Trauma
What is trauma?
Trauma is your mind’s response to living through a highly stressful event that may result in challenges functioning or coping. Trauma can cause a variety of distressing cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and physical symptoms. Left untreated and unprocessed, trauma responses can lead to substance abuse, depression, impulsive behavior, and more. Working through a history of trauma with a trained professional can help folks recover from traumatic events and learn to feel safe again.
Most traumatic incidents involve a threat to someone’s life or safety. This can be a one-time incident, ongoing stressors, or secondary trauma from close contact with someone who’s experienced trauma. People all react to traumatic events differently, and not everyone will have the same reaction to the same event.
How I Can Help
While working with children and adolescents who have post-traumatic stress symptoms, I utilize a form of cognitive behavioral therapy called trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). This treatment method has shown to be effective in reducing trauma symptoms significantly for folks ages 3 - 17. Within TF-CBT, I like to use play therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and more to fully equip my clients with the skills to live a happy and productive life.
While working with adults who have post-traumatic stress symptoms, I focus on using psychodynamic and narrative approaches to therapy. There are many adults have experienced severe trauma in their life, yet they have never been given the chance to seek mental health services. I give folks the space they need to process through their trauma without fear of stigma or judgement.