ONLINE TRAUMA & PTSD THERAPY | WASHINGTON & OREGON
WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH MATTERS. SO DOES WHAT COMES NEXT.
Trauma can affect how you feel, relate to others, and experience the world around you. Whether its effects come from a single event, repeated experiences, or needs that went unmet over time, therapy offers space to understand their impact and begin healing.
SOMETIMES YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW MUCH YOU'VE BEEN CARRYING.
WHEN TRAUMA ISN'T SO EASY TO RECOGNIZE
Maybe you've spent years telling yourself it wasn't that bad. Other people had it worse. Your parents did their best. You've built a good life, so why does any of it still matter?
Sometimes the things we grow up with feel normal simply because they're all we've ever known. You may not have recognized the criticism, unpredictability, emotional neglect, or responsibilities you carried as a child as anything unusual. You learned to adapt because you had to.
Trauma isn't always about one terrible thing that happened. Sometimes it's about having too little for too long—not enough safety, consistency, protection, affection, or someone who could help you make sense of what you were experiencing.
Recognizing this later in life can bring up unexpected emotions, including grief for the childhood you needed and didn't have. You can love your family, understand their limitations, and still acknowledge the impact of your experiences.
You don't have to prove that your experiences were bad enough or compare them to someone else's. If something continues to affect your life, it's worth paying attention to.
MY APPROACH TO TRAUMA THERAPY
TRAUMA ISN'T JUST ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. IT'S ABOUT HOW IT AFFECTED YOU.
Two people can go through similar experiences and be affected in very different ways. Trauma is not determined solely by the event itself, but also by how overwhelming it was, what support was available, and how your mind and body responded.
Those responses can stay with you long after the experience has ended. You might feel constantly on alert, struggle to relax, become overwhelmed by emotions, or disconnect from what you're feeling. Prolonged stress can also affect physical health, including sleep, muscle tension, pain, and digestion.
My approach combines EMDR, somatic therapy, attachment-focused work, and other methods to address the emotional, physical, and relational effects of trauma
YOU DON'T HAVE TO MINIMIZE WHAT HAPPENED JUST BECAUSE YOU LEARNED HOW TO LIVE WITH IT.
THE MANY WAYS TRAUMA CAN SHOW UP
ALWAYS ON GUARD
You anticipate problems, have trouble relaxing, or feel responsible for making sure everything and everyone is okay. Even when life is going well, your body may struggle to settle.
RELATIONSHIPS & TRUST
You might find yourself people-pleasing, avoiding conflict, struggling with boundaries, or feeling anxious about how others perceive you. Closeness can feel both important and complicated.
MIND & BODY
Anxiety, emotional overwhelm, numbness, fatigue, sleep difficulties, and physical tension can all be part of the picture. Your body may respond to stress before you've had time to understand what you're feeling.
SHAME & SELF-DOUBT
You question your judgment, blame yourself when things go wrong, or feel that you're never quite good enough. Beliefs formed years ago may still influence how you see yourself today.
QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAUMA & PTSD THERAPY
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You don't have to decide whether your experiences qualify as trauma before reaching out. People respond differently to overwhelming events and prolonged stress, and sometimes the impact of childhood experiences isn't recognized until adulthood. We can explore what's affecting you without requiring you to adopt a particular label.
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Trauma describes experiences and their potential effects, while PTSD is a specific diagnosis involving symptoms that develop after exposure to certain traumatic events. You can experience significant difficulties related to trauma without meeting the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
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Complex trauma generally refers to the effects of repeated or prolonged experiences of threat, instability, neglect, or relational harm. It can affect emotional regulation, relationships, self-worth, and a person's sense of safety. The term describes a pattern of experiences and effects rather than automatically indicating a particular diagnosis.
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No. You have choices about what you share, and trauma therapy doesn't require you to describe every detail of your experiences. We'll discuss what feels manageable and choose approaches that fit your needs. EMDR, for example, can sometimes involve processing memories without describing them extensively aloud.
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Prolonged stress and trauma-related symptoms can influence sleep, muscle tension, digestion, pain, and other aspects of physical well-being. These symptoms can also have other medical causes, so physical concerns deserve appropriate medical evaluation alongside therapy.
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Yes. I provide online trauma and PTSD therapy for adults physically located in Washington and Oregon. Depending on your needs, sessions may include EMDR, somatic approaches, and other trauma-focused work adapted for telehealth.
COMMON QUESTIONS
WHEN YOU'RE READY
YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT TO BEGIN.
You don't need a diagnosis, a clear explanation, or a perfectly organized story. We can start with what's happening in your life right now and go from there.