What is Trauma?
The United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) definition of trauma states, "Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically and emotionally harmful or life-threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual's functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being." Traumatic experiences can hijack our nervous systems, reduce our daily functionality, negatively impact our physical health, deteriorate our interpersonal relationships, decrease or tolerance to distress, increase our sensitivity, disturb our sleep, and exacerbate depression and anxiety. Trauma can change our brain chemistry and even how our genes express themselves.
Every individual experiences, processes, and holds trauma differently and each person responds to traumatic experiences uniquely, but there are therapeutic approaches to treating trauma that can have lasting positive effects on one's wellbeing and overall health. My goal is to help you uncover emotional injury, heal from its impacts, develop autonomy and agency in your life, and help you change your relationship to your past in order to have a more empowered future.
What is Trauma-Informed Counseling?
The Five Pillars of TI Counseling:
Trauma-Informed Counseling understands and considers the pervasive nature of trauma and promotes environments of healing and recovery rather than practices that may inadvertently re-traumatize. A trauma-informed approach fully integrates awareness of individual, historical, racial and systemic trauma into all aspects of counseling in order to intentionally reduce the likelihood of further harm and allow the opportunity for healing and growth.
If you are someone who would benefit from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), I know a group of exceptional clinicians certified in EMDR to whom I can refer you.
-
Trustworthiness: Building trust through transparency. I will set clear expectations and maintain consistent, reliable presence during our work together.
-
Choice: Honoring your voice and choice. You have options regarding you care and your preferences dictate the direction of your treatment plan.
-
Collaboration: Sharing power and decision-making. I work with you, recognizing that you are the ultimate expert in your own life.
-
Empowerment: Focusing on strengths and skill-building. My goal is to validate your experiences and encourages you as you build confidence and take an active role in your healing and well-being.
-
Safety: Ensuring physical and emotional safety is paramount. My therapeutic space is predictable, welcoming, and free from threats to help enable you to feel comfortable and safe.