trauma-informed mental health counseling and wellness
Therapy Services
What types of therapy do you offer?
Therapy techniques, interventions, and theories we commonly use are…
EMDR
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EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and It's a psychotherapy approach designed to help people process and overcome traumatic memories or experiences. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (tappers you hold in your hands or a light you follow with your eyes), to help the brain process and reframe distressing memories. Essentially, it encourages both sides of the brain to engage in processing the memory in a way that reduces emotional intensity and reactivity while helping re rebuild neural pathways using your frontal cortex (where rational thought happens) instead of your amygdala (where fight, flight, freeze, fawn are activated). Over repeated sets of processing, the memory becomes less vivid and distressing.
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EMDR has been found to be particularly helpful for people with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and other trauma-related disorders. It’s also been used to treat anxiety, depression, phobias, and grief.
It’s a unique therapy because it doesn't require the person to fully articulate the trauma in detail (like in traditional talk therapy), which can make it more accessible for some people who find it hard to discuss traumatic events.
EMDR does not erase trauma, but it does help you feel safe in your body, brain, and world again.
Internal Family Systems
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IFS was developed with the understanding that we often have parts of self due to trauma, development, or lived experience. In IFS, the therapist helps clients build a trusting relationship with their parts, starting with the Self. Instead of trying to eliminate or control the parts, the approach is to understand their motivations and needs. The therapist helps clients communicate with their parts, listen to them, and transform their internal relationships. Parts of self can be categorized into:
Exiles: These parts are often younger, vulnerable, or hurt parts of yourself that carry pain, shame, or fear from past experiences. Exiles tend to be buried or suppressed because they are tied to trauma or difficult emotions.
Managers: These are the protective parts that try to keep you functioning in the world by managing emotions, behaviors, and life situations. They help you cope by controlling your environment or your actions to avoid pain or negative outcomes.
Firefighters: These parts are also protective but are activated in extreme situations when exiled emotions are triggered. Firefighters often act impulsively or destructively to numb or distract from emotional pain, such as through substance use, overeating, or dissociation.
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IFS is particularly helpful for trauma recovery. The model allows people to gently explore past wounds (often hidden in the exiled parts) without re-traumatizing them. By working with the protective parts first, clients can heal at their own pace. IFS is also a tool for developing self-compassion, as it helps people recognize and embrace their internal complexities rather than judge themselves harshly.
Exposure Response Prevention
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Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy and a first line treatment for OCD. ERP involves safely facing anxiety triggers (exposure) while intentionally choosing not to perform repetitive rituals or avoidance behaviors (response prevention) to retrain the brain. Overtime, you retrain your brain and anxiety is significantly reduced.
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While typically there is some discomfort in the beginning, anxiety tends to subside using ERP for treatment of OCD, phobias, specific fears, and other anxiety based challenges. The alarm system (your anxiety) subsides and you stop using your compulsive behaviors to manage the anxiety. Thus, day-to-day life becomes more manageable.
Polyvagal Therapy
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It focuses on how our autonomic nervous system (ANS), especially the vagus nerve, influences emotional regulation, social connection, and trauma responses. Due to trauma nd other experiences in life, our bodies neuroception, the unconscious safety detection that automatically assesses safety or danger in the environment, can become overly activated. This therapy is especially useful in trauma-informed care, helping clients better understand their physiological responses and build safety in their bodies and relationships.
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Polyvagal therapy restores the ventral vagal state so that people can be less activated to respond in fight, flight, freeze, fawn. It also enables clients to. have better understanding of how their emotions are connected to their physiological responses, increasing awareness and thereby increasing the ability to emotionally and physically regulate. Check out the Safe and Sound Protocol on our Additional Services page!
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
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CBT type of psychotherapy (talk therapy) that helps people identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors that contribute to emotional distress or problems in daily life. Some examples are:
Identify distortions:eople often engage in "cognitive distortions" like black-and-white thinking, catastrophizing, or mind reading.
CBT helps people question the evidence for and against their thoughts.
Replacing unhelpful thoughts with more balanced, realistic ones.
Encourages trying new behaviors, such as facing fears or improving problem-solving.
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By applying CBT interventions, clients can catch and challenge negative thoughts as a means to then alter their behaviors, responses, and the way they engage with others. CBT enables awareness and uses mindfulness techniques to reduce challenging feelings.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
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DBT is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy designed to help people who experience intense emotions, struggle with emotional regulation, or engage in self-destructive behaviors like self-harm or impulsivity. Dialectical"refers to the idea of balancing two opposing ideas: Acceptance (of who you are right now) and change (working to improve your behaviors and thinking).
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DBT teaches techniques like mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation so you can recognize how you are feeling, look at the feeling for information, regulate your response, and engage. DBT helps you connect with yourself and with others.
Somatic Therapy
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Somatic therapy a form of body-centered therapy that focuses on the connection between the mind and body in the healing process. Unlike traditional talk therapies that emphasize thoughts and emotions, somatic therapy incorporates physical sensations, movement, breath work, and mindfulness to help people process trauma, stress, and emotional pain.
Key Principles of Somatic Therapy:
Mind-Body Connection: Emotions and trauma aren't just stored in the mind—they're also held in the body.
Body and Sensation Awareness: Clients are encouraged to notice and describe physical sensations (like tightness, tingling, or warmth), which can provide insight into unresolved emotions or trauma.
Regulation of the Nervous System: Techniques aim to calm or stimulate the nervous system to help people move out of "fight, flight, or freeze" states.
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Somatic therapy can be very helpful, especially for people who have struggled with traditional talk therapy or who are dealing with issues that feel “stuck” in the body. Its power lies in addressing the physical aspects of emotions, allowing clients to release emotions they have trouble feeling or naming, increasing body awareness, and regulating their nervous system.
Common Outcomes Clients Report:
Reduced anxiety and panic
Less tension and chronic pain
Feeling more “in their body”
Improved sleep
Better boundaries and self-awareness
A sense of empowerment and peace