Trauma Therapy

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 utilize several different trauma modalities, including somatics, internal family systems, and mindfulness-based approaches to not just speak about your trauma but to actually process the emotion and sensation that has led you to feel as if you can't "get over it."

Quintessential Health only utilizes evidence-based treatments, with a specialty focus on Prolonged Exposure for trauma.

I use an eclectic approach to address trauma in therapy: combining EMDR, narrative therapy, TF-CBT, person centered therapy and other approaches, in order to tailor therapy to the client.

As a Certified Trauma Professional, I'm here to help and I understand how trauma can lead to various distressing symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and difficulty with forming and maintaining relationships. Trauma therapy can provide a supportive space for you to process your traumatic experience(s) in a safe and organized way. Processing distressing traumatic events can be done through Brainspotting, EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing therapy techniques with me

I am trained in multiple trauma-focused treatments including EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Prolonged Exposure. All three of these therapies have been proven to help people feel better and feel more free to live the life they want to live.

To partake in trauma informed therapy does not mean you have had to go through something you would categorize as traumatic. I find that interventions and tools in trauma informed therapy center around reframing, compassion, and a reconnection to oneself, which any individual can benefit from.

I use a mind-body approach to working with trauma that is guided by how you've been affected by it. As a trauma informed yoga and 200 hour registered yoga teacher, I have studied, practiced, and facilitated yoga and trauma sensitive movement classes. I teach my clients to understand their trauma responses by exploring the purpose it serves, their reactions, what activates it, and how to cope with it.

Trauma can mean many different things, and everyone responds differently. Trauma is often defined as an event that impacts one's ability to cope. My approach to treatment focuses on understanding "what happened to you" rather than "what is wrong with you." Together, we will lessen the impact of trauma by creating a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship where you can process feelings such as grief, shame, anger, and fear, helping you become your true self.

I've worked with many people who have experienced trauma or have inter-generational trauma that lives in our bodies. It's critical to understand how our brains and bodies respond to take care of us. We can get stuck in a specific feedback loop that causes problems and symptoms. In trauma work, we are learning to be with our nervous system in new ways and that we are not broken or inherently bad. Trauma work often involves regulation practices, somatic approaches or art based work.

People who experience trauma experience a wide-range of symptoms, including, emotional overwhelm, numbing, decreased concentration, irritability, chronic pain, substance abuse, shame, depression, and anxiety. Trauma informed therapy understands that these symptoms are a reflection of a nervous system that is in rough shape. I bring a variety of skills to my work with survivors, including TIST, psychoeducation, mindfulness, and somatic skills, to help people reclaim enjoyment in life.

I'm certified in Somatic Experiencing & other trauma modalities. Dr. Peter Levine of Somatic Experiencing says, "trauma is a fact of life but it doesn't have to be a life sentence." It could be an accident, assault, or natural disaster, or it can also be developmental: that our needs as a child weren't met in the way we would have liked and needed to feel safe, seen and soothed - & secure. I'm happy to support you on making sense of the past so you can live more fully in the present w/ ease.

We can choose to address trauma in a variety of ways depending on your needs and comfort levels. Trauma therapy can help reduce the intensity and duration of trauma responses. As survivors build healthy relationships in recovery, they often find that past trauma still affects them today. I will help you identify how past trauma is affecting your current relationships.

Trauma therapy is focused on processing traumatic experiences.

I have been certified through the Arizona Trauma institute for years. I find that even if someone is not traumatized, they still unknowingly struggle with trauma like effects from a stressful lifestyle. Having a trauma informed therapist is helpful in the treatment process.

I draw from different modalities to treat trauma. While incorporating aspects of ACT, DBT, and CBT, I also support clients in learning how trauma shows up in their bodies: understanding Interoception (the "felt sense") and their nervous systems. I help clients to explore their regulation, co-regulation, and attachment patterns and needs to heal from trauma.

I am an integrative therapist, meaning I have trained in many different approaches and can select interventions from various modalities to best match your treatment goals and preferences. Within my continuing education, I have trained in many trauma therapy approaches such as somatic experiencing, EMDR, interpersonal therapy, CBT-TR, attachment focused approaches to trauma, and Internal Family Systems.