Trauma Therapy

My training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Brainspotting equips me to address trauma at its core. IFS allows clients to explore and heal the different parts of themselves that are affected by traumatic experiences. Brainspotting helps to process trauma stored in the body by identifying specific eye positions that correlate with emotional pain. Together, these approaches create a safe and supportive environment for clients to work through trauma and move towards recovery.

I work from a trauma focused perspective and let the client lead the way. While a person comes into therapy to discuss their trauma, the therapeutic experience itself ought not to be traumatic. I provide a warm, supportive environment from which to explore closure and the depression, anxiety, and negative thoughts that frequently arise from traumatic experiences.

Most mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, addiction, and disordered eating can be traced back to a history of trauma which may include a singular event or a life time of distressing events. Trauma therapy aims to help resolve traumas from childhood (e.g. abuse, bullying, or violence), adulthood (e.g. relationship trauma, sexual assault), as well as tragic losses, infidelity, and accidents.

Utilizing a variety of approaches, I have 10 years of experience effectively treating folks of all identities and backgrounds who have experienced trauma.

I take a trauma-informed approach to therapy that works toward gentle integration of one's traumatic experiences toward a better understanding of ones self and the underlying issues that affect day to day coping and functioning.

At the core of my work I am a Trauma-Informed clinician. All of my assessment, methodology, interactions, and treatment is informed by my knowledge of trauma: what it does to the brain, how it can cause different reactions in different people and when occurring at different ages in development. Much of my clinical training has been in Trauma-Informed methods including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Animal Assisted Therapy, and Creative Expression Interventions.

I specialize in individual and couples therapy for trauma/PTSD, including evidence-based treatments: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Written Exposure Therapy (WET), and Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT). In therapy, I strive to understand your unique background and experiences, while providing a roadmap to help you heal from the past so you can build a stronger future.

As a trauma-informed therapist, I will assume that you have had experiences that may have deeply affected you, and they recognize and respond to you in a way that emphasizes safety, collaboration, and empowerment.

Trauma therapy helps individuals heal from the emotional and psychological effects of traumatic experiences. It provides a safe space to process painful memories, reduce symptoms like anxiety and flashbacks, and develop coping strategies. Trauma therapy can involve different approaches, like talk therapy, ART, or body-focused techniques, tailored to your needs. The goal is to help you regain control, improve emotional well-being, and move forward from the trauma with greater resilience.

I have spent the majority of my career as a mental health professional working with people from trauma. This is where my heart has always been. I utilize a number of approaches with the intention of meeting the unique needs of my clients. I am seeing children, youth and adults who are survivors and those who are apart of their world (e.g. foster and adoptive parents; sibs of foster and adoptive children and youth).

My approach to trauma therapy is the use of Dr. Judith Herman's Three Phase Model (Stabilization, Trauma Memory Processing, and Reconnection). While this method incorporates multiple therapy techniques in an eclectic manner, such as DBT-based interventions for stabilization, it allows the trauma work to happen where the person is, as well as movement between the phases based on the person's current situation.

My approach to trauma therapy infuses a systems lens, feminist/multiculturalist psychotherapies, stage-based trauma therapies, attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, relational approaches, body-oriented (somatic) modalities, creative approaches, experiential psychotherapy, existential psychotherapy, depth psychology. This diverse skill set allows me to employ a multitude of empirically backed psychotherapies while being very real and approachable with my clients. This kind of integrative model allows me to help clients feel what they need to feel, process what they need to process, and grow in the ways they need to grow so they can create the lives they wish to lead.

I approach therapy from a trauma-informed lens. I give you the resources to feel stable and grounded in your life so that we can do the deep healing work of processing the difficult seasons in your life. I approach trauma therapy holistically by using a combination of somatic and mindfulness approaches. By helping the body feel safe and regulated, your mind will begin to open up to the healing process.

As an eclectic, relational therapist, I draw most often from Narrative Focused Trauma Care. I have completed two certificates through The Allender Center. It is a profoundly kind therapeutic style in which the harm you have suffered and how it has shaped you and your relationships is witnessed with deep kindness and compassion.