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 Trauma Therapy:
Learn more about my approach to therapy here
There is no single approach to healing from trauma. My goal is to create a therapeutic environment where you feel respected, heard, and in control of your own healing process.
I draw from evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person-Centered Therapy, and other therapeutic techniques based on your individual needs and goals.
Trauma-informed therapy means we pay attention to safety, trust, choice, and collaboration throughout the process. You don't have to share anything before you're ready, and we'll work together to determine what feels manageable.
Our work may include developing emotional regulation skills, challenging shame and self-blame, strengthening boundaries, processing difficult experiences, and developing a greater sense of safety and confidence.
Trauma, Faith, and Healing
Trauma can affect more than your mental and emotional health. For many people, it can also change the way they understand God, themselves, and their faith.
You may find yourself wondering:
Why did God allow this to happen?
Where was God when I needed Him?
Why do I still feel afraid if I know God is with me?
Can I still trust God after what I've experienced?
There is room for these questions in therapy.
For clients who desire it, I offer Christian counseling that thoughtfully integrates faith into the therapeutic process. We can explore spiritual questions, process feelings of anger or disappointment toward God, and consider how your faith can become a source of support rather than pressure.
You don't have to minimize what happened or force yourself to "forgive and forget" in order to have faith. Healing can include honestly acknowledging your pain while gradually discovering hope and a renewed sense of safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Not immediately, and you don't have to share anything before you're ready. Building safety and trust is an important part of trauma-informed therapy. We'll work together to determine what you feel comfortable discussing and what will best support your healing.
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Absolutely. Trauma doesn't have an expiration date. Experiences from childhood, adolescence, or many years ago can continue to affect how you feel and relate to others today. If something from your past is still affecting your present, therapy can provide a space to explore it.
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You don't have to meet a particular standard of suffering for your experience to be worthy of support. If an experience continues to affect your emotions, relationships, sense of safety, or daily life, it may be worth exploring with a therapist.
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Discussing difficult experiences can bring up strong emotions, which is one reason trauma therapy should move at an appropriate pace. We can focus on developing coping and grounding skills before processing more difficult material, and you'll be involved in decisions about what we work on and when.
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Yes. I offer secure online therapy for adults throughout Iowa. Telehealth can provide a convenient and private way to receive trauma-informed counseling from a location where you feel comfortable and safe.
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Yes. If your faith is important to you, we can thoughtfully incorporate Christian beliefs into your therapy. This may include exploring spiritual questions, Scripture, prayer, identity, forgiveness, or your relationship with God as they relate to your healing. Your faith does not have to be left at the door, and you also don't have to have all the answers before beginning therapy.
Healing Can Touch Many Areas of Life
The effects of trauma can extend beyond the original experience, influencing anxiety, relationships, boundaries, and your sense of safety. Exploring these related areas may help you better understand your experiences and find additional support.
You Can Begin Healing at Your Own Pace
What happened to you matters, but it doesn't have to determine the rest of your story. You don't have to rush your healing or navigate it alone. Therapy can be a place to slow down, feel supported, and begin taking steps toward a greater sense of safety, freedom, and hope.