Restoring What Was Never Broken: A Gentle Approach to Healing
- admin91478
- Jul 17, 2025
- 4 min read
In this blog we catch up with Deborah Constance, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and EMDR Therapist. Deborah offers a different kind of space—one where the nervous system is honoured, words aren’t always necessary, and the body is welcomed as part of the healing journey.
In this piece, Deborah shares how she supports clients through body-based approaches like EMDR, somatic tools, and parts work. She speaks to the power of slowing down, noticing what's held in the body, and creating space for self-compassion and repair. Whether you’re feeling burned out, stuck in survival mode, or just craving more softness in your healing, Deborah’s work invites a return to yourself—at your own pace, with care.
Your practice is named "Newcastle Restorative Counselling." What does the word restorative mean to you in the context of healing?
Restorative means helping clients reclaim what has been lost or hidden through pain, trauma, or survival. It’s not about “fixing” — it’s about reconnecting with parts of the self-requiring care in a way that honours what they have lived through and creates space for who they are becoming.
You use EMDR in your work, often without needing to talk through trauma in detail. What kind of shift do you see in clients when they experience this way of healing?
EMDR helps the brain reprocess painful memories that got stuck during times of stress or trauma. EMDR allows those memories to be stored in a healthier way, so they no longer cause distress. As this happens, people often gain new insights which strengthen inner resources, like emotional regulation and resilience. Clients feel more grounded. These shifts help people cope better with life.
For someone who feels like their trauma is “stuck” in the body, how might a session with you be different from traditional talk therapy?
We gently notice what the body is holding, always working at the client’s pace and capacity. That might be a tightness in the chest. I support clients to explore these sensations with curiosity and care, only to the extent that feels tolerable. I often share what I notice in my own body as a way of co-regulating and staying present. Together, we build bodily awareness over time, slowly and respectfully. We might use imagery, breathwork, bilateral stimulation, or existing strengths and supports already in the client’s emotional toolbox. This kind of body work often opens new and powerful pathways to healing.
You integrate parts work into your sessions. Could you share a bit about how this helps clients understand and care for their inner selves?
Parts work gives language to those inner conflicts we all carry — the part that wants rest, the part that pushes through, the part that feels small and the part that wants to protect. I help clients build a relationship with those parts instead of feeling submissive to them. Once they see that their inner critic, for example, is trying to keep them safe in an unhelpful way, there’s often a huge shift in compassion. It softens self-blame and opens healing.
Many of your clients are caregivers or professionals who feel burned out. What are some small but powerful ways you help them start to feel like themselves again?
Sometimes, just being in a space where nothing is demanded of them is already a beginning. I support them to listen to the parts of themselves that are depleted or resentful, not to judge them, but to understand what they need. Education about their nervous system also promotes self-compassion. This can lead to boundary-setting, reconnecting with self-care strategies and rest without guilt.
The image of Kintsugi—repairing broken pottery with gold—is part of your logo. How does this metaphor shape your therapeutic approach?
Kintsugi reminds me that emotional repair honours what was broken. By looking at life experiences with gentleness and meaning, resilience can start to emerge in those very places. The cracks are not things to hide — they become part of client’s strength and story.
What’s something you wish more people knew about trauma and the healing process?
That trauma isn’t just about what happened, it’s about what didn’t happen, wasn’t supported and processed at the time. That healing isn’t a straight line. Some days it feels like progress, some days like survival. That listening to yourself with more care, or responding differently to an old trigger, that’s healing. I wish more people knew they aren’t broken; they are carrying adaptations that once made sense. And those can shift.
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What brings you the most joy or meaning in the work you do with your clients?
It’s the moment when a client courageously arrives for a first session. When they notice their inner world with kindness instead of criticism. Witnessing clients reclaim parts of themselves that were once misunderstood.
Over time, I also see them become more aware of their bodily sensations, recognise when they’re within or outside their window of tolerance and begin using strategies we’ve explored to regulate themselves between sessions.
Hearing that someone feels ready to spread out the frequency of sessions because they’re feeling more healed and restored.
Sitting in this process with clients brings me joy. I feel honoured to do it.
Looking for gentle, body-based support?
Deborah works with clients experiencing burnout, trauma, emotional overwhelm, and major life transitions. Her work is inclusive, paced with consent, and grounded in nervous system awareness.
If you’re curious about EMDR, parts work, or simply need a space to rest and reconnect, you can book in with Deborah or explore the services at The Base Health.
You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin.
