Putting Everyone Else First
You find it easier to recognise other people’s needs than your own. Saying no can bring guilt, anxiety or the fear of disappointing someone.
TRAUMA-INFORMED COACHING
Understanding the Patterns That Have Shaped You.
Sometimes we respond to situations in ways we don’t fully understand.
We may become anxious when someone is disappointed with us, feel responsible for everyone else’s wellbeing, struggle to say no, or find ourselves withdrawing when a relationship becomes difficult.
Even when we recognise these patterns, changing them can feel surprisingly hard.
Our experiences influence the way we understand ourselves, relate to others and respond to what happens around us.
Trauma-informed coaching creates space to explore these connections with care, curiosity and respect for your individual experience.
My role is to help you recognise the patterns that may be influencing your life today, understand their possible origins, and develop more choice in how you respond.
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UNDERSTANDING THE APPROACH
What Does Trauma-Informed Coaching Mean?
A trauma-informed approach recognises that difficult or overwhelming experiences can influence the way we think, feel, behave and relate to other people.
These experiences may involve a single event, repeated situations, or circumstances in which we felt unable to express ourselves, make choices or have our needs recognised.
Our responses often develop as ways of adapting to the environments in which we live.
For example, a child who learns that expressing disagreement leads to conflict may become an adult who finds it difficult to set boundaries.
Someone who has had to take responsibility for others from an early age may grow up feeling uncomfortable asking for help.
These are possibilities to explore, rather than explanations we can automatically apply to everyone.
Trauma-informed coaching takes these experiences into account. It places particular importance on emotional and physical safety, choice, collaboration, trust and personal autonomy.
You do not need to identify yourself as someone who has experienced trauma to benefit from a trauma-informed approach.
Your responses make more sense when we understand the experiences and circumstances in which they developed.
DOES THIS FEEL FAMILIAR?
When Familiar Ways of Coping Begin to Limit Your Choices.
You may recognise some of these experiences in your everyday life.
Feeling Responsible for Everything
You take on more than you can comfortably manage and find it difficult to delegate, rest or ask for support.
Staying Constantly Alert
You pay close attention to other people’s moods, reactions and expectations. Even ordinary situations can leave you feeling tense.
Questioning Your Own Judgement
You second-guess your decisions, seek reassurance or struggle to trust what you feel and need.
Finding Conflict Difficult
Disagreement can feel threatening. You may avoid difficult conversations, become defensive or withdraw.
Repeating Relationship Patterns
You notice familiar dynamics in your relationships and wonder why they continue, even when you understand them intellectually.
These experiences can have many contributing factors. Exploring them helps us understand what is happening in your particular situation and what you might want to do differently.
BODY AND EMOTIONS
Why Understanding Something Isn’t Always Enough to Change It.
You may know that a situation is manageable and still feel your heart racing, your shoulders tightening or your stomach contracting.
You may want to speak up, yet find yourself unable to find the words.
These physical responses are part of how our nervous system reacts to perceived stress or threat.
Previous experiences can influence what feels threatening or overwhelming to us, even when our present circumstances are different.
In our work, we may pay attention to these responses alongside your thoughts, emotions and beliefs.
Learning to notice what happens in your body can help you recognise your reactions earlier and explore ways of responding with greater awareness.
We may use simple grounding, breathing, mindfulness or body-awareness practices, depending on your preferences and what feels appropriate.
Awareness of your body’s responses can give you another way to understand your experience.
WORKING TOGETHER
We Begin With What Matters to You.
You may come to coaching with a specific difficulty, a recurring relationship pattern, a decision you are struggling to make or a sense that you have lost touch with your own needs.
We begin by exploring your present experience and what you would like to change.
I may invite you to notice what happens when you talk about a particular situation: the thoughts that arise, the emotions you recognise and any physical sensations you become aware of.
We may explore the beliefs associated with your reactions, the needs beneath them and the resources you already have.
Depending on your goals, I may introduce reflective exercises, mindfulness or somatic practices.
We also consider how you might apply what you discover in everyday situations, whether that means setting a boundary, asking for support, communicating differently or making a decision with greater confidence.
You remain an active participant in deciding what we explore and how we work.
How It WorksYOUR EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Your Pace. Your Boundaries. Your Choices.
A trauma-informed approach gives particular importance to your sense of choice and control within the coaching relationship.
You decide what you want to share. You can decline an exercise, ask questions, request a change of direction or tell me that something does not feel right for you.
We do not need to revisit painful experiences in detail in order to explore how certain patterns may be affecting your life today.
I will not ask you to disclose more than you wish to share.
My responsibility is to create a respectful professional environment, communicate clearly and remain attentive to your responses.
We work with your present needs, goals and resources, while recognising that your experiences deserve care and consideration.
You have a voice in every part of our work together.
POSSIBILITIES FOR CHANGE
Making Room for Different Responses.
As you develop a clearer understanding of your patterns, you may begin to notice opportunities to respond differently.
You might practise recognising your needs before automatically agreeing to something.
You might explore what makes it difficult to ask for help, express disagreement or accept that another person may be disappointed.
You may learn to recognise the early signs of stress and experiment with practices that help you stay more present.
You might also begin to question long-held beliefs about responsibility, achievement, relationships or your own worth.
The direction of our work depends on what matters to you.
The aim is to develop greater awareness, self-trust and freedom of choice in your everyday life.
PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES
Understanding What Coaching Can Offer.
Trauma-informed coaching is an approach to coaching that takes into account the possible effects of difficult experiences.
It is not trauma therapy.
My work focuses on your present experience, personal development, goals, resources and the choices available to you.
It does not involve diagnosing mental health conditions or providing treatment for trauma-related disorders.
If you are experiencing symptoms that require clinical assessment or treatment, support from an appropriately qualified mental health professional is important.
Coaching and psychotherapy can sometimes complement one another, provided each remains within its professional scope.
Coaching does not replace medical, psychological or psychiatric care when such care is needed.
GET TO KNOW ME
The Person Behind the Approach.
I’m Evdoxia Stoupi, an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) specialising in trauma-informed coaching.
My professional background includes somatic practices, mindfulness, hypnotherapy and Reiki, alongside an earlier career in law.
I am particularly interested in how our experiences shape the ways we see ourselves, relate to others and make choices.
I bring professional knowledge, curiosity and respect for each person’s experience into the work I do.
More About MeLET’S START WITH A CONVERSATION
What Would You Like to Understand About Yourself?
Perhaps you recognise some of the patterns described here. Perhaps you have questions about your reactions, relationships or the way you respond to stress.
We can begin by talking about what brings you here.
During our complimentary introductory call, you’ll have an opportunity to tell me about your situation, ask questions and explore whether my approach feels right for you.
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Coaching and crisis support
Inner Safety Healing does not provide emergency mental health or crisis services. If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact your local emergency services or an appropriate crisis support provider. Coaching is not a substitute for medical or psychological treatment.