What We Provide
NICE-recommended therapies. Trauma-Focused CBT and EMDR are the gold-standard treatments for trauma and PTSD, as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Both approaches have strong evidence bases and are designed to reduce the severity and frequency of trauma symptoms, intrusive memories, flashbacks, hyperarousal, avoidance behaviours, and emotional numbing.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing). EMDR helps the brain process traumatic memories that have become “stuck” replaying involuntarily as flashbacks or nightmares. Through guided bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), the therapy allows the brain to reprocess the memory and file it in a way that reduces its emotional intensity. Most patients experience significant symptom reduction within six to twelve sessions.
Trauma-Focused CBT. A structured approach that addresses the distorted thinking patterns that develop after traumatic events, catastrophic interpretations, self-blame, persistent threat perception. The therapy combines cognitive restructuring with gradual exposure techniques to help the individual confront and process the traumatic memory rather than avoiding it.
Tailored intervention. Trauma affects everyone differently. A construction worker who witnessed a colleague’s fall may present differently from an office worker who was robbed at knifepoint. Treatment plans are individually designed by clinicians with specific trauma qualifications, not pulled from a generic protocol.
Flexible delivery. Secure video or face-to-face sessions, scheduled to support the employee’s recovery and their eventual return to work. Many trauma therapy sessions are conducted via video because they can be scheduled more flexibly and the employee can attend from a safe, comfortable environment.
When Specialist Trauma Therapy Is Needed
Not every distressing event requires trauma therapy. The brain’s natural processing mechanisms resolve most acute stress reactions within a few weeks. Specialist intervention is needed when those mechanisms fail, when symptoms persist, intensify, or prevent normal functioning.
Indicators that specialist trauma therapy is appropriate include: persistent intrusive memories or flashbacks more than four weeks after the event; avoidance of situations, places, or people associated with the event; hyperarousal, being constantly on edge, startling easily, difficulty sleeping; emotional numbing or detachment; inability to return to work or to the location where the event occurred; and significant changes in mood, behaviour, or relationships.
The trigger events are typically life-threatening or horrifying: industrial accidents, near-misses with a genuine threat to life, sudden death of a colleague, exposure to severe injury or death, violent assault, or hostile environment exposure. The common factor is that the individual’s sense of safety has been profoundly disrupted.
The Timing of Trauma Therapy
Timing matters in trauma treatment. Immediate psychological first aid, the Critical Incident Support described elsewhere on this site should happen within 72 hours. Its purpose is to stabilise, normalise reactions, and identify anyone at elevated risk.
Deeper trauma therapy typically begins two to four weeks post-event. There’s a clinical reason for this gap. In the immediate aftermath, the brain’s natural processing is still active. Starting intensive therapy too early can interfere with that natural recovery. Starting too late allows trauma symptoms to become entrenched and harder to treat.
We monitor individuals identified as being at elevated risk during this interim period, checking in to assess symptom trajectory and initiating therapy at the optimal clinical point. This active monitoring is part of our standard post-incident pathway, not an add-on.
Integration with Your OH and Absence Management
Trauma therapy does not happen in isolation from employment. The employee may be absent from work. Their manager may be uncertain about when to expect them back. HR may be managing a concurrent investigation or insurance claim. The employee themselves may be anxious about returning to the location where the event occurred.
Our trauma therapists communicate with your OH team, with the employee’s consent, to ensure the treatment plan, the return-to-work strategy, and the workplace adjustments are all aligned. The therapist understands the clinical picture. The OH adviser understands the employment context. Together, they produce a coordinated recovery plan that serves both the employee’s health and the organisation’s operational needs.
This integration is only possible because our trauma therapy, EAP counselling, and occupational health services all sit within the same governance framework. A standalone trauma provider can treat the symptoms. We can treat the symptoms and manage the return to work as one clinical journey.
What This Means for Your Business
Untreated workplace trauma generates prolonged absence, compensation claims, and workforce attrition. A single PTSD case can cost an employer tens of thousands in absence costs, treatment, and legal fees. Effective trauma therapy, delivered at the right clinical point, typically resolves the condition within six to twelve sessions, returning the employee to sustained attendance and protecting the organisation from the escalating costs of untreated psychological injury.
