You Don't Have to Continue Living in Survival Mode
If you're looking for trauma therapy in Calgary, Rebecca Teebay-Webb & Associates offers experienced, compassionate counselling for PTSD, complex PTSD, childhood trauma, and other trauma-related difficulties.
Trauma can change how you experience the world, your relationships, and even yourself. You may find that your mind and body react to situations that others seem to navigate easily. You might feel constantly on edge, overwhelmed by emotions, disconnected from yourself, or exhausted from trying to hold everything together.
Sometimes the effects of trauma are obvious. Other times, you may struggle to understand why you feel the way you do, particularly when difficult experiences happened many years ago.
At Rebecca Teebay-Webb & Associates, we offer compassionate, individualized trauma counselling in Calgary for adults experiencing the effects of traumatic events, childhood adversity, PTSD, and complex PTSD.
Our experienced therapist, Rebecca Teebay-Webb, Registered Psychologist, and Julie Hicks, MSW, Registered Social Worker, provide a supportive environment where you can begin to understand your experiences, develop greater emotional and nervous system regulation, and work toward meaningful, lasting change.
How Trauma Can Affect Your Life
Trauma is not defined solely by what happened to you. The effects of overwhelming, frightening, or chronically stressful experiences can continue long after the circumstances have changed.
For some people, trauma is associated with a particular event. For others, its effects develop gradually through repeated experiences of instability, neglect, fear, loss, or difficult relationships.
You might notice:
- Persistent anxiety, tension, or a sense of being on guard
- Intrusive memories, nightmares, or unwanted reminders of past experiences
- Emotional numbness, detachment, or feeling disconnected from yourself or others
- Difficulty trusting people or feeling safe in relationships
- Shame, guilt, self-criticism, or a persistent sense of not being good enough
- Irritability, anger, or emotional reactions that feel difficult to manage
- Avoidance of situations, conversations, feelings, or memories
- Difficulty sleeping, relaxing, or feeling truly rested
- Feeling overwhelmed, frozen, or unable to take action
- Changes in concentration, motivation, or your sense of identity
These experiences can affect relationships, work, physical well-being, and everyday life.
They are not signs of personal weakness. They may reflect ways your mind and body have adapted to difficult or threatening circumstances.
Trauma counselling can help you understand these responses and develop new ways of relating to your experiences, emotions, and yourself.
Understanding PTSD and Complex PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD can develop following exposure to traumatic events, including serious accidents, violence, abuse, threats to life, or repeated exposure to distressing circumstances.
PTSD may involve intrusive memories or nightmares, avoidance of reminders, changes in mood and beliefs, and a heightened sense of threat.
Some people experience intense emotional or physical reactions to reminders of trauma, even when they recognize intellectually that they are no longer in danger.
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
Complex PTSD is often associated with prolonged or repeated traumatic experiences, particularly those involving circumstances in which escape or protection was difficult.
These experiences may include childhood abuse, emotional neglect, coercive or controlling relationships, or other forms of chronic interpersonal trauma.
Alongside symptoms associated with PTSD, complex PTSD can involve difficulties with emotional regulation, persistent negative beliefs about oneself, and challenges with trust, connection, and relationships.
Not everyone who experiences repeated trauma develops complex PTSD. However, understanding the potential effects of chronic trauma can help make sense of longstanding patterns that may otherwise feel confusing or deeply personal.
You do not need to know which description fits you before beginning therapy. We can explore your experiences together and develop an approach that reflects your individual needs.
Childhood Trauma and Emotional Neglect
Not all trauma involves a single frightening event.
Sometimes the most enduring effects arise from experiences that were repeated, subtle, or difficult to recognize as harmful at the time.
Growing up in an environment where emotions were dismissed, affection was inconsistent, criticism was frequent, or emotional needs went unmet can influence how a person learns to understand themselves and relate to others.
You may have learned to minimize your needs, anticipate other people's reactions, avoid conflict, or take responsibility for the emotions of those around you.
As an adult, these patterns might appear as perfectionism, people-pleasing, excessive self-criticism, difficulty setting boundaries, or feeling responsible for keeping everyone else happy.
You might also struggle to recognize what you feel or need, even while being highly attentive to the needs of others.
Therapy can offer an opportunity to explore how these patterns developed, recognize the ways they may once have been protective, and gradually develop a more compassionate and secure relationship with yourself.
Trauma and Your Nervous System
Trauma can influence how the nervous system responds to stress, uncertainty, and perceived danger.
Your body's protective responses are designed to help you respond to threats. However, following traumatic experiences, these responses may become activated in situations that are not objectively dangerous.
You may experience periods of heightened activation, including anxiety, hypervigilance, racing thoughts, irritability, muscle tension, or difficulty sleeping.
At other times, particularly when experiences feel overwhelming, you may notice numbness, withdrawal, exhaustion, disconnection, or a sense of being shut down.
Some people experience dissociation, which can involve feeling detached from emotions, the body, surroundings, or one's sense of self.
These responses can be distressing, especially when they seem to arise without an obvious reason.
Nervous system regulation does not mean remaining calm all the time. A healthy nervous system is flexible. It allows us to respond to challenges, experience emotions, recover from stress, and reconnect with a sense of safety when circumstances allow.
Trauma counselling may involve learning to recognize your patterns of activation and shutdown, developing greater awareness of bodily responses, and strengthening your capacity to move through difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed.
Our Approach to Trauma Therapy
There is no single treatment that is right for everyone.
At Rebecca Teebay-Webb & Associates, we recognize that trauma recovery is an individual process. We work collaboratively with you to understand your experiences, identify your goals, and determine which therapeutic approaches may be most helpful. We work holistically with your system depending upon your symptoms, your experience, and how your system is responding to treatment.
Depending on your needs and the therapist you work with, treatment may incorporate the following approaches. N.B. Not all treatment modalities provided by the team are discussed below:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Offered by Rebecca Teebay-Webb, Registered Psychologist
EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy used in the treatment of PTSD and other trauma-related difficulties.
It involves a structured therapeutic process designed to help individuals process distressing experiences and reduce their ongoing emotional impact.
EMDR does not require you to describe every detail of a traumatic experience aloud. Treatment is carefully paced and includes preparation, assessment, and strategies to support emotional stability.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Offered by Rebecca Teebay-Webb and Julie Hicks
Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a structured, trauma-focused approach that incorporates guided eye movements and imagery-based techniques.
ART aims to reduce distress associated with difficult memories and experiences, while allowing clients to maintain choice and control over what they share.
It may be helpful for some individuals experiencing trauma-related symptoms, anxiety, or distressing memories.
Your therapist can discuss whether ART is appropriate for your circumstances and how it fits with your treatment goals.
Parts-Informed and Compassion-Focused Work
Trauma can sometimes leave people experiencing conflicting emotions, beliefs, or internal reactions.
One part of you may want closeness, while another expects rejection. You may understand that you're safe, yet continue to feel anxious or guarded.
Parts-informed approaches can help you explore these internal patterns with curiosity rather than criticism.
This work may support greater self-understanding, emotional regulation, and compassion toward aspects of yourself that developed in response to difficult experiences.
Somatic Awareness and Nervous System Regulation
Trauma therapy may also involve developing awareness of physical sensations, emotional responses, and patterns of activation or shutdown.
Grounding, breathwork, mindfulness, and other regulation strategies may help support your capacity to remain present and manage distress.
These strategies can be especially valuable when trauma has contributed to persistent tension, hypervigilance, emotional overwhelm, or disconnection.
We will work with you to identify approaches that feel manageable and appropriate for your needs.
Trauma Counselling for First Responders and Veterans
First responders, military members, veterans, and other professionals who regularly encounter distressing situations can experience unique forms of psychological stress and trauma exposure.
Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, military personnel, and healthcare professionals may be affected by a single critical incident, cumulative exposure to traumatic events, or the ongoing demands of high-responsibility work.
Trauma-related difficulties do not always appear immediately. Some individuals continue functioning effectively for years before recognizing changes in sleep, mood, relationships, emotional regulation, or their ability to recover from stress.
Rebecca and Julie have extensive experience supporting first responders and veterans experiencing PTSD, operational stress injuries, and other trauma-related difficulties.
Treatment recognizes the importance of professional identity, occupational culture, confidentiality, and the challenges that can arise when individuals are accustomed to functioning under pressure.
We also welcome individuals whose trauma experiences are unrelated to their occupation.
What to Expect from Trauma Counselling
Beginning trauma therapy can feel intimidating, particularly if you've spent years avoiding painful memories or managing difficult emotions on your own.
Our approach emphasizes collaboration, respect, and choice.
We begin by understanding you
Early sessions focus on your experiences, current concerns, strengths, and goals.
You will not be expected to share every detail of your trauma before you're ready.
We develop safety and stability
Depending on your needs, we may begin by strengthening emotional regulation, identifying resources, and developing strategies to manage distress.
For some clients, this preparation is an important part of treatment before engaging in more direct trauma processing.
We work at a manageable pace
Trauma therapy should not involve pushing you into experiences that feel unmanageable.
We regularly assess how treatment is progressing and adjust our approach according to your responses, circumstances, and goals.
We support meaningful change
Recovery may involve reduced distress, greater emotional flexibility, improved relationships, a more compassionate relationship with yourself, or an increased ability to feel present and engaged in everyday life.
Progress is not always linear, and the goals of therapy will be unique to you.
Meet Our Trauma Therapists
Rebecca Teebay-Webb — Registered Psychologist
Rebecca brings extensive clinical experience supporting individuals affected by trauma, PTSD, complex trauma, anxiety, and related psychological difficulties.
Her work includes supporting first responders, veterans, and individuals who have experienced childhood adversity, relational trauma, and distressing life events.
Rebecca draws upon EMDR, ART, parts-informed approaches, clinical hypnosis, and other evidence-informed therapeutic strategies, adapting treatment to each client's needs.
Julie Hicks — MSW, Registered Social Worker
Julie brings extensive experience supporting individuals who have experienced trauma and its effects on emotional well-being, relationships, and everyday functioning.
Her approach emphasizes compassion, collaboration, and helping clients feel understood and supported throughout the therapeutic process.
Julie offers Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), DBT, somatic therapies etc, as part of her trauma counselling work and tailors treatment to each individual's needs and goals.
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