FAQs

Great question! Therapy can be immensely helpful for many people. Most of us are rushing through our days, not given the time or the space to process our past or present difficulties. When someone asks how we are, we automatically respond, “Fine, and you?” Therapy is a place to be your true, authentic self. It’s a place to explore where you come from and how your experiences have shaped you. It’s a place to challenge old ways of thinking and accept yourself unconditionally so you can step into your best self. It’s a place to experience safety, connection, and unconditional acceptance, maybe for the first time in your life.

In short, YES! Everyone’s trauma can manifest differently, but with the right treatment and a good relationship with a skilled therapist, you can absolutely find healing. We can never take away what has happened to you, or what you haven’t gotten that you should have, but we can help your nervous system carry the weight of these experiences differently. EMDR and parts work are great modalities for this!

I find that I work best with clients struggling with the impacts of trauma, particularly childhood or attachment trauma. This can take the form of emotional numbness, dissociation, flashbacks/nightmares, or low self-esteem, just to name a few symptoms. Clients with depression, anxiety, and anger also connect with my style.

My standard session length is between 53-60 minutes. I generally recommend weekly sessions for new clients to gain the most benefit, but work around scheduling needs when possible.

Nope, not at all. Some people have vivid memories, some only have vague flashes of memories, and some people just have a general feeling that “something bad happened,” but they have no specific memories. We can work with any of these situations in trauma therapy. Some modalities, such as EMDR, don’t require talking about your trauma at all if you prefer not to. For example, you could simply hold an image and negative core belief in your mind as we reprocess the memory.

Therapy is an individual process, so the length of therapy can really differ for everyone. Some people are dealing with a really difficult time in their lives and just need some extra support for a few months. Others have experienced complex trauma and can benefit from long-term work over years. Ultimately, this will really be up to you. If you’re benefiting from the work and want to continue, I generally support this choice.

There are many different ways to assess if therapy is working for you. First, are you becoming more aware of your emotions and patterns? Are you noticing improvement in the symptoms that brought you to therapy? Are you feeling more connected or safe within your relationships? Are you becoming more honest with yourself and others? Are you meeting your goals?

If you’re currently working with a therapist but not sure if it’s working, I encourage you to bring this up with your therapist! We are trained to deal with conversations like this and should be designing our therapy work to best suit your needs. If it’s not working, we can adjust things to make sure it does!

Another individualized question! There are SO many different forms of therapy out there, and I encourage you to do some basic research into several to better understand what resonates most with you. I like to distinguish between “top-down” and “bottom-up” therapy approaches - using the “top” (more cognitive parts) of our brain or using the “bottom” (more survival-focused) parts.

Top-down therapy approaches focus on our thoughts and cognitive processes, so this is generally where the therapy hour is targeted. Top-down approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and Prolonged Exposure. These therapies can be helpful for people looking to focus on their present challenges and behaviors.

Bottom-up approaches use the wisdom of the body to help us better understand our emotions and experiences. Bottom-up approaches include EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and creative therapies. Because trauma is experienced/stored both in the mind and the body, we know that incorporating at least some bottom-up elements in trauma work is essential. I find that many of my clients with PTSD or complex-PTSD really appreciate and benefit from reconnecting to themselves by identifying body sensations and using movement within their sessions. 

In my practice, I incorporate both approaches depending on what my clients need, but lean heavily on bottom-up approaches. I check in frequently with my clients to ensure that my style and approach is working well for each of them.

For the most part, everything you say in therapy is kept between you and your therapist. There are a few exceptions though - if you express a plan and intent to harm yourself or someone else, or if a minor is or has experienced abuse/neglect or is at risk of abuse/neglect. A court subpoena could also be an exception.