Trauma Therapy

I have 20 plus years experience in the mental health field. I have had numerous trainings in trauma and trauma-informed care. I have experience working with persons (adults/children) that suffer from emotional, physical, and sexual trauma.

I completed my clinical internship during graduate school at a private practice that specializes in trauma. During this time, I was lucky enough to work under a trauma specialist who allowed me to begin training in several trauma specific modalities, including EMDR and Internal Family Systems. I intend on completing my official training in EMDR in 2025. I believe that with my specializations in neurodivergent and queer clients, being trauma informed is a requirement.

I have over a decade of working in trauma services as well as interacting with the overlapping service providers and systems that often come into play, including family and criminal court systems, and assisting client attaining reasonable accommodations or assistance at work, school, or other environments.

30 years of working with trauma grounded in theoretical understandings of van der Kolk and other trauma theorists. Integrating an understanding of how structured beliefs, emotional sequences, internal and external triggers, and the compartmentalization of experience form trauma responses. Using techniques from meditation (noticing one's experience) to build meta positions, using dialogic approaches to build connections and update knowledge between compartmentalized ways of being in the world.

I have been a trauma/EMDR therapist since 1999. Experiencing trauma can have a profound impact on your life, including your sense of safety in the world. Fortunately, with the help of EMDR or Flash Technique, for PTSD from a single incident, like an assault, you can start feeling better in 3-8 sessions. If you've experienced childhood trauma, or have chronic PTSD, therapy takes place at a slower pace in longer-term therapy--but can include EMDR.

Safety is the absolute prerequisite to any trauma work. Building safety and rapport takes time, but is part of the process. Many times, trauma therapy is relational, as traumatic experiences have occurred in relationships. In order to heal, we need to experience something different within a safe container (of therapy). Your nervous system needs to sense something different. Figuring out your unique needs is essential to healing, and we will do that.

I trained under traumatologist, Dr. J. Eric Gentry (founder of the Arizona Trauma Institute and author of Forward Facing Trauma.) Through Dr. Gentry I have learned how to use body self-regulation to disconnect trauma memories from body trauma sensations. Combined with other techniques such as NeuroLinguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy, we have the ability to take horrific experiences, heal from the suffering, and use the learnings to create a powerful and satisfying life on the other side.

I use a variety of techniques to treat trauma. Trauma's impact is unique to each person and I collaborate with you to identify a treatment that will best fit you, whether it is EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychodynamic therapy, or other strategies.

Trauma therapy can help you address the traumatic event and process your feelings and emotions. It can give you the opportunity to face your fears in a safe space and learn coping skills that can help you function on a day-to-day basis. Trauma-focused therapy, trauma-informed care, or trauma therapy is a form of psychotherapy designed to manage the impact of traumatic events on people's lives. Trauma therapy helps people process traumatic events and the lasting experience of trauma.

Jennifer Sweeton's training, Trauma Institute training in trauma informed care for substance use disorders, Evidence Based Practices and Treatment of PTSD by Jongsma.

I have completed Level 1 & 2 of the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) via the Trauma Resource Institute and am working towards TRI Certification. Some info about TRM: Using a mind-body approach, TRM introduces a paradigm shift in the treatment of trauma, whereby symptoms are treated as normal biological responses rather than pathological or mental weaknesses. In this way, TRM can function as both a model for trauma reprocessing treatment as well as self-care.

Trauma-focused CBT (T-CBT) is a compassionate and evidence-based approach to healing from trauma. By collaboratively exploring the deeper impacts of trauma on thoughts and behavior, together we gently challenge negative beliefs and develop healthier coping skills. By integrating trauma memories in a safe manner, you can gradually regain control over your life and find renewed hope. Safety, control, resilience, and healing are all possible.

Most people will experience trauma in their lifetime whether it’s a car accident, abuse or neglect, the sudden death of a loved one, a violent criminal act, exposure to the violence of war, or a natural disaster. Similarly, enduring social pressures and biases can also keep us stuck in thinking or behaviors that don’t serve us well. Working with memetic tools can help dislodge stuck memories or thoughts so you can experience life from an optimal space.

I specialize in trauma, including sexual trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, domestic violence trauma, intergenerational trauma, and childhood trauma in adults. I work over time to build safety un the therapeutic relationship, and help you build safety in yourself, learning to trust yourself again. I do this from a somatic lens, where the nervous system and the body are key to the process of healing trauma.

I utilize various techniques to help you process and integrate traumatic experiences, addressing both the psychological and physical symptoms that may arise. By helping you understand how trauma influences your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, we can work together to develop healthier coping mechanisms and rebuild a sense of safety and empowerment in your life.