Understand their training
Learn whether their experience goes beyond broad “trauma-informed” language and includes specific preparation for betrayal, relational trauma, and safety.
A free discernment guide
10 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Betrayal Trauma Practitioner
You are not being difficult by asking thoughtful questions. You are choosing support for a vulnerable part of your life—and you deserve to understand a practitioner’s training, approach, boundaries, and ability to work safely with betrayal trauma.
Created by Carrie Holladay, Trauma-Trained Somatic Practitioner
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Free PDF • Immediate access • No pressure
10 practical questions
Safety and pacing focused
Made for betrayal healing
Why these questions matter
Credentials alone do not always tell you whether someone is the right fit.
A practitioner may be skilled in one area and still lack the training needed to understand betrayal trauma, ongoing deception, abuse dynamics, or the careful pacing required when the nervous system becomes overwhelmed.
Notice how they respond
Their tone matters too. Pay attention to whether your questions are welcomed with clarity and humility—or met with defensiveness, pressure, or dismissal.
Protect your agency
The right support should help you reconnect with your own voice, boundaries, truth, and body—not make you feel smaller, ashamed, or dependent.
A reminder as you search
A safe practitioner will not be offended by thoughtful questions.
You are allowed to ask what someone is trained to do, how they handle overwhelm, where their scope ends, and what they believe safety and repair require.
You are also allowed to take your time. An initial conversation is not a commitment. It is an opportunity to gather information and notice how the interaction feels.
Inside the free handout
Questions that help you look beyond a title or credential.
Use the guide during consultation calls, keep it beside you when reading provider websites, or bring it with you as you decide what kind of support feels right.
- Training in betrayal trauma, trauma responses, abuse dynamics, and coercive control
- Approaches to ongoing deception, trust rebuilding, and couples work
- Use and pacing of somatic tools when the body becomes activated
- Plans for overwhelm, between-session contact, and confidentiality
- Clarity around scope of practice and when another provider is needed
Choose support with more clarity
Send Me the Free Guide
You deserve care that respects your questions, your pace, and your body.
Download the free handout and take the questions with you as you explore your options.
