Trauma Therapy
Licensed Psychologist | NC, NY & PSYPACT States
Trauma can change the way we experience ourselves, other people, and the world around us. After a frightening, overwhelming, or deeply distressing experience, the mind and body can continue to respond as though the danger is still present—even when the experience happened long ago.
Trauma can affect many areas of a person’s life. In addition to distress related to what happened, you may struggle with anxiety, avoidance, feeling constantly on guard, difficulty relaxing, disrupted sleep, or difficulty returning to relationships and activities that were once important to you. For some people, these difficulties emerge after a single event; for others, they develop in the context of repeated or cumulative exposure to traumatic experiences. You may avoid people, places, conversations, or situations that remind you of what happened. Trauma can also affect how you see yourself and the world, leaving you feeling unsafe, disconnected, or stuck.
Treatment For Trauma & PTSD
My experience treating trauma and PTSD spans multiple clinical settings and populations. During my clinical internship at a VA hospital, I worked with combat veterans experiencing trauma-related concerns. I continued this work during my postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University, where I also worked with combat veterans.
My subsequent professional experience has included working with state and federal law enforcement officers, providing me with additional experience addressing the effects of trauma, repeated exposure to traumatic events, and the unique demands of high-stress occupations.
My work with trauma also closely complements my expertise in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia, as these difficulties often overlap and can reinforce one another. My experience across these areas allows me to consider the broader pattern of what you are experiencing and how these difficulties may be connected.
The Support To Help You Move Forward
My goal is to provide a supportive, structured environment in which we can understand what is keeping you stuck and use well-established therapeutic approaches to help you move forward.
What Does Treatment Involve?
Trauma treatment should feel collaborative and purposeful. We begin by understanding your experiences, current symptoms, and goals. Depending on your needs, therapy may involve learning about trauma responses, identifying patterns of avoidance, examining trauma-related beliefs, and gradually approaching memories or situations that have become associated with fear.
I have completed specialized training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE), two structured, evidence-based treatments for PTSD. My broader approach to trauma therapy is grounded in cognitive-behavioral principles and tailored to each person’s experiences, symptoms, needs, and goals. Treatment is collaborative rather than one-size-fits-all.
Why Evidence-Based Treatment?
When seeking help for trauma, treatment should be grounded in both compassion and scientific evidence. PE and CPT have been extensively studied and are among the trauma-focused psychotherapies recommended in major clinical guidelines for PTSD. These treatments directly address patterns—such as avoidance and trauma-related beliefs—that can keep symptoms going.
My approach is warm, direct, trauma-informed, and evidence-based. Together, we will work to understand what is keeping you stuck and help you move toward greater freedom, connection, and confidence in your life.
Get Started
You do not need to have every symptom—or a diagnosis of PTSD—to recognize that difficult experiences may still be affecting your life.