Trauma Focus

Are you healing from a traumatic incident in your life? I will be there to help you in your healing process, regardless of whether what you experienced occurred recently or long ago. I am very passionate about helping survivors through their journey of healing and have been trained in this area of work extensively. I have done research in trauma-related topics and have taught courses and done presentations on trauma therapy and specific types of traumatic experiences. I have also had significant experience providing therapy to a wide range of individuals who have experienced some form of trauma in their lifetimes. If you are hurting and need help, please consider reaching out to me. Some areas in which I specialize include the following:

Sexual Assault
Childhood Sexual Abuse
Intimate Partner/Domestic Violence
Sexual Harassment
Stalking
Bullying
Traumatic Loss and Grief
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder

*The list above is not an exhaustive list. While I work with a lot of individuals who have experienced traumatic incidents that occurred interpersonally between two people, I am also trained to work with a variety of other individuals including those who have witnessed severe accidents, those who have suffered medical trauma or severe injuries, birth trauma, natural disasters, combat trauma, etc. Please contact me today and we can discuss your individual needs and expectations.

Trauma Therapy with Me

I believe that focusing on the whole person is important when treating individuals in the aftermath of a traumatic incident. As such, I focus on thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships when talking to you about traumatic events in your life. This means I would focus not only on your emotions but also what is going on in your relationships with significant people in your life, behaviors that you may want to change that are impacted by traumatic experiences, and thoughts you may be having that contribute to you continuing to feel overwhelmed.
I will go at the pace that you are comfortable with and will check in with you along the way about what is comfortable and what is not. I believe very strongly in what noted psychologist John Briere discusses as the "therapeutic window." This is a line that I will help you draw where you are comfortable enough to engage in therapy while also being pushed to the next level just a bit. But, we will watch this "window" to make sure we do not go too far and that we never do more than you are ready for or are comfortable doing. I will do my best to ensure that you are going at a pace that is comfortable for you and not focus on my own agenda for you. I believe this is extremely important in trauma therapy and therapy in general.
I believe in giving you information that will help you in your journey to recovery. If you are comfortable with it, I will likely suggest books, videos, and other things that I believe will be helpful for you. Therapy does not start and stop in the therapy room. What you do outside of sessions is invaluable.
I will always be open to feedback and would encourage you to share with me how things are going and feeling for you in therapy.

A few thoughts...

Traumatic incidents occur in the lives of many people. Everyone handles these incidents and the aftermath differently. Try hard not to compare your experience with those of other people. Our reactions to things are an interaction of many variables including who we are, how we handle stress, our support systems, other experiences we have had in our lifetimes, age, racial background, gender, etc. It is impossible to compare one person's experience to another's.
Traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety are common reactions to traumatic incidents. If you notice yourself having any symptoms I would encourage you to get help sooner than later.
Coming to therapy following a traumatic incident (whether recent or in the past) is a sign of strength and a willingness to take care of yourself and should not be viewed as weakness. It takes a lot to come to therapy to work on yourself. It also takes a lot of strength to rehash things that you would rather not discuss but know you need to discuss. I am always amazed at the resiliency and strength of my clients who have experienced traumatic incidents.
Sometimes, as it is with therapy in general, you may feel worse before you feel better. It can be painful to discuss your past and to discuss traumatic moments of your life. But, the goal is healing and this will occur in time. I would encourage patience with yourself and the therapy process as a whole.