top of page

TRAUMA-RESPONSIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED 

Individual Therapy

People seek therapy for many different reasons, from working out relationship issues, coping with life challenges, dealing with depression and anxiety, or childhood trauma and sexual assault. Some seek therapy because they value greater self-knowledge and personal growth. You may be dealing with an issue that can

be sorted out in a few weeks, or something that may take more time.

Here are some signs that you may need to see a therapist:​

  • You’re easily overwhelmed

  • You’re distressed by your own anxious thoughts

  • You have relationship troubles

  • You're had a marked weight gain or loss.

  • You’ve experienced a painful loss or trauma

  • You’re relying alcohol and drugs to feel better

  • You feel hopeless—just don’t care anymore

TRAUMA, PTSD & ACEs

Trauma arises in many forms and affects each of us differently. Unresolved trauma may continue to affect you even many years after the original traumatic event.

And, some people don't get PTSD or recover without intervention.

​

By nature, trauma is cumulative. Left untreated, trauma, like the snowball, it gets larger and larger, faster and more powerful as it accumulates.  Ongoing exposure to traumatic circumstances, like poverty, family violence, and war, or environmental factors like the COVID-19 pandemic may further complicate our response to trauma.

​

Think of trauma as existing on a continuum where there may be varying degrees of intensity and severity. Traumatic experiences may be complicated by early adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as a death, a family member going to

prison or living with an alcoholic parent.

ACEs-Root-Cause-Health-1_edited.jpg

ACEs are Adverse Childhood Experiences

(aka, out of the norm, negative events) that happened to you before age 18. The more ACEs you experienced as a child is directly related to an increased risk for physical and mental health challenges as you grow older. It also makes you more vulnerable to additional trauma and PTSD. ACEs can have lasting, negative effects on health and well-being, as well as life opportunities

such as education and job potential.

Therapy can help mitigate the effects of ACEs.



Listen to Your Body  



Somatic interventions address the connections
between the brain, the mind, and behavior.

In Somatic Psychology (such as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy or Somatic Experiencing) we engage body awareness as an intervention in therapy. Somatic interventions address the connections between the brain, 

the mind, and behavior.  On the other hand, therapists who emphasize “talk therapy” generally focus

on the mind as influencing psychological health. The somatically oriented therapist uses knowledge of the

basic functions of the nervous system to greatly enhance the therapeutic process.

My approach is to first assess the nature of your trauma and how you are being affected by it.

We'll talk about Adverse Childhood Experience which may have affected your vulnerability

to trauma, and what that means to your recovery. We'll talk about recommended approaches

and the type of interventions that may be most effective in your situation.

Then, I'll recommend a treatment plan that integrates the best evidence-based interventions

and additional compatible psychotherapy approaches to meet your unique needs.

Choosing a Trauma Therapist to address your trauma - or any concern - is a challenge, especially when just about every therapist claims to work with trauma.

But not all therapists have specialized training that qualifies them to treat trauma. Entry-level, trauma-sensitive behavioral health service providers

are unlikely to be in a position to use advanced interventions effectively and without causing additional trauma. Those with specialized training have gone beyond the initial training

to complete additional practice, consultation, and continuing education, so we are more likely

to have gotten good at it. 

bottom of page