Attachment therapy and specialized trauma care are at the heart of what we do at Lori Gill Psychotherapy. Trauma and attachment challenges can affect anyone—from infants and children to adults—even when the distressing events are not consciously remembered. Our evidence-based approach helps clients in the Niagara Region safely process trauma, regulate their nervous systems, and build secure, lasting connections.
Trauma is a sensory experience. Distressing events leave a physical and emotional imprint on both the body and the brain. This often manifests as anxiety, emotional outbursts, numbness, or difficulty connecting with others. Trauma is not just about what happened to you, but how that experience is held within your nervous system.
Attachment refers to the emotional bonds we form with our earliest caregivers. We are born wired for connection, which lays the foundation for how we regulate our emotions throughout our lives. When these early relationships are disrupted, unsafe, or unpredictable, it can impact our ability to trust, feel secure, and form healthy relationships as adults.
We tailor our attachment therapy and trauma treatment to each individual’s unique needs, utilizing advanced, neurobiologically-informed frameworks:
Our clinical team is highly trained in the Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) Model through the Trauma Center at JRI (founded by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk). Our staff completed intensive training in the ARC model with Executive Director Dr. Joseph Spinazzola, and the Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART) model with Dr. Elizabeth Warner.
The ARC model is an internationally recognized, evidence-based framework recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to promote healing and integration of trauma and attachment dysregulation.
*”I once worked with a young child in live-in treatment who heartbreakingly told me, ‘My brain is broken.’ *
*Using our knowledge of neuroscience, I was able to reframe this for him. I explained that his brain wasn’t broken at all—it was actually brilliant. It had done exactly what it was designed to do: protect him during overwhelming and terrifying events. *
The challenge is that a brilliant brain can sometimes get ‘stuck’ perceiving danger even after the threat has passed. Through attachment therapy and body-mind regulation, we helped his nervous system feel safe again, allowing him to step out of survival mode and begin to heal.”
You do not have to navigate trauma and attachment challenges alone. Our compassionate, highly specialized team is here to guide you with evidence-based expertise.