★★★★★
“Sarah is a person who can connect to anyone instantly. She gets you and is passionate to get you to where you want to be.”
NATALIE B. · COUNSELLOR
GENTLE & EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR VICARIOUS TRAUMA
Worldwide Service · Brisbane-Based
Carrying What You’ve Witnessed?Let’s Put It Down.
Not compassion fatigue.
A nervous system that absorbed it.
“You can care without carrying it home.”
Ready to keep doing the work you love, without it costing you your peace?
WHAT I TREAT
Vicarious trauma shows up in many ways.
You didn’t live it, but your nervous system did. Nurses, carers, first responders, lawyers, therapists, social workers — the work asks you to absorb what others survived, and the body keeps score.
However many stories you’ve held — your nervous system can put them down.
01.
Intrusive images
Other people’s worst moments arriving in your head, uninvited.
02.
Hypervigilance off duty
Scanning for danger in the supermarket, the school run, your own home.
03.
Emotional numbness
Feeling nothing, so you can keep functioning.
04.
Cynicism and loss of faith
A darkening view of people and the world.
05.
Exhaustion sleep doesn’t fix
Running on empty and still turning up.
06.
Irritability at home
The people you love getting what’s left, which isn’t much.
07.
Dread before shifts
A knot in the stomach that’s become normal.
08.
Difficulty switching off
Cases and clients following you into the evening and into bed.
09.
Guilt about struggling
Believing you should be able to handle it, because it wasn’t even yours.
10.
Questioning whether you can keep going
Loving the work, and not sure how much longer you can do it.
WHY SELF-CARE AND DEBRIEFING HAVEN’T BEEN ENOUGH
It wasn’t your trauma. Your body doesn’t know that.
You’ve done the debriefs, the supervision, the self-care plans. They help. But the nervous system that absorbed it all is still holding the charge.
THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX
Where the debrief works.
Reflection, supervision, understanding — the level most workplace support operates at. It knows it wasn’t your story. It can’t switch off the alarm below.
THE LIMBIC SYSTEM
Where it was absorbed.
The fight, flight, freeze response doesn’t distinguish between what happened to you and what you witnessed. It stored it all — which is exactly where my work goes, gently.
You know it wasn’t yours. Your nervous system filed it anyway. That’s the gap debriefing can’t bridge.
WHAT A SESSION INVOLVES
Three simple steps.
ESTABLISH SAFETY FIRST
We begin gently, at your pace. You never have to recount the cases or the stories. You’re in control, always.
RELEASE WHAT YOU’VE ABSORBED
A simple, gentle process, a little like a visualisation, that lets your nervous system release what it’s been holding for other people. You stay fully conscious and safe throughout.
TEST THE RESULTS
Before you leave, we confirm the change has settled. Most clients feel a noticeable shift by the end of their very first session.
98% of my clients report their issue resolved, to their satisfaction, in under six sessions.
REAL STORIES, REAL RESULTS
What it feels like on the other side.
Sarah is a person who can connect to anyone instantly. She gets you and is passionate to get you to where you want to be. She has done it for herself and she has the tools to get you there. You won’t regret it.
NATALIE B. / COUNSELLOR / BRISBANE
Working with Sarah has been the best decision I have ever made. Her professionalism, warmth and skill are second to none. I highly recommend Sarah’s services.
COLLEEN G. / GLOBAL IT DIRECTOR / BRISBANE
WHY WORK WITH ME
The difference you’ll actually feel.
I UNDERSTAND THE WORK
I hold other people’s hardest days for a living too. I know what it costs, and I know it can be resolved rather than just managed.
NO RETELLING REQUIRED
You’ll never be asked to recount the cases. The approach releases what’s been absorbed without making you carry it into the room.
CONFIDENTIAL AND SEPARATE
Private, independent, and nothing to do with your employer or professional body.
NO WAITLIST, NO REFERRAL
Private practice means no GP referral and no Medicare waitlist. Begin when you’re ready.
IS THIS RIGHT FOR YOU?
My approach isn’t for everyone — and I’d rather be honest about that.
This is for you if…
- You work in a role that asks you to absorb other people’s trauma, and it’s following you home
- You’ve done the supervision and the self-care, and you’re still carrying it
- You’re ready to actually resolve it, not just manage it until the next hard case
- You want a gentle approach that doesn’t require reliving what you’ve witnessed
It may not be the fit if…
- You have complex needs that call for specialist or medical trauma care
- You’re in acute crisis and need immediate clinical or psychiatric care
- You’re looking for ongoing, open-ended talk therapy rather than resolution
- You’re not quite ready — and that timing deserves respect
This deserves gentleness, never a hard sell. The free consult is exactly where we work out, unhurried, whether this is right for you — and if specialist or medical support would serve you better, I’ll say so honestly.
AND IF I’M NOT THE RIGHT HELP?
My promise.
I’ll get you to whoever is.
Sometimes what looks like vicarious trauma is something more — PTSD, burnout that’s become medical, or a level of need that calls for specialist care.
If that becomes apparent while we’re working together, I won’t leave you to work it out alone. Your investment goes toward identifying what’s actually going on and coaching you toward the right approach — and I’ll act as your champion through the system, so you get a shortcut instead of years of trial and error.
I can’t stand the thought of needless suffering. You’ll be delivered safely to the right help, either way.
In 98% of the cases I take on, I am the right help. The other 2% leave with a clear path to the person who is.
DID YOU KNOW?
I can also help you resolve…
- Trauma and PTSD
- Burnout recovery
- Anxiety
- Hypervigilance
- Emotional numbness
- Sleeplessness
- Emotional reactivity
- Guilt and shame
- Sadness and low mood
- Overthinking and rumination
- Panic attacks
- Grief and loss
LET’S BE HONEST
You don’t need to keep paying for other people’s worst days.
The images that arrive at 3am. The numbness you’ve mistaken for coping. The version of you your family gets after everyone else has had the rest. None of that has to be the shape of your life.
So let’s let your body put it down. Gently. Together.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Your questions, answered.
01.Do I have to talk about the cases?
No — and this matters most of all. Because we work with the subconscious rather than re-analysing what you witnessed, you never have to recount it. You share only what you choose to.
02.Is this different from supervision or EAP?
Yes. Supervision and EAP help you process and manage. This work goes to the nervous system that absorbed it and releases the charge, so there’s less to manage.
03.Will this mean leaving my job?
Not at all. Most of my clients in these roles keep doing the work they love — they just stop paying for it with their health.
04.Will I be hypnotised, or lose control?
No. You remain fully conscious and in control at every moment. The change work is gentle, closer to a guided visualisation than anything you’ve seen on stage.
Ready when you are.
Let’s help you put it down.
Book your free 15-minute consult. We’ll talk gently about what you’ve been carrying, and exactly how I can help you release it.
No pressure, no obligation — just a conversation about what’s possible for you.
Ready to feel better? Book your private consultation today.
BOOK A PRIVATE CONSULTATION RETURNING CLIENTSHeld by phone. Online consults may be requested on booking.
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Sarah Buckle Psychotherapy is not a crisis or emergency service.
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For 24-hour crisis support in Australia, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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