About PTSD
Therapy
Living with the effects of trauma can shape more of your life than other people may realize. You may be managing nightmares, intrusive memories, avoidance, irritability, or a constant sense of being on alert. You may be functioning well at work while feeling exhausted by the effort it takes to keep everything together. Perhaps you've found yourself withdrawing from the people you care about, avoiding places that once felt comfortable, or wondering why you can't simply "move on."
Reaching out for trauma therapy can feel like a significant step, particularly when it means talking about experiences you have worked hard to put behind you. If you're reading this, you may be wondering whether therapy can actually help or whether you'll have to relive everything that happened in order to feel better. Those are common concerns, and they're questions we can explore together.
At PTSD Therapy, I provide structured, evidence-based, and time-limited treatment for trauma and PTSD. My approach is focused and purposeful. Rather than relying on supportive conversations alone, we'll work together to understand the patterns that are keeping you stuck and use treatments that have been shown to help people recover from trauma.
The goal isn't to erase what happened or pretend it no longer matters. It's to reduce the hold those experiences have on your present life so they no longer dictate your decisions, relationships, or sense of who you are. Therapy is about helping you regain confidence, reconnect with the people and activities that matter to you, and move toward a life that feels larger than your trauma.
You don't need to know exactly what type of therapy you need before reaching out, and you don't have to tell your entire story during our first meeting. We begin by understanding what's happening now, how trauma is affecting your daily life, and what you hope will be different. From there, we'll decide together on the treatment approach that best fits your goals.
About Me
I'm Shevanthi (Shev) Collure, a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist with more than 20 years of experience working in mental health across Ontario. Throughout my career, I've worked in inpatient, outpatient, addictions, and community mental health settings. For more than 13 years, my work has focused on providing psychotherapy, with the past several years dedicated almost exclusively to the assessment and treatment of trauma and PTSD.
Over the years I found myself increasingly drawn toward understanding trauma. I became fascinated by why two people could experience similar events yet respond so differently, and how symptoms that often feel confusing or frustrating actually make sense when viewed through the lens of survival. Today, helping clients connect those dots is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.
I chose to specialize in trauma because I saw how often people were told they simply had to learn to live with their symptoms. Many had spent years trying to cope on their own or had attended therapy without experiencing the meaningful change they were hoping for. They continued to struggle with nightmares, avoidance, hypervigilance, guilt, shame, or feeling disconnected from themselves and the people they loved. I knew there were well-researched treatments that could help, and I wanted my practice to focus on providing them.
Every person’s recovery looks different, but my goal remains the same: helping adults recover from trauma in a way that is structured, collaborative, and grounded in evidence.
Whether you've experienced a single traumatic event, repeated trauma over many years, or cumulative exposure through your work, my goal is the same: to help you understand what's happening, develop practical skills, and guide you through a treatment process that supports lasting recovery.
One of the things we’ll do throughout therapy is connect the dots between your experiences, your symptoms, and the patterns that are keeping PTSD going. Once those connections become clear, the path forward often becomes clearer too.
What It's Like to Work With Me
I know that starting trauma therapy can feel daunting. Many of the people I work with have spent months, or even years, trying to manage their symptoms before reaching out. Others have seen therapists in the past but felt they weren't making the progress they had hoped for. If that's been your experience, it doesn't mean you've failed. It may simply mean you haven't yet received the treatment that best matches what you're going through.
People often tell me they appreciate that I'm calm, straightforward, and easy to talk to. I'll take the time to understand your experiences, but I'll also help you understand why trauma affects the brain and body the way it does and how the therapy process is designed to help.
One of the things I enjoy most about my work is helping people make sense of their experiences. Trauma symptoms can feel confusing or unpredictable, leaving people wondering, "Why am I reacting this way?" When you understand how trauma has affected your brain, body, and behaviour, those reactions often become less frightening and much easier to work with. That understanding doesn't make the memories disappear, but it can replace self-blame with self-understanding and provide a clearer sense of how recovery happens.
Many clients tell me that understanding the "why" behind their symptoms helps them feel more hopeful and engaged in the therapy process. Rather than simply teaching strategies, I want you to understand why we're using them and how they fit into your recovery. My hope is that by the end of therapy, you'll not only notice a reduction in your PTSD symptoms but also leave with a better understanding of yourself and the confidence to continue using these skills long after our work together has ended.
I believe therapy should have direction. While there is always space to discuss what's happening in your life, our sessions are guided by evidence-based treatments with clear goals. We'll monitor your progress, adjust when needed, and focus on helping you build a life where trauma no longer has the same influence over your decisions, relationships, and sense of yourself.
You don't have to have everything figured out before you begin. My role is to guide the process, answer your questions, and support you through therapies that have been shown to help people recover from trauma and PTSD.
Training and Experience
I've worked in mental health and social work for more than 20 years across a variety of inpatient, outpatient, addictions, and community settings throughout Ontario. My experience has given me the opportunity to work with people facing a wide range of mental health concerns, while also helping me appreciate that trauma often sits beneath symptoms that may not initially appear trauma-related.
Over the last several years, my practice has become increasingly focused on supporting healthcare professionals, first responders, adults recovering from medical trauma, and survivors of interpersonal trauma. While every person's story is unique, I've seen how trauma can quietly affect work, relationships, confidence, and everyday life, even when someone appears to be coping well on the outside.
Rather than trying to offer every type of therapy, I've chosen to focus my practice on treatments with strong research supporting their effectiveness for trauma and PTSD. These include Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), Written Exposure Therapy (WET), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). By focusing on a smaller number of evidence-based approaches, I'm able to continue developing my knowledge and skills while providing treatment that reflects current research and best practices.
I believe that effective therapy combines clinical expertise with genuine collaboration. You are the expert on your life and your experiences. Together, we bring those two kinds of expertise into the room. My role is to bring the clinical knowledge, structure, and guidance needed to help you understand your symptoms, work through the impact of trauma, and move toward the life you want to build.
Practical Information
I provide virtual psychotherapy to adults across Ontario, making it possible to access evidence-based trauma therapy from the privacy and convenience of your own home. Virtual therapy allows people to receive specialized treatment regardless of where they live, reducing barriers such as travel time, parking, and taking additional time away from work.
Most extended health benefit plans cover psychotherapy provided by a Registered Social Worker. Following each appointment, you'll receive a receipt that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. If you're unsure about your coverage, I encourage you to check with your benefits provider before your first appointment.
If you're wondering whether we're the right fit, I offer a complimentary 20-minute consultation. It's an opportunity for us to discuss what's bringing you to therapy, answer any questions you may have about the treatment process, and determine whether my approach aligns with what you're looking for.
Ready to Get Started?
Recovery from trauma is possible. While we can't change what happened, we can change the impact it continues to have on your life.
If you're ready to take the next step, I'd be honoured to be part of that journey. Together, we'll work to help you better understand your experiences, reduce the impact of trauma on your daily life, and move toward a future where your past no longer defines you.