A Message to Our Referral Partners: Collaborative Care for Women, Couples and Families Healing from Sexual Trauma

Supporting individuals and families impacted by sexual abuse and sexual assault requires collaboration. Healing often involves a network of professionals who each play an important role in providing care, support, advocacy, and guidance.

Family Physicians, Social Workers, School Counsellors, Psychologists, Lawyers, Victim Service Providers, Educators, and other helping professionals often support individuals and families at different points throughout their journey.

Whether you are supporting someone following disclosure, helping a client navigate the impact of trauma, or assisting a family through a difficult transition, the care you provide can make a meaningful difference.

Specialized trauma counselling is one part of this continuum of care.

At our speciality clinic at Nada Johnson Consulting & Counselling Services, our goal is to work alongside referring professionals by providing compassionate, trauma-informed counselling for women, couples, and families healing from the impacts of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Why I Created a Specialty Practice Focused on Sexual Trauma

When I created this specialty clinic, I wanted to build a specialty practice where adolescent girls, women, couples and families could access counselling from clinicians who understand the complexity of sexual trauma and its impact on emotional well-being, relationships, and sense of self.

I have worked for nearly a decade in the field of sexual violence and trauma counselling, supporting women and adolescent girls through crisis, healing, and recovery within community-based organizations and specialized trauma services.

My experience has shown me that healing from sexual trauma is not only an individual process. Trauma can affect relationships, families, communication, trust, and the ways people connect with one another.

This understanding shaped the foundation of my practice.

I created this specialty clinic to provide a space where clients can receive specialized trauma-informed support while recognizing the importance of relationships and support systems in the healing process.

As the practice grows, our commitment remains the same: to provide compassionate, ethical, and evidence-informed counselling through clinicians who share our values, clinical philosophy, and commitment to trauma-informed care.

A Specialty Practice Supporting Women, Couples, and Families

We are a specialty counselling practice focused on supporting individuals and relationships impacted by sexual abuse and sexual assault.

We provide online counselling across Ontario. Canada for:

• Adolescent girls (14+) healing from the impact of sexual abuse

• Women healing from the emotional, psychological, and relational impacts of childhood sexual abuse and sexual assault

• Couples navigating the impact of sexual trauma within their relationship

• Parents, caregivers, partners, and families seeking education, support, and guidance

  
  

Our work recognizes that sexual trauma can affect many areas of life, including emotional regulation, self-worth, relationships, communication, trust, and a person's sense of safety.

By focusing specifically on sexual trauma, our practice provides care that is informed by an understanding of the unique challenges individuals and families may experience throughout the healing process.

Supporting Healing Beyond the Individual

While individual counselling can be an important part of healing, trauma often impacts the relationships surrounding the person as well.

For adolescent girls (14+) and women healing from sexual trauma, counselling may focus on understanding the impact of trauma, strengthening coping strategies, rebuilding a sense of self, and reconnecting with safety and confidence.

For couples, counselling may focus on understanding how trauma affects communication, trust, emotional closeness, and intimacy. Partners are supported in developing greater understanding, reducing blame, and creating a relationship where safety and connection can grow.

For families, counselling provides space for parents, caregivers, and loved ones to better understand trauma responses, process their own emotions, and learn ways to provide support that is compassionate, informed, and respectful.

Our approach recognizes that healing can be strengthened when the relationships around an individual become sources of safety, understanding, and support.

What Referral Partners Can Expect

When referring a client to our speciality clinic, our priority is creating a safe, respectful, and supportive therapeutic experience.

Clients can expect:

• Trauma-informed, evidence-informed counselling tailored to their unique experiences and goals.

• Care that is paced according to each person's readiness.

• A collaborative approach that respects each individual's lived experience.

• Support focused on safety, emotional regulation, resilience, and healing.

• Clinical care that considers the impact of trauma on both individuals and relationships.

  
  

We also value collaboration with referring professionals. When appropriate and with client consent, communication between providers can support continuity of care and ensure clients receive coordinated support.

A Foundation of Experience

The foundation of Nada Johnson Counselling & Counselling Services is built upon nearly a decade of experience supporting individuals impacted by sexual violence and trauma.

My clinical experience includes providing individual, family, and couples counselling within community-based sexual violence organizations and specialized trauma services. I have supported women and adolescent girls through trauma recovery, crisis intervention, emotional regulation, relationship challenges, and the complex impacts of sexual violence.

I have also had the privilege of serving in leadership within Ontario's sexual violence sector, including as Board Chair of a sexual violence centre, where I contributed to strengthening trauma-informed and accessible support services.

My clinical training and experience include evidence-informed approaches such as:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Trauma-Focused CBT

• EMDR

• Brainspotting

• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

• Narrative Therapy

• Culturally responsive and trauma-informed care

  
  

This experience has shaped a practice grounded in compassion, clinical responsibility, and respect for every person's lived experience.

As the practice grows and additional clinicians join the team, they are supported in providing care that aligns with our clinical philosophy, values, and commitment to specialized trauma-informed counselling.

Building Trusted Referral Partnerships

Meaningful collaboration benefits everyone involved—especially the individuals, couples, and families we collectively support.

Whether you are supporting a adolescent girl (14+) or woman healing from sexual trauma, a couple navigating changes within their relationship, or a family seeking guidance and understanding, we welcome the opportunity to be a trusted referral partner.

Our goal is to work alongside professionals across healthcare, education, legal, and community settings to help ensure clients have access to specialized counselling that is compassionate, evidence-informed, and responsive to their unique needs.

Thank you for the important work you do in supporting individuals and families. We look forward to building collaborative relationships that strengthen the care available to those healing from the impacts of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

If you are a referring professional and have questions about our approach, services, or whether a client may be a good fit for our practice, please feel welcome to connect with us.

In collaboration,

Nada Johnson, BA, MSW, RSW

Website: www.nadajohnson.com 

Email: info@nadajohnsonservices.com

Phone: 437-887-6146