Utilizing Childhood Memories and Natural Avoidance in Trauma Counselling

This workshop is suitable for mental health professionals that support clients with childhood and complex trauma histories. Through engaging case studies and clinical demonstrations, participants will learn how early memories can offer vital insights into a client’s emotional world and facilitate deeper healing. The workshop will also address the challenge of avoidance that naturally arises during memory recall, offering practical strategies for recognising, understanding, and working through resistance in the therapeutic process. Combining theory with thought-provoking examples, the session provides clinicians with tools to apply memory work safely and effectively across a range of presentations. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to use childhood memories to enrich trauma therapy and promote lasting change. Suitable for counsellors, psychotherapists, and mental health professionals seeking to enhance their trauma-informed practice.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the therapeutic function of childhood memories in trauma counselling and how they contribute to emotional integration and self-understanding.
2. Identify common avoidance patterns that emerge when clients recall early experiences and develop strategies to work with, rather than against, this resistance.
3. Apply practical interventions and language to safely invite memory recall without re-traumatisation.
4. Analyse clinical case examples to recognise the role of early memories in shaping adult coping patterns and relational dynamics.
5. Integrate memory-based exploration into existing trauma-informed frameworks in both short-term and long-term therapy contexts.

Presenter:
The workshop is presented by an experienced trauma psychotherapist and PACFA-accredited supervisor whose clinical and teaching practice centres on the use of childhood memories in trauma recovery. Drawing on extensive therapeutic experience and real case material, the presenter offers practical tools, clinical insights, and reflective guidance for counsellors seeking to deepen their trauma-informed practice.