ONLINE & IN-PERSON THERAPY IN SANTA CLARITA, CA

Therapy for Trauma

 

You are ready to move forward from your past & look to the present & future with hope.

Are you trying to keep it together after experiencing one or more traumatic events? Perhaps you've experienced a "Big T" trauma (e.g., major car accident, an assault, natural disaster, a shooting, etc.) or maybe you're experiencing debilitating symptoms after going through a "Little T" trauma (e.g., getting rejected, feeling embarrassed in a social setting, going through a move, etc.). Either way, since you experienced these events, life has felt much more difficult to manage.

Maybe you’re noticing:

  • That you’re often on guard for danger

  • Frequent nightmares or difficulty sleeping

  • That you’re easily startled

  • Overwhelming guilt or shame

  • That it’s difficult to concentrate

  • Intrusive thoughts about a painful past event

  • A desire to avoid the place or people related to the event

Experiencing a traumatic or distressing event(s) can be extremely disruptive and painful, but there is hope for relief.

You want to stop letting painful past events rule your life. You are tired of thoughts about the past popping into your head and consuming your mind. You want to feel calmer and more in control of your life. I can help you find the relief that you so desperately want.

 

A traumatic experience might look like:

 

  • Abuse (physical, sexual, verbal, psychological)

  • Bullying

  • Car accidents

  • Divorce, ending of a relationship

  • Domestic Violence

  • Growing up with consistently harsh, critical parents

  • Growing up with emotionally unavailable or neglectful parents

  • Growing up with parents struggling with addiction

  • Infidelity in relationships

  • Medical Procedures

  • Natural Disasters (fire, earthquakes, etc)

  • Pregnancy-related traumas (e.g, miscarriage, abortions, termination for medical reasons/TFMR, pregnancy after a loss, pregnancy with a history of sexual abuse)

  • Rejection

  • Relocating or moving

  • Shootings (witnessing or being a victim of a shooting)

  • Unexpected death of a loved one

  • Unhealthy Relationships

  • Violence (either experiencing or witnessing)

MY APPROACH TO WORKING WITH TRAUMA

To assist you in finding relief from trauma-related distress, I will use a therapeutic approach called Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (commonly referred to as EMDR).

This will begin with proper assessment, both during the intake, and in subsequent sessions, to gather as much information as possible about your trauma history and how it is currently affecting your present symptoms.

I will then work with you to bulk up your adaptive resources and positive coping skills to help you deal more effectively with any triggers or distress that may come up in therapy and in your daily life. This phase is adapted to your specific needs, and I will help you fill in any gaps in your positive coping skills.

Once you are equipped with the necessary tools, we will begin the reprocessing phase where we will work through past distressing and traumatic memories until your distress is drastically reduced or eliminated.

Lastly, we will work on present and future planning until your treatment goals are met.

Therapy for PTSD/Trauma can help you:

  • Learn helpful tools to manage distress and triggers caused by trauma

  • Process past traumatic or distressing events that are currently interfering with your functioning

  • Reduce or eliminate intrusive thoughts, excessive fear, and nightmares

  • Improve your relationships

  • Increase overall confidence and feelings of security

  • Drastically reduce or eliminate overall distress

You can break free from the past & move into the present with hope.

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FAQS

Common questions about trauma therapy

  • Many people don’t realize that what they’re dealing with is trauma. We often think that trauma is only “Big T” events, such as war-related trauma, major car accidents, abuse, or physical violence.

    However, other events in our lives can be traumatic as well. Being rejected by friends/romantic partner, being embarrassed in a social setting, watching a scary movie that might have felt terrifying can also be traumatic.

    I define trauma as experiencing, witnessing, or even hearing about a distressing event that has caused lasting distress in your life. It’s when something so distressing occurs that it’s too much for our nervous system to process.

    There is no trauma scale, and I certainly do not compare your trauma to the next person’s to see if your “experience counts.”

    I’m concerned about what is distressing for you, and my goal is to help you eliminate that distress from your life.

  • This is so difficult to predict, and it really is dependent on various factors. If you have a single-event trauma (e.g., a car crash) and you have healthy coping mechanisms already in place, treatment will likely be brief. However, if you are coming to therapy to process complex childhood trauma and you are currently struggling to cope, therapy can take months or years.

  • Click the button above to schedule a free 15-minute, no obligation consultation. During this consultation, we will discuss why you're looking to start therapy at this time, what you're hoping to achieve, and I will share more information about how I do therapy.

    Together, we will decide if I am a good fit for your needs, and if so, I'll get you scheduled for an intake session. If not, no worries! I can help provide some referrals for other therapists that might be a better fit for your needs.