Trauma can show up as anxiety, hypervigilance, avoidance, emotional numbness, or difficulty trusting others, sometimes years after the original event, and sometimes without an obvious "cause" you can point to. I work with clients using Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to process these experiences at a pace that's manageable and not re-traumatizing.

I use CPT because it directly targets and changes unhelpful, rigid thoughts called “stuck points” caused by trauma. It can help you evaluate the facts, reduce guilt or blame, and regain a healthy sense of safety, trust, and control. We will use a workbook to help us stay on task and track your progress over time.

I try to hold trauma work as more of a slow and steady clinical art that is informed by science. The type of treatment matters, but the therapeutic relationship is often what tells me whether the client can actually use the specific protocol (i.e. CPT). Many learn to protect themselves because their whole being learned emotions, closeness, and vulnerability were dangerous, confusing, or not to be trusted. Most often, the work is asking for a slower relational pace, deep trust, and more respect and acknowledgment of that protective system before we can dive deep into the trauma.