Trauma Therapy

We expand stuck feelings from the trauma and connect them to the logic part of your brain. This will help to reprocess the trauma so it is no longer stuck. This also decreases any potential to re-enact your trauma again in your relationships.

We work with individuals and couples who have endured a trauma helping them learn to thrive again. We utilize a combination of grounding and resource building techniques, cognitive therapies, and most importantly, EMDR therapy to help the client move past the traumas that are holding them back from an empowered life.

I have been a practicing psychotherapist since 1995 and in private practice in San Francisco and Alameda since 2004. Prior to launching my practice, I was affiliated with the TALKLine Family Support Center/San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center in San Francisco for more than a decade, initially as an intern and then as a staff therapist and Clinical Supervisor. Besides my broader client focus, I have been working with veterans with PTSD for over a decade, initially on a pro-bono basis through the auspices of The Coming Home Project, and now independently through my private practice. In addition to this experience, I am trained in EMDR and have extensive experience assisting persons with histories of abuse, neglect and developmental and interpersonal trauma using an eclectic variety of psychotherapeutic approaches.

Utilizing a variety of approaches, I have 10 years of experience effectively treating folks of all identities and backgrounds who have experienced 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 am a TCTSY facilitator and incorporate embodied movement into my sessions for clients who are interested. As per traumasensitiveyoga.com: "TCTSY is the first yoga-based empirically validated, clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)".

Sometimes, we can't explain the bad things that happen, but we know that they have an effect on us. So often, trauma lives in our body. In trauma therapy, we will find ways to acknowledge the trauma that has happened, working to metabolize that bodily effects of the trauma, while developing new neuro-pathways to ease the effect of that trauma on our mind and heart.

Being a trauma-informed therapist, I understand the overwhelming effects and aftermath of trauma. Whether trauma happened once or over a lifetime, the legacy left is profound and life-changing. I will help you reach a state of stability, control, and safety so that you can function and reclaim your life back, with the opportunity to process and resolve trauma(s). Trauma therapy aims to cultivate and realize your self-empowerment, control, and confidence within your life.

I'm a Level 2 Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. This training has given me the tools to better treat clients who have a history of trauma, including C-PTSD. This knowledge helps me provide clients real strategies to reduce and eliminate difficult symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, circular thinking, angry outbursts, or irritability, while helping clients explore and process the trauma that has contributed to the development of these symptoms.

As a trauma-informed therapist, I focus on understanding and addressing the impact of trauma on your life. I create a safe, compassionate space where you feel heard and respected. By recognizing the effects of trauma on your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, we can work together to develop coping strategies and healing techniques. This approach helps you build resilience, regain control, and improve your overall well-being, allowing you to move forward with greater confidence and peace.

Trauma trained and trauma informed to practice with evidence based interventions and approach.

I have been specializing in trauma for over 5 years and have completed training in multiple approaches and subjects related to trauma. I use an attachment theory framework that unifies my understanding of trauma and how to heal from it.

Trauma Resource Institute: Trauma Resiliency Model - Level 1 Certificate

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.

I have a number of ways I work with people with trauma histories. Let's see if we can find the right combination that works for you.

My experience with trauma therapy includes trainings in Somatic Experiencing and extensive work with survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. I work towards establishing emotional and physical safety for people before diving into their experiences and using experiential and somatic interventions to help process the emotions.

I have worked with survivors of domestic and interpersonal violence where I helped people work through the impacts of trauma and grief with sensitivity, gentleness, and understanding. Additionally, I am trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a body-based approach healing centered around healing trauma and creating wellbeing.