Trauma Therapy & PTSD Treatment in Glasgow

How trauma affects you and why specialist treatment matters

Trauma therapy is not generic counselling. It needs careful assessment, a period of stabilisation, and processing work delivered at a pace that feels safe.

Trauma can result from a single overwhelming event, such as an accident, assault, or sudden loss, or from repeated experiences over time, including childhood abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. When the brain cannot fully process these experiences, they continue to affect how you think, feel, and relate to others long after the events themselves.

You might recognise some of these:

• Intrusive memories or flashbacks
• Feeling constantly on edge or hypervigilant
• Difficulty sleeping, or nightmares
• Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected
• Avoiding people, places, or reminders of what happened
• A persistent sense of threat or danger

These are normal responses to abnormal experiences, and they respond well to specialist psychological treatment. The NHS notes that PTSD affects around 1 in 3 people who experience a traumatic event.

Our team is trained in the trauma therapies recommended by NICE guidelines (NG116), including EMDR and trauma-focused CBT.

The therapies we use

We do not use a one-size-fits-all approach to trauma. Your psychologist will develop an individualised formulation, a detailed understanding of how your experiences have affected you, and use this to guide which therapeutic approaches will be most effective.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)

EMDR is a NICE-recommended treatment for PTSD. It uses bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements) to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional intensity and the distress they cause. EMDR can produce significant improvements in a relatively short course of treatment.

Trauma-focused CBT

Trauma-focused CBT helps you understand and change the thought patterns and behaviours that maintain your trauma responses. It includes psychoeducation about trauma, gradual exposure to avoided memories and situations, and cognitive restructuring of unhelpful beliefs formed during traumatic experiences.

Schema Therapy for complex trauma

For individuals who have experienced repeated or developmental trauma, Schema Therapy offers a deeper therapeutic approach. It addresses the core emotional patterns (schemas) that develop from early adverse experiences and continue to affect relationships, self-worth, and emotional regulation in adulthood.

Compassion-Focused Therapy and IFS

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is particularly helpful for trauma survivors who experience high levels of shame and self-criticism. Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy works with the different "parts" of yourself that developed in response to trauma, helping you understand and heal protective responses.

How trauma therapy works

Trauma therapy typically follows three phases:

1. Assessment and stabilisation: We take time to understand your experiences and current difficulties, build a sense of safety, and develop coping strategies. This phase ensures you feel grounded and ready before processing traumatic material.
2. Processing: Using EMDR, trauma-focused CBT, or another appropriate approach, we work through the traumatic memories that are driving your current symptoms. This is done at your pace, with your psychologist guiding you carefully through the process.
3. Integration and growth: We help you consolidate your progress, rebuild confidence, develop a new relationship with your experiences, and plan for the future.

Our trauma psychologists

Trauma is a core specialism across our team: 18 of our clinicians have specialist training in trauma and work with the approaches above. You can choose the clinician who feels right for you.

View our full team to see availability, fees and formats, and find the right psychologist for you.

For free self-help materials and information about trauma, visit our Trauma Resource Library.