Trauma Therapy
Virtual Trauma Therapy in Charleston
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Virtual Trauma Therapy in Charleston |
Trauma isn't just about what happened to you - it's about how those experiences continue to shape your body, emotions, relationships, and daily life. You may feel stuck in survival mode, disconnected from yourself or others, emotionally overwhelmed, or constantly on alert without fully understanding why.
Trauma therapy can help you make sense of these patterns, process what you've been carrying, and reconnect with a greater sense of safety and ease. Healing isn't about erasing the past - it's about helping your mind and body realize that you no longer have to survive the way you once did.
Trauma may show up in many different ways. Common symptoms and experiences include, but are not limited to:
Intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares
Avoiding reminders of the traumatic event
Hypervigilance or feeling constantly on edge
Worry or fear about the safety of yourself or others
Difficulty regulating emotions
Emotional numbness, isolation, or detachment
Difficulty concentrating, remembering things, or making decisions
Sleep disturbances
Physical symptoms or unexplained aches and pains
Changes in relationships or how you view yourself
Types of Trauma I Treat
Childhood trauma
Single-incident trauma (PTSD)
Complex trauma (C-PTSD)
Chronic or repeated trauma
Sexual abuse or assault
Vicarious and secondary trauma
Do I even need trauma therapy?
If you're wondering whether trauma therapy is right for you, it might be. Trauma isn't just about what happened - it's also about how your mind and body responded. Two people can experience the same event and be affected in completely different ways.
Trauma also isn't always one major event. Sometimes it's the accumulation of chronic stress, difficult relationships, or repeated "little" experiences that overwhelm your nervous system over time.
If something from your past is still impacting your life, you don't have to wait until it feels "bad enough" to get support. If you think therapy could help, that's reason enough.
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Therapy begins with creating a foundation of safety, trust, and therapeutic rapport. Together, we'll build skills to help your nervous system feel more grounded while strengthening your sense of safety both within yourself and in your environment. We return to this foundation throughout the entire healing process.
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When it’s appropriate, we'll begin to process your experiences using evidence-based approaches at a pace that feels manageable. As you make sense of what happened, the trauma becomes part of your story rather than something that continues to control your present. The goal isn't to erase the past, but to help it no longer be in control.
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As healing continues, you'll begin reconnecting with yourself, your relationships, and the life you want to live. The ultimate goal is to strengthen trust in yourself, explore new ways of moving forward, and create space for resilience, meaning, and growth beyond trauma.
Evidenced-based modalities used for trauma therapy
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Trauma can shape the way you see yourself, others, and the world. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we'll explore trauma-related beliefs, develop a healthier relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions, and help you respond in ways that reflect your values rather than your survival responses. The goal is to help you move from surviving your past to feeling more present, empowered, and connected to your life today.
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DBT combines self-acceptance with meaningful change. It helps you acknowledge your thoughts, emotions, and experiences without judgment while building practical skills to navigate stress, regulate emotions, improve relationships, and respond more effectively to distressing experiences.
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EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy designed to support the brain’s natural healing process following trauma. It uses guided bilateral stimulation while recalling distressing memories to help reduce their emotional intensity and promote adaptive processing.
This modality will be available starting Fall 2026.
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IFS is based on the idea that we all have different “parts” within us — for example, anxious parts, perfectionistic parts, protective parts, or wounded parts. Each part develops for a reason and ultimately tries to help, even when its strategies no longer serve you.
IFS helps you better understand these internal patterns with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment.
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Mindfulness and grounding are often talked about together, but they serve different purposes. Mindfulness helps you become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in the present moment without judgment. Grounding techniques help regulate the nervous system and reconnect you to a sense of safety when emotions or anxiety become overwhelming.
Not every technique works for every person, so we’ll explore different strategies together and build a set of tools that feels effective and sustainable for you.
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SFBT is a goal-oriented, evidence-based approach that focuses on building solutions rather than staying stuck talking about problems or the past. Together, we’ll identify your existing strengths, resources, and patterns that are already working, and create small, realistic goals that support meaningful change. The idea is simple: action builds momentum and confidence.
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Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach that focuses on the connection between the mind and body. Stress, anxiety, and unresolved experiences are often stored physically, showing up as tension, restlessness, fatigue, chronic pain, or other physical symptoms.
In addition to talk therapy, somatic work may include mindfulness, nervous system regulation, breathwork, movement, or grounding exercises to help process and release stored tension. This can be especially helpful for people who tend to intellectualize or stay “stuck in their head,” making it difficult to identify or fully process emotions.