.png)
One of our approaches
Prolonged Exposure (PE)
Prolonged Exposure is a structured, time-limited approach built around gradually and safely facing the trauma-related memories and situations you’ve been avoiding.
.jpeg)
Nothing is sprung on you. You set every step, and you can slow down at any time.
How it works
The idea behind it
After trauma, avoiding things often feels protective. Steering clear of a memory, a place, or a reminder can feel like the only way to cope. But avoidance has a cost. Every time you avoid something, your brain never gets to learn that the memory can be tolerated, or that the situation isn’t dangerous anymore. Over time, avoidance tends to grow, quietly shrinking your life around it.
PE works by helping you approach these memories and situations gradually, repeatedly, and in a controlled way. Your brain relearns, through direct experience rather than logic, that the memory is survivable and the situation is safe. The key is staying with the discomfort long enough for the fear to come down on its own, rather than escaping it.
In session
What a session looks like
PE has a few core pieces. It starts with plain-language teaching about common trauma reactions, so what you’re experiencing makes sense. You also learn a simple breathing technique to manage anxiety in the moment.
Imaginal exposure means revisiting the memory out loud, in detail, in session. The point isn’t to relive it; it’s to process it in a safe place, with time afterward to talk through what came up. Real-life exposure means gradually approaching the people, places, or situations you’ve been avoiding. You build this together as a step-by-step list, from least to most difficult, and usually practice it between sessions.
Throughout, your clinician checks in on how distressed you’re feeling. The pace is always set together. Nothing is sprung on you.
Frequently asked questions
Is this covered by insurance?
The approach doesn’t change the coverage. Most extended health plans cover sessions with a Registered Counselling Therapist or Registered Social Worker. Call the number on your benefits card and ask. We bill most major insurers directly, so you only pay what your plan doesn’t cover; otherwise you get a receipt after every session.
How many sessions will it take?
It depends on you and what you’re working on. By session two you’ll have a written plan, and every few sessions we check in with the same short questions so you can see what’s changing. You can stop at any time.
Does it work online?
Yes. We offer every approach in person in Dartmouth and by secure video anywhere in Nova Scotia. If one of them works better in person, we’ll tell you.
Does it cost more?
No. Whichever approach we use, it’s included in your standard session fee. See fees and insurance.
Ready when you are.
You don’t need to choose an approach before you book. That’s our job, together with you, in the first two sessions.