Trauma Therapy Guide

What trauma-informed care should include

• Safety-first planning and consent-based pacing — you control what is discussed and when.
• Stabilization tools for panic, dissociation, flashbacks, and sleep disruption before any deep processing.
• Structured follow-up intervals with realistic continuity rather than a single session and discharge.
• Referral coordination with legal, medical, and shelter services where your situation requires it.

Finding a counselor in Kenya

• Start with NGO-based services — LVCT Health, Nairobi Women's Hospital Recovery Centre, and county gender desks often have counselors at low or no cost.
• Ask county social services or your nearest hospital about the GBV management guidelines — providers using these guidelines receive trauma training.
• Verify that the counselor maintains confidentiality and will not share your information without consent except in safety emergencies.
• If the first referral does not feel right, you can ask for a different counselor — this is your right.

Between sessions — sustaining your progress

• Use grounding techniques from your sessions when distress spikes between appointments.
• Keep a brief private journal of what you notice — triggers, what helped, what made it harder.
• Maintain your trusted-contact network and let at least one person know your therapy schedule.
• Avoid making major legal, financial, or relationship decisions immediately after a difficult session.

When to escalate beyond counseling

• If suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or severe dissociation arise — contact a crisis line or emergency service immediately.
• Psychiatric review is appropriate when distress prevents basic daily functioning for more than two weeks.
• Legal and shelter needs can be emergency-level — counseling and safety planning should happen in parallel, not sequentially.
• Tell your counselor and coordinator if your safety situation changes — this affects the care approach.

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