeating patterns that you wish you could change.
At Salt & Earth Psychology, trauma therapy is offered online across Australia by Kellie Dundon, a registered psychologist with additional training in trauma informed approaches and EMDR. Therapy is tailored to your unique experiences and focuses on helping you move beyond survival mode toward greater freedom, connection, and wellbeing.
What Is Trauma?
Trauma is not defined solely by what happened to you.
Trauma is also about how overwhelming experiences affect the nervous system and how those experiences continue to shape thoughts, emotions, relationships, behaviours, and beliefs in the present.
For some people, trauma develops following a single distressing event. For others, it emerges through repeated experiences over months or years.
Many trauma survivors become highly skilled at coping. They continue working, parenting, studying, caring for others, and functioning well on the surface. Yet internally they may feel exhausted, disconnected, anxious, ashamed, or constantly vigilant.
Trauma often changes the way people relate to themselves.
You may find yourself carrying beliefs such as:
I am not good enough.
I cannot trust people.
Something is wrong with me.
I have to stay in control.
My needs do not matter.
I am responsible for everyone else.
These beliefs are not personal failures. They often develop as understandable adaptations to difficult experiences.
Trauma therapy helps people understand these patterns with compassion while creating opportunities for healing and change.
Signs Trauma May Still Be Affecting You
The impact of trauma can show up in many different ways.
You may experience:
Hypervigilance
Feeling constantly alert, scanning for danger, expecting something to go wrong, or finding it difficult to relax.
Anxiety and Overwhelm
Persistent worry, panic, racing thoughts, or a nervous system that feels stuck in overdrive.
Emotional Numbing
Feeling disconnected from emotions, struggling to access joy, or moving through life feeling detached from yourself and others.
Difficulties in Relationships
Challenges with trust, boundaries, vulnerability, conflict, intimacy, or maintaining close relationships.
Shame and Self Criticism
A harsh inner critic, feelings of inadequacy, or a persistent sense that you are somehow flawed.
People Pleasing and Perfectionism
Feeling responsible for other people's emotions, difficulty saying no, or striving to be perfect in order to feel safe or accepted.
Intrusive Memories or Flashbacks
Unwanted memories, images, nightmares, or strong emotional reactions triggered by reminders of past experiences.
Types of Trauma Supported
Childhood Trauma
Experiences during childhood can have a profound impact on emotional development, relationships, self worth, and nervous system functioning. Trauma therapy can help process these experiences and reduce their ongoing influence.
Complex Trauma
Complex trauma often develops through repeated interpersonal experiences such as emotional abuse, neglect, family dysfunction, coercive relationships, or chronic invalidation.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD may develop following exposure to traumatic events and can involve flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, hypervigilance, and persistent feelings of threat.
Relational Trauma
When people who were supposed to provide safety, care, or support instead become sources of harm, the effects can be particularly enduring. Therapy can support healing within these areas while helping people develop healthier ways of relating.
Medical Trauma
Difficult medical experiences, invasive procedures, chronic illness, fertility challenges, pregnancy related experiences, or serious health events can all contribute to trauma responses.
How Trauma Therapy Can Help
Trauma therapy is not about endlessly revisiting the past.
While understanding your history is important, therapy also focuses on helping you build a life that feels safer, more meaningful, and more connected in the present.
Depending on your goals and needs, therapy may help you:
Understand trauma responses with greater compassion.
Reduce anxiety and emotional overwhelm.
Develop emotional regulation skills.
Strengthen boundaries and self trust.
Process distressing memories.
Improve relationships and connection.
Address shame and self criticism.
Reconnect with values, identity, and purpose.
Healing does not mean forgetting what happened. It means reducing the power that past experiences continue to hold over your present life.
Approaches Used in Trauma Therapy
Trauma therapy at Salt & Earth Psychology is tailored to the individual rather than following a one size fits all approach.
Depending on your needs, therapy may draw from:
EMDR Therapy
EMDR is an evidence based therapy designed to help process distressing experiences and reduce their ongoing emotional impact.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT can help identify and challenge patterns of thinking and behaviour that contribute to ongoing distress.
Trauma Informed Therapy
A trauma informed approach recognises the importance of safety, choice, collaboration, and respect throughout the therapeutic process.
Parts Work and Compassion Focused Approaches
Many people discover that different parts of themselves developed in response to difficult experiences. Therapy can support greater understanding, integration, and self compassion.
Why Choose Salt & Earth Psychology?
Healing from trauma requires more than techniques.
The therapeutic relationship itself often becomes an important part of the healing process.
At Salt & Earth Psychology, therapy is grounded in warmth, curiosity, respect, and an understanding that trauma responses are often adaptive attempts to survive difficult circumstances.
Kellie Dundon is a registered psychologist who works with adults experiencing trauma related difficulties, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, and relationship challenges. She integrates EMDR and other evidence based approaches within a trauma informed framework that respects both the complexity of people's experiences and their capacity for growth.
Appointments are offered online, allowing clients throughout Melbourne and Australia to access support from the comfort and privacy of their own space.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between trauma and PTSD?
Trauma refers to the impact of distressing experiences, while PTSD is a specific mental health condition that may develop following trauma. Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD.
Do I need to remember everything that happened for therapy to help?
No. Many people have gaps in memory or only partial recall of difficult experiences. Therapy can still be helpful.
Is trauma therapy only for people who experienced major traumatic events?
No. Trauma can develop through a wide range of experiences, including emotional neglect, bullying, relationship difficulties, chronic stress, and childhood experiences.
How long does trauma therapy take?
The length of therapy varies depending on your goals, history, and current circumstances. Some people attend for a relatively short period while others benefit from longer term support.
Can trauma therapy be done online?
Yes. Many trauma focused approaches, including EMDR, can be adapted effectively for telehealth.
Will I have to talk about everything that happened?
Therapy proceeds at a pace that feels manageable and safe. There is no expectation that you disclose more than you feel ready to discuss.
Can trauma affect relationships?
Yes. Trauma can influence trust, communication, boundaries, intimacy, conflict patterns, and the way people connect with others.
Book an Appointment
If you are living with the ongoing effects of trauma, support is available.
Salt & Earth Psychology provides online trauma therapy for adults throughout Melbourne and Australia.
To learn more or book an appointment, please get in touch.
