My Passion Is To Support And Advocate For Victims Of Complex Trauma – Interview With Denise Stowe
I am Denise Stowe, I am a 40-year-old mum to My 13-year-old daughter Imogen, and I have been happily married to my Husband, Luke for nearly 18 years. I am a psychotherapist and I run my own counselling service for just under 4 years. I love true crime documentaries, reading nonfiction books, collecting shoes, and anything to do with Christmas. My passion is to support and advocate for victims of complex trauma. I am just about to embark on a Master’s Degree in Criminology and Forensic Psychology through Essex University.
Denise Stowe, Integrative Trauma Therapist
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
My business is called Infinite Hope Counselling service and I offer a bespoke counselling service to my clients. My specialisms are working with complex trauma, sexual abuse, rape, and Dissociative Identity Disorder. My aim is to offer a safe space for my clients to be heard and to begin to process their trauma. I also run a monthly therapy group for women who have experienced and survived sexual violence and endured complex trauma.
What are your current goals for your business?
I would like to continue to grow and develop my practice as well as begin to deliver workshops in local schools and businesses to explore consent, the disclosure of sexual violence, and the long-term impact of sexual violence on its victims.
What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?
My plan after completing my Master’s is to conduct in-depth research of repeat victimology, why the UK criminal justice system lets victims of sexual violence down, trauma, and the impact of trauma on the body; in particular, the links between trauma and nervous disorders such as Fibromyalgia. I intend to raise awareness about these subjects.
Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?
My daughter Imogen inspires me to keep striving, to fight for change and as cliched as it sounds, she reminds me that every day might not be good, but there is good in every day. I am truly blessed to work with the most amazing clients; their strength, vulnerability, kindness, and determination to overcome their trauma, ignites my passion to advocate and raise awareness for survivors everywhere.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
It’s hard to think of just one, but because the language used by non-trauma-informed practitioners and services it can lead to clients feeling as if they are being blamed for their trauma. So I was going to say more training for practitioners and agencies so they can work in a more trauma-informed way. However, I feel that UK statutory and charitable agencies are currently over-stretched, and therefore many people in desperate need of help who can’t afford support are stranded on long waiting lists. My hopes are to work on a range of free resources to help support clients who aren’t able to access therapy.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
I have been completely blessed in my career as a psychotherapist. There are two achievements that have meant the world to me. When I began my training to become a therapist in 2014, my dream was to become a therapist and work for a Rape Crisis Centre. In 2016 I was fortunate to gain a placement at my local Rape Crisis Centre. By 2018, I had successfully completed my placement and then gained employment there. After opening up my Infinite Hope in 2019, I continued in both roles for a little while before focusing fully on my counselling service. My biggest achievement is that, to date, I have been able to support over 500 clients and over 4,000 counselling sessions! My job is a true privilege, and to be trusted by my clients to walk alongside them in their therapeutic journeys is something that I will always be honoured to do.
