Sexual Trauma Counselling
Online therapy for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault and sexual trauma
Experiences of sexual trauma can shape how we feel about ourselves, our bodies and our relationships with others. They may influence our sense of safety, trust, intimacy, pleasure and the boundaries we hold, sometimes long after the experience itself.
For some people, the impact of sexual trauma is immediately recognisable. For others, it can take years to begin understanding how past experiences have influenced the way they feel, relate and move through the world.
You may find yourself carrying shame that doesn't belong to you, questioning your experiences, struggling to trust your own feelings or noticing that your body responds in ways you don't fully understand.
Whatever has brought you here, you don't need to have everything figured out before beginning therapy.
I offer online sexual trauma counselling grounded in a person-centred, relational and somatic-informed approach. Together, we can explore your experiences at a pace that feels right for you, with care, curiosity and respect for your autonomy.
How sexual trauma can affect us
There is no single way to experience sexual trauma, and no particular way that someone should respond to it.
Our responses can be influenced by many things, including the circumstances of what happened, our earlier experiences, the support available to us and the meaning we have made of those experiences over time.
You might recognise some of the following:
Feelings of shame, guilt or self-blame
Difficulty trusting yourself or other people
Feeling disconnected from your body, emotions or sense of self
Anxiety, hypervigilance, numbness or dissociation
Difficulty recognising or expressing boundaries
People-pleasing, freezing or feeling unable to say no
Challenges with intimacy, sexuality, touch or pleasure
Changes in how you experience relationships and attachment
Grief, anger or confusion about what happened
Changes in how you experience or relate to your sexuality, including increased or decreased sexual desire, hypersexuality, exploring kinks or sexual interests that feel confusing, or questioning your sexual identity.
These experiences don’t mean there is something is wrong with you. They may be ways you have adapted to circumstances in which your choice, autonomy or sense of safety was compromised.
Sexual interests, kink, asexuality or changes in desire are not inherently signs of trauma. What matters is how you experience your sexuality, the meaning it holds for you and whether there are aspects you'd like to explore or understand.
Therapy can offer a space to explore these responses without judgement or an expectation that you should feel differently.
Counselling for childhood sexual abuse
The impact of childhood sexual abuse can be complex, particularly when experiences occurred within relationships where there was an expectation of trust, care or protection.
For some survivors, the meaning of what happened becomes clearer only in adulthood. You may have spent years minimising your experiences, questioning your memories or struggling to understand why certain situations, relationships or feelings are difficult.
Childhood sexual abuse can also influence the beliefs we develop about ourselves, our needs, our boundaries and what we believe we are allowed to ask for.
In our work together, there is room to explore these experiences and their impact on your life now.
You will not be expected to recount traumatic events in detail or revisit experiences before you feel ready.
Counselling after sexual assault and adult sexual trauma
Sexual trauma can occur within many different circumstances, including intimate relationships, marriages, dating, casual encounters and situations involving coercion or compromised consent.
Sometimes people struggle to recognise their experiences as sexual assault, particularly when they knew the person involved, did not physically resist or initially consented to some aspects of an encounter.
You may find yourself questioning what happened or how you responded.
Our bodies and nervous systems can respond to overwhelming experiences through freezing, appeasing, disconnecting or other protective responses. These are not the same as freely given consent.
Therapy can provide space to explore your experience, the feelings surrounding it and the ways it may be affecting your life, without needing to justify or prove what happened.
My approach to sexual trauma therapy
My work is grounded in person-centred counselling, alongside specialist training and experience in somatic sexology, trauma-informed practice and the relationship between our bodies, emotions and nervous systems.
I understand sexual trauma as something that may affect more than our thoughts and memories. It can also influence our bodily responses, relationships, boundaries and experiences of intimacy.
My approach brings together several perspectives.
A person-centred and relational foundation
At the heart of my practice is the belief that you are the expert in your own experience.
Rather than directing you towards a predetermined outcome, I offer a therapeutic relationship in which we can explore what matters to you, what you are experiencing and what you might need.
There is no expectation that you must forgive, disclose, reconnect with your sexuality or reach a particular version of recovery.
Somatic awareness and nervous system understanding
Our bodies can sometimes respond before we have consciously made sense of what is happening.
Drawing on my training in somatic sexology and polyvagal-informed approaches, we may explore how emotions and experiences show up in the body, including sensations of tension, numbness, activation or disconnection.
This might involve noticing bodily sensations, exploring what helps you feel more grounded or becoming curious about your responses.
Somatic awareness is always invitational. You remain in choice about whether and how we work with the body.
Online counselling does not involve physical touch or bodywork.
Consent, boundaries and autonomy
Consent is central to my therapeutic practice, not simply as a topic we might discuss but as something we practise within the therapeutic relationship itself.
My training in the Wheel of Consent® informs how I understand choice, boundaries, communication and the complexities of giving and receiving.
You are welcome to question, disagree, decline an invitation or change your mind.
There is no requirement to share anything you are not ready to explore.
Sexual trauma, sexuality and relationships
For some people, sexual trauma has a significant impact on intimacy, sexual expression, desire and relationships. For others, these areas may not be central to their experience.
You may feel disconnected from pleasure, uncertain about what you want, uncomfortable receiving touch or find yourself agreeing to things that don't feel right for you.
You may also experience desire and pleasure alongside difficult feelings about your past. These experiences are not mutually exclusive.
As both a counsellor and somatic sexologist, I bring an understanding of sexuality, consent, shame and embodiment into the therapy room.
My practice is LGBTQIA+ affirming, sex-positive and inclusive of diverse relationship structures, identities and sexual expressions, including kink, BDSM and consensual non-monogamy.
I recognise that sexual trauma does not exist separately from our social and cultural experiences. Shame, stigma, discrimination and assumptions about gender or sexuality can all influence whether someone feels able to speak about what has happened to them.
You won't need to explain or defend your identity, relationships or consensual sexual expression in order to be met with respect.
What to expect from online sexual trauma counselling
Beginning therapy can feel like a significant step, particularly when your experiences have involved a loss of trust, choice or control.
Our first sessions offer an opportunity to get to know one another, explore what has brought you to therapy and consider what you might want from our work together.
We can talk about the pace of therapy, what feels important and anything that might help you feel more comfortable in the therapeutic relationship.
There is no requirement to tell your story in chronological order, and we do not need to focus exclusively on traumatic experiences.
We might explore your present-day relationships, boundaries, self-worth, identity, sexuality or the ways you experience yourself and your body.
The direction of our work can develop over time, guided by what feels meaningful to you.
About me
I'm a BACP Registered therapist and qualified somatic sexologist, working with people navigating sexual trauma, sexuality, identity, relationships and experiences of shame.
My professional background includes specialist training in somatic sexology, consent, polyvagal-informed practice and trauma-informed approaches, alongside my person-centred counselling training.
I have experience supporting LGBTQIA+ clients and people navigating childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual trauma, complex relationships and questions of identity and sexuality.
My work is relational, collaborative and grounded in the belief that therapy should offer space for your own understanding and choices to emerge.
Online sexual trauma counselling — fees and appointments
I offer confidential online counselling to adults across the UK.
Session fee: £75
Initial consultation: Free 30-minute online consultation
The consultation is an opportunity for us to meet, discuss what you're looking for and consider whether working together feels like a good fit.
There is no obligation to book ongoing sessions.
Beginning therapy
You may have been thinking about counselling for some time, or perhaps something has recently brought your experiences into focus.
You don't need to know exactly what you want to explore, have a particular diagnosis or be able to describe your experiences in a certain way.
If you're considering sexual trauma counselling, you're welcome to get in touch.
Book a free 30-minute consultation