Trauma & PTSD Psychologist in North Sydney & Pymble

When the Past Won’t Stay in the Past

Trauma isn’t only about what happened; it’s about how what happened continues to show up in the present. That might mean feeling on edge without knowing why, avoiding places or situations that used to feel ordinary, struggling to trust, or finding certain memories intrude when you least expect them.

At Cadence Psychology, with clinics in North Sydney and Pymble, our psychologists work with adults, adolescents, and children carrying the effects of a single distressing event or prolonged difficult experiences. We take a measured, trauma-informed approach, but you set the pace; and nothing happens before you’re ready for it.

Trauma & PTSD in Adults

Trauma responses don’t always look like what people expect. Common presentations include:

• Hypervigilance or feeling constantly “on guard”
• Avoidance of people, places, or situations linked to the experience
• Intrusive memories or flashbacks that surface unexpectedly
• Sleep disturbance, including nightmares or difficulty settling
• Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected from others
• Difficulty trusting, which can affect relationships and closeness
• Heightened anxiety or a persistent sense of threat, even in safe situations

Trauma can follow a single event or build over time through prolonged difficult circumstances. Both are valid reasons to seek support.

Trauma & PTSD in Children & Teens

Children process frightening or overwhelming experiences differently to adults, and it doesn’t always look like distress on the surface. We often see:

• Regression to earlier behaviours (bedwetting, clinginess, separation difficulty)
• Changes in play, including re-enacting frightening events
• Sleep disturbance or nightmares
• Irritability or outbursts that seem disproportionate to the trigger
• Withdrawal from friends, family, or previously enjoyed activities
• Physical complaints — stomach aches or headaches without a clear medical cause

We work closely with parents throughout, helping you understand what you’re seeing and how to respond supportively at home.

How a Psychologist Can Help

Trauma-informed therapy is not about reliving the worst moments in detail before you’re ready. It’s a structured, paced process:

• Establishing safety and stability before any processing work begins
• Psychoeducation about how trauma affects the brain and body, which many clients find genuinely relieving
• Processing at your pace, using evidence-based approaches including trauma-informed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Schema Therapy for longer-standing patterns
• Rebuilding a sense of safety in your body and daily life
• Reconnecting with values and identity beyond the trauma, where Narrative Therapy can be a genuinely helpful complementary approach
• Practical strategies for managing triggers, sleep disruption, and hypervigilance day to day