Complex Trauma Therapy in Ottawa
Phased, relational therapy for complex trauma in Ottawa. In person and online.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationPhased, relational therapy for complex trauma in Ottawa. In person and online.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationEvery clinician is registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) or the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW).
We want therapy to be financially accessible for everyone. Reduced rates are available case-by-case based on need and availability.
We submit directly to most major insurers, so you don't pay out of pocket upfront.
Our office is in Ottawa. All client records are stored in Canada and handled under PIPEDA and PHIPA.
Therapy is a space to slow down and look at what's underneath. These are some of the patterns people bring into the room.
FOR WHEN SOMETHING FEELS OFF
When someone asks what happened, it's hard to answer because there wasn't a single event. It was the environment. The atmosphere. The way things were. And because it was normal at the time, you're not always sure it counts.
Who you are, what you feel, what you deserve — these things shift in ways that are hard to control. Your identity doesn't feel solid. Your self-worth is easily destabilized. You take up as little space as possible, or you push people away before they can leave.
Getting close to people is complicated. You're hypervigilant to rejection, to changes in mood, to signs that something is about to go wrong. Or you don't feel much at all — a disconnection from other people that keeps you safe but also lonely.
Complex trauma therapy at Auren Wellness takes a phased approach. The first priority is safety and stabilization — building the inner resources and relational trust that make deeper work possible. This isn't a detour. It's the foundation everything else rests on.We may draw on somatic and body-based approaches, attachment-based therapy, and EMDR. Somatic work is particularly relevant for complex trauma because so much of it lives in the nervous system and the body's learned threat responses — not in a discrete memory. We help clients develop greater awareness of and tolerance for their physical experience, so the body becomes a resource rather than something to escape from.Attachment-based approaches address the relational wounds that often sit at the core of complex trauma. When the people who were supposed to keep you safe were also the source of harm, that shapes how you relate to everyone who comes after. Therapy creates a consistent, safe relational experience that begins to update those patterns.For clients whose complex trauma began in early childhood specifically, see our page on childhood trauma therapy in Ottawa.
Email, phone, or fill out our booking form. There's no script and no pressure. You can share as much or as little as you want.
A real person, not a bot, will reply as soon as we can with a few options for a free 15-minute consultation.
We listen. You ask questions. No paperwork, no obligation. If we're not the right match, we'll point you toward someone who might be.
Direct billing where possible. Evening and weekend availability. Virtual or in-person in Ottawa.
Sessions are 50 minutes in length. Rates vary by therapist and are confirmed during your free consultation. We accept e-transfer and credit cards, and direct-bill most insurers.
Sliding-scale spots are available based on need. Ask during your free consultation.
Same 50-minute format, structured for two participants and shared concerns.
Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Social Worker services are covered by most extended health plans in Canada. We recommend confirming your specific coverage before your first paid session. Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, Green Shield, and most major insurers include coverage.
We direct-bill where your insurer allows it. Otherwise, you pay at the time of session and submit the receipt for reimbursement.
Every session generates a receipt listing the provider's license number, suitable for insurance reimbursement.
In-person sessions are held at our Ottawa office. Virtual sessions use a secure, PIPEDA-compliant video platform. You can switch between the two.
We ask for 24 hours notice on cancellations. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged the full session fee.
After the free 15-minute consultation, your first paid session is intake-focused. Bring questions, anything you have already tried, and any goals you have in mind.
QUESTIONS
Complex PTSD develops from prolonged or repeated trauma, often in childhood or within important relationships. Alongside typical PTSD symptoms, it usually involves ongoing struggles with emotional regulation, self-worth, and feeling safe in relationships.
PTSD typically follows a specific event, while complex PTSD stems from trauma that happened repeatedly or over time. Complex PTSD tends to affect identity, emotional regulation, and relationships more pervasively than single-incident PTSD.
Common signs include difficulty managing emotions, a deeply negative self-image, trouble trusting or feeling close to others, and a persistent sense of threat, alongside PTSD features like flashbacks and hypervigilance.
If you lived through ongoing difficult experiences and now struggle with emotions, self-worth, and relationships in ways that feel rooted in the past, complex PTSD may be part of the picture. An assessment can help clarify what's going on.
Complex trauma usually responds best to phased, relationship-based work that prioritizes safety and stability before processing. We may draw on attachment-based, somatic, and EMDR approaches, paced carefully rather than rushed.
Complex trauma generally takes longer than single-incident trauma because it touches identity and relationships. It often unfolds in phases over a longer period. We respect that pace and build the work around where you are.
Many people make significant, lasting progress with complex PTSD, feeling more regulated, more connected, and less defined by the past. We avoid cure language, but meaningful recovery is realistic with the right, well-paced support.
Complex PTSD is recognized in the World Health Organization's ICD-11 diagnostic system. Regardless of labels, the patterns it describes are well understood and treatable, and a clinician can talk through how it applies to you.
Complex PTSD typically results from prolonged or repeated trauma where escape felt difficult, for example childhood abuse or neglect, ongoing emotional abuse, or other sustained harmful experiences, often in formative relationships.
OHIP generally doesn't cover psychotherapy with RPs or RSWs, but many extended health plans do. Check whether your plan covers RP or RSW services. Auren direct-bills many insurers and provides receipts for reimbursement.
Therapy is a longer-term relationship. If you're in acute distress, please reach the services below first. They are free, confidential, and available right now.
