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Trauma & Stress-Related Disorders
Understanding, Healing, and Hope
What are Trauma & Stress-Related Disorders?
Trauma and stress-related disorders develop in response to exposure to traumatic, threatening or significantly stressful events or circumstances. They are characterised by the way traumatic experience becomes embedded in the nervous system — altering how a person perceives threat, regulates emotion, relates to others and experiences themselves and the world.
Trauma is not defined by the event itself but by its impact. What is traumatic for one person may not be for another — and this does not reflect strength or weakness. It reflects the complex interaction of the event, the context in which it occurred, the person’s history and the resources available to them at the time.
Trauma and stress-related disorders are among the most complex and most underdiagnosed conditions in clinical practice. They frequently present as depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, chronic pain or substance use — and the underlying trauma is not always immediately apparent. Accurate assessment is essential.
At Karasick Psychology we provide thorough clinical assessment and evidence-based treatment for the full range of trauma and stress-related disorders in adolescents and adults.
Conditions We Treat
Trauma and stress-related disorders share common roots but present distinctly — accurate assessment is the foundation of effective treatment.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Develops following exposure to a traumatic event — involving actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence. PTSD is characterised by intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in mood and cognition and persistent hyperarousal. It is not a sign of weakness — it is the understandable result of an extraordinary experience.
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
Develops following prolonged, repeated trauma — particularly in childhood or in contexts of captivity or control. In addition to PTSD symptoms C-PTSD involves significant disturbances in self-perception, emotional regulation and relational patterns. Treatment requires a phased, longer term approach.
Adjustment Disorders
An emotional or behavioural response to a significant life stressor that is more intense or prolonged than would typically be expected. Adjustment disorders develop when the normal process of adapting to change becomes overwhelmed — leaving you struggling to cope in ways that affect daily functioning and wellbeing.
Burnout
A state of chronic physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to demanding or overwhelming circumstances. Burnout develops gradually and involves a depletion of resources that rest alone cannot replenish — and frequently occurs alongside depression and anxiety.
Relational Trauma
Trauma that occurs within relationships — particularly those involving dependency, power imbalance or an expectation of safety and care. Relational trauma does not require overt abuse — emotional neglect, chronic invalidation and unpredictable caregiving can all produce significant and lasting trauma responses.
Grief & Loss
Grief is a natural response to loss — but when it becomes prolonged, complicated or significantly impairing it deserves professional support. Grief can follow bereavement, relationship breakdown, loss of identity or role, chronic illness or any significant life loss.
Understanding trauma
Trauma is not what happens to you — it is what happens inside you as a result. The same event can be traumatic for one person and not for another. This does not reflect resilience or character. It reflects the complex interplay of biology, history, context and available support at the time of the experience.
Trauma affects the brain and nervous system in measurable, documented ways. It dysregulates the stress response system, alters memory processing and embeds threat responses that persist long after the original danger has passed.
Understanding this is not an excuse — it is an explanation. And it is the foundation of effective treatment.
Common sources of trauma include:
▪ Medical trauma — serious illness, surgery or emergency
▪ Witnessing violence or death
▪ Combat or war exposure
▪ Sexual assault or domestic violence
▪ Prolonged emotional abuse or coercive control
▪ Sudden loss of a loved one
▪ Growing up in an environment of chronic instability or unpredictability
▪ Physical, sexual or emotional abuse
▪ Childhood neglect or maltreatment
▪ Motor vehicle accidents or workplace injuries
▪ Natural disasters or accidents
Common symptoms:
▪ Intrusive memories, flashbacks or nightmares related to a past experience
▪ Feeling constantly on alert — scanning for danger even when safe
▪ Emotional numbing, detachment or feeling cut off from others
▪ Intense emotional reactions to situations that seem unrelated to the original experience
▪ Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe in relationships
▪ Persistent negative beliefs about yourself, others or the world following a difficult experience
▪ Avoidance of people, places or situations that trigger memories or distress
▪ Physical symptoms — tension, pain, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems — without clear medical cause
▪ Difficulty regulating emotions — explosive anger, emotional shutdown or rapid shifts
▪ A sense of being permanently changed or damaged by what happened
Treatment
Evidence-based care for trauma — paced entirely to you.
Trauma treatment at Karasick Psychology is phased, collaborative and paced entirely to you. Safety and stabilisation come before trauma processing — we never move faster than you are ready to go. Building a strong therapeutic foundation is not a preliminary step — it is essential to the effectiveness of everything that follows.
We draw from evidence-based approaches with the strongest research base for trauma — including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy. Treatment is tailored to the specific disorder, the nature of the trauma and the individual’s current capacity and goals.
What to expect
Treatment begins with a thorough and compassionate assessment of your experiences, history and current functioning. From there therapy is collaborative, paced to you and focused on both immediate stabilisation and longer term healing.