How TRTP works
TRTP (The Richards Trauma Process) is a structured 3-step process designed to help resolve the effects of trauma and distressing experiences.
The basic idea is that when something distressing happens, your mind and body can sometimes continue to react as though the event is still happening — even though it happened in the past.
This can contribute to things such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, fear, stress and other trauma-related responses.
Rather than simply talking about the symptoms, TRTP aims to work with what is believed to be underneath them — including unconscious beliefs, body responses, emotional reactions and protective patterns that may have developed following the experience.
You don’t have to relive the trauma
One of the key differences with TRTP is that you don’t have to repeatedly tell your traumatic story or go into painful details.
Instead, the process uses structured exercises and deep imagination to work with the unconscious mind and the body’s responses.
A simple way of thinking about it is:
Something happened in the past, but your body and unconscious mind may still be responding as though it is happening now.
TRTP aims to help your mind and body recognise:
“That happened then. I am safe now.”
Why the 3 steps are important
TRTP is not simply three separate exercises. The three steps are designed to work together in a particular sequence, with each stage building on the previous one.
The process is also intended to allow the therapist to work with the individual person’s needs rather than taking exactly the same approach with everyone.
In very simple terms
Think of your nervous system as having a smoke alarm.
After a traumatic experience, the alarm can become overly sensitive. It might continue to react to things that remind you of the past, even when there is no actual danger.
TRTP aims to help change that response so that the past can remain a memory rather than something your body continues to experience as a present threat.
It doesn’t aim to erase your memories. The goal is to change the emotional and physical response connected to those memories, so they no longer have the same hold over your everyday life.
Important: TRTP’s description of how trauma is stored and how the process works reflects the TRTP approach. The evidence base for TRTP is more limited than for established trauma treatments such as trauma-focused CBT and EMDR, so it’s worth discussing the options with a qualified mental-health professional, particularly if you’re dealing with significant PTSD or trauma symptoms.
TRTP Client Testimonials
Her parenting coaching was also incredibly helpful and gave me useful strategies that I could apply straight away. Christine is compassionate, supportive, and easy to talk to, and she creates a safe space for personal growth and healing.
I am very grateful that I met Christine and had the opportunity to work with her. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for professional and caring support.
I had been receiving counselling for the past 12 months, and while this was helping me a lot, I had been noticing I was getting stuck on some trauma events in my life. A friend recommended I have an initial chat with Christine and as we talked about some of the blocks I was encountering and the nervous system work that I needed, Christine shared with me about TRTP. The theory and practice resonated with me straight away and it felt like it was the next right step for me.
The process was intensive but was just what I needed to address the layers of trauma I had experienced and to get right to the core issues. Christine was the perfect guide to walk me through it all. Her wisdom and sensitivity supported me in truly finding the full benefit of TRTP.
Since finishing my TRTP sessions I have noticed such a difference in my headspace and also in my nervous system. I have a proven strategy to manage triggers and have even noticed the intensity of those triggers have greatly diminished. I have a new and healthier framing around trauma events and have felt empowered and encouraged on my inner healing journey. I am very grateful for the opportunity to do this therapy, for Christines help and guidance and would highly recommend it.
Doing TRTP with Christine was a joy, she led me through the process with thoughtfulness, care and grace while dealing with very difficult trauma and situations. Thank you Christine for being so supportive, encouraging, and balanced through this.
I would recommend anyone to go through TRTP with Christine. We all carry stuff in our lives and what a wonderful place to be if we can release some of what we carry. Particularly the things we can’t quite put our finger on or discover just by ourselves. I’m grateful to be able to live a life free of these incredibly destructive and intrusive thoughts.
● What brought you to TRTP
My wife was going through her own trauma recovery process and I was interested in looking into my own life and issues that have impacted me since I was young. I was eager to experience something new that could help me let go of things I know had been built for survival when I was a kid but not helping me as an adult.
● What the process felt Like?
The process was really empowering and encouraging, there was truth and vulnerability but it was only a small part. Most of the experience was letting go of things, healing and emotionally stepping into something new without those past traumas. I felt it needed a level of transparency, vulnerability and openness from myself in order to fully discover, heal and recover.
● What shifted for you?
There had been issues of bullying and trauma in my early life that impacted my subconscious. This meant I was believing things very deeply that meant I reacted in the present in ways that were not free or how I actually felt. I am no way perfect now but when I work on things or have conversations with people, I am not holding or being impacted by those very negative reactions. That is incredibly freeing and has released weight I have been carrying a long time.
● How life feels now
With not being held back by those early negative traumas and issues I don’t have to deal with them in new scenarios or conversations. This helps me to be present and take things more at face value. I have become more hopeful and optimistic, I have also been able to work on new things and see things in myself that I would have never discovered if I still had the impacts of the issues I was able to heal from through TRTP.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes TRTP different from other therapies?
One of the main differences with TRTP™ is that it focuses on the subconscious mind, where TRTP believes unresolved trauma continues to affect us.
Rather than spending a lot of time talking about and retelling what happened, TRTP™ works with the unconscious beliefs, emotional responses and patterns that can develop after a traumatic or distressing experience.
Another important part of TRTP™ is addressing negative unconscious beliefs early in the process. These beliefs can sometimes contribute to self-sabotaging behaviours.
For example, if someone has an unconscious belief that “It’s not safe to get well,” their mind may continue to respond in ways that keep them stuck in familiar patterns.
TRTP™ aims to change that belief to something more positive, such as “It’s safe to get well.” The idea is that when the unconscious mind no longer sees getting better as a threat, it can support the person’s progress rather than work against it.
What really sets TRTP™ apart, according to its approach, is the way the process brings these different elements together in a structured and focused way, with the aim of creating positive and lasting change for the client.
Does TRTP Have Evidence-Based Research?
TRTP™ is a relatively new therapy, so the research base is still developing.
The TRTP™ team is now beginning its first pilot research study, which is being designed and overseen by members of the TRTP™ graduate community.
As with any newer approach, further research is needed to better understand how effective TRTP™ is and how its results compare with other established trauma therapies.
The aim of these early research projects is to start building an evidence base and to better understand the outcomes people experience through the TRTP™ process.
What Clinical Presentations Is TRTP Used For?
TRTP™ is currently being used with people experiencing a range of trauma-related difficulties.
Case studies are being conducted to look at the outcomes of TRTP™ with people experiencing complex PTSD, PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression, fears and phobias, as well as other issues associated with past trauma and distressing experiences.
As TRTP™ is a relatively new approach, research into its effectiveness is still developing. These case studies are part of the process of building a better understanding of how people respond to the TRTP™ process and the types of issues it may be helpful for.
Will I have to talk about my trauma in detail?
No, The Richards Trauma Process – TRTP, does not require you to provide a detailed verbal account of distressing experiences. Many people appreciate this aspect of the approach, although individual experiences do vary.
Can TRTP be done via telehealth?
Christine Battams offers TRTP sessions via Telehealth and in-person. You discuss your individual circumstances with her to ensure Telehealth is appropriate for your needs.
Christine is a certified TRTP practitioner offering The Richards Trauma Process in Melbourne, with in-person sessions in Croydon, and Telehealth sessions across Australia.
Christine Battams Counsellor
Qualifications
- The Richards Trauma Process TRTP Training 2025
- The Biology of Trauma – Accelerated healing with Somatic Practices. 2024
- Introduction into “All Parts Of Me” Working with IFS and Somatic Practices. 2024
- Masters In Community Counselling (Master Comm Couns.) 2022
- Attachment and Trauma Theory. 2020
- Certified Shark Tank Facilitator. Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence Recovery. 2019
- CHCMHS001 ‘Work with People with Mental health Issues’ CHCCCS016 ‘Respond to Clients Needs’. 2017
Professional Membership
- Australian Counselling Association Registered
Areas of Counselling include:
Individual Counselling Sessions
- 1 Hour or 2 Hour Sessions can be booked
- Your sessions can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly – daytime or evening – at a time convenient to you
- All sessions are confidential
- You will build core strength and capacity and skills personally and as a parent
- Your story will be heard with no judgment
- There will be an emphasis on you to feel safe, understood and known
- Counselling can be online in the comfort of your own home or in person
- Additional resources can be introduced as optional reading, listening
Counselling Costs
- 60-80 minute Counselling session $150 (Online)
- Onsite In-person Counselling session $170
- NDIS Client Counselling session – NDIS Per Price Gide Line Item
In person Counselling Sessions are held at Chrysalis Counselling Centre in Ringwood North.
Payments can be made by Direct Bank Transfer or Credit Card. Prices include GST