Trauma Therapy
You don't have to let what happened to you define what comes next.
Trauma can affect the way you see yourself, your relationships, and the world around you, even long after the experience has ended. Whether you're struggling with the effects of a recent or past experience, therapy can provide a safe space to process what you've been through, develop healthy coping skills, and begin moving toward healing.
Does this sound like you?
Maybe you know you're safe now, but your body and mind don't always seem to recognize it. You might feel constantly on edge, have difficulty trusting others, or find yourself reacting strongly to situations that seem small to everyone else.
You may also find yourself avoiding certain places, conversations, relationships, or memories because they bring up difficult emotions. Perhaps you feel disconnected from yourself or others, struggle with shame or guilt, or simply feel like you've never quite been the same since what happened.
Sometimes trauma doesn't look like what we expect. You may be functioning well on the outside while privately carrying fear, exhaustion, anger, numbness, or a sense that something is still wrong.
If this sounds familiar, you don't have to navigate it alone. Healing is possible, and you deserve support that respects your story and your pace.
Common Symptoms of Trauma:
Feeling constantly on edge or "on guard"
Difficulty relaxing or feeling safe
Intrusive memories or unwanted thoughts
Nightmares or difficulty sleeping
Avoiding reminders of what happened
Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected
Difficulty trusting others
Shame, guilt, or self-blame
Strong emotional reactions to certain situations
Difficulty regulating emotions
Feeling disconnected from your body or surroundings
Feeling like you're always waiting for something bad to happen
How Therapy Can Help
Trauma therapy isn't about forcing yourself to relive painful experiences. Instead, we'll work together to help you understand how your experiences may be affecting you today and develop healthier ways of responding.
Understand & Process Your Experiences
Build Safety & Coping Skills
We'll develop tools to help you feel grounded, manage difficult emotions, and create a greater sense of safety in your everyday life.
Reconnect With Yourself
Trauma can affect your sense of identity, relationships, and trust in yourself. Therapy can help you rebuild confidence, strengthen healthy connections, and reconnect with the parts of yourself that may have felt lost.
My Approach to Treating OCD:
Learn more about my approach to therapy here
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Exposure and Response Prevention
Christian Counseling
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
OCD, Faith, & Scrupulosity
For some people, OCD becomes intertwined with their faith. This can sometimes take the form of scrupulosity, in which obsessive fears and compulsive behaviors center around sin, morality, religious beliefs, or the fear of displeasing God.
You may find yourself:
Repeatedly confessing the same sin
Praying until a prayer feels "right"
Seeking reassurance that you've been forgiven
Constantly questioning whether something is sinful
Analyzing your intentions or whether you have committed a moral wrong
Fearing that you've offended God without realizing it
Avoiding religious practices because they trigger anxiety
When OCD targets your faith, it can be especially confusing and painful. You may wonder whether you're experiencing a spiritual problem or an OCD problem.
For clients who desire it, we can thoughtfully explore the relationship between OCD and faith while using evidence-based treatment strategies. The goal is not to take away your faith, but to develop a pursuit of God that stems from joy and love rather than fear.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Yes. OCD is a treatable mental health condition, and many people experience meaningful improvement with appropriate therapy. Treatment focuses on changing the patterns that keep OCD going and helping you respond differently to intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and uncertainty.
-
Mental compulsions are still compulsions. OCD doesn't always involve visible behaviors such as checking or washing. Reassurance-seeking, mentally reviewing events, analyzing thoughts, comparing feelings, researching, and repeatedly trying to achieve certainty can all become part of the OCD cycle.
-
Intrusive thoughts can be upsetting precisely because they conflict with what matters to you. Having an unwanted thought does not mean you want it, agree with it, or will act on it. Therapy can help you change your relationship with these thoughts rather than continuing to analyze what they might mean.
-
Yes. OCD can focus on areas that are especially important to a person, including faith, morality, and relationships. When obsessive fears and compulsions center around religious or moral concerns, this is sometimes referred to as scrupulosity. Faith-sensitive OCD treatment can help you address the OCD while respecting the importance of your beliefs.
-
Yes. Online therapy can be an effective and convenient option for many people seeking treatment for OCD. I offer secure telehealth counseling to adults throughout Iowa, allowing you to receive support without needing to travel to my office.