Trauma Therapy

Are You Tired Of Reliving The Pain Of The Past?

Has a painful experience thrown off your sense of safety in the world?

Are you struggling with nightmares, flashbacks, and other PTSD symptoms?

Do you often wonder if trauma’s at the root of your mental health issues?

Trauma can severely impact your health, relationships, and everyday functioning. You might feel guarded and on edge all the time, like your traumatic experience is always on the brink of repeating itself. Perhaps you’ve suffered all your life from anxiety or depression without knowing that your struggles are connected to trauma. For the first time, you might be thinking of seeing a therapist who specializes in treating trauma and PTSD.

It’s Natural To Try And Avoid Your Trauma—But It Usually Makes Things Worse

When you’ve been traumatized, it’s normal to find yourself avoiding any places or situations that remind you of what happened. Although this may offer a temporary sense of relief, it ultimately reinforces trauma’s hold on your life. Avoidance behaviors can lead to loneliness and isolation and increase the likelihood of using substances to cope with your pain.

If you want to stop running from your past, I would be honored to support you. With my compassionate, evidence-based approach to therapy, I’m confident that I can help you process your trauma, manage your PTSD symptoms, and renew your sense of physical and emotional safety.

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Virtually Everyone Has Trauma In Their Life—Whether They Know It Or Not

The spectrum of trauma is far wider and more complex than most people realize. In the popular imagination, trauma is usually tied to violent or earth-shattering events like military combat or natural disasters. But there are many traumatic experiences that often fly under the radar, such as toxic relationships, grief and loss, chronic illness, and prolonged emotional abuse.

All of these traumas can impede a person’s ability to function and increase their chances of developing serious mood disorders. Some trauma survivors suffer from PTSD and can barely concentrate or complete tasks because of how severe their symptoms are. Others may experience relationship dysfunction and continually end up in relationships that are unhealthy.

Coming Forward About Trauma Isn’t Easy, Especially In Cases Of Abuse

Many trauma survivors are hesitant to reach out for help—and understandably so. They are often used to receiving shaming, hurtful messages or being outright disbelieved when they come forward about their experience. In cases of abuse, people are often quick to defend the abuser and blame the victim. And when the abuser is a family member, people are often encouraged to “keep things in the family” and resist telling anyone outside the home.

Naturally, this causes many survivors to bottle up their pain and neglect support. That’s why it’s so important for people to have a safe and accepting space where they can talk about trauma without fear of shame or judgment.

Therapy Can Help You Safely Process Your Trauma And Experience Deeper Healing

I know that talking about trauma isn’t easy. The good news is that my approach is warm, gentle, and always goes at whatever pace is right for you. I’m here to help you work through trauma on your own terms. Together, we’ll explore the ways that trauma has affected your life at present and develop new skills for regulating your symptoms. The goal is to process the pain of the past so that you can experience peace in the here and now.

Although I draw from a wide range of evidence-based approaches in my work with trauma survivors, the most important part of counseling is the relationship between client and therapist. That’s why I aim to connect with you on a deeply personal level. Instead of pathologizing, I want to help you heal, grow, and flourish, empowering you to live up to your fullest potential.

What To Expect In Trauma Counseling Sessions

Once a sense of safety is established and you feel capable of processing your experiences, we’ll start exploring your trauma history together. We’ll look at where your symptoms originated and how they’ve persisted into the present. Oftentimes, this means delving into the trauma-based reactions that you’ve developed as a means of coping with your pain (such as drug use, drinking, isolating, etc.).

The next step is to challenge these coping mechanisms and help you come up with healthier, more life-affirming ways of dealing with your trauma. Instead of resorting to avoidance behaviors or using substances to numb your pain, you’ll learn skills for managing difficult emotions and containing your stress levels. This way, your PTSD symptoms don’t impede your functioning or prevent you from enjoying life.

Although I want you to experience relief from trauma, the ultimate goal of therapy is deeper healing. Whether you’ve suffered from a toxic relationship, sexual or emotional abuse, grief and loss, or any other traumatic experiences, I believe that therapy can help you stop feeling defined by the past and find the serenity your life’s been missing.

You May Have Some Questions About Trauma And PTSD Treatment…

What if therapy re-traumatizes me?

This is a very common concern. The good news is that therapy with me is always client-led, ensuring that we never stray into territory that’s uncomfortable for you. If there’s something that’s too painful to discuss, that’s okay. While some preliminary knowledge about your trauma is necessary to begin unpacking it, we don’t have to focus on the details of what happened. Trauma therapy is about working through your symptoms, not endlessly revisiting your childhood.

Will my information be kept confidential?

Confidentiality is the cornerstone of trauma therapy. For you to successfully work through your symptoms, you need a space where you can speak your mind unreservedly. That’s what I provide. Your information will be kept safe at all times. Unless there are significant safety issues, no one ever has to know anything you disclose to me.

What if I’m not sure that there’s trauma in my past?

Millions of people have experienced trauma without knowing it. This is because most of them aren’t aware of what constitutes a traumatic experience. They often think, “I haven’t been in a combat zone or suffered from violent assault, so I don’t think I’ve been traumatized.”

The truth is that a traumatic experience doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. Trauma simply happens when an experience is too painful or overwhelming for your nervous system to process. In therapy together, we can explore whether or not there’s trauma in your life in a safe and nonjudgmental way.

Recovery Is Always Possible

If you want to experience the healing power of recovery for yourself, I encourage you to pursue trauma therapy with me. To get started, you can call 248-514-6887. I provide both online and in-person counseling.