All trauma can be impactful. Whether you experienced trauma as a child or as an adult, and whether you have experienced one or numerous traumatic events in your life, experiencing trauma can erode some of the core elements of who you are. You may feel untrusting of others or even yourself. You may struggle with feeling safe, both in public and sometimes even in your own home. You might find yourself trying to control everything, then feeling helpless at times. You may notice yourself coping in ways that aren’t really helping you to recover.  You might find yourself irritable or on edge, or withdrawn from relationships.  It’s not uncommon for trauma survivors to find themselves avoiding various activities and opportunities in life.  It’s understandable; you want to feel more calm and in control. But often times relationships, work, and other areas of life can be affected, and it may even start to feel like trauma has changed who you are.  It is not your fault, and it doesn’t have to stay this way.

Does all trauma lead to PTSD? Are there other ways trauma can affect me?

Trauma does not automatically lead to PTSD, but it can still have lasting impacts on people.  There is a large range of how people may respond after experiencing trauma, even if a long period has passed since they have escaped the traumatizing event or situation.  PTSD is one possible outcome, but people can also struggle with depression, anxiety, or other concerns.  Some individuals are not sure exactly how trauma has impacted them, but feel more broadly affected.  You may feel that you are more likely than others to fall into traps of self-criticism, or you may feel “different.”  You might see others who seem comfortable and content, and feel unsure why it is that people and situations seem to cause so much stress for you. There are numerous reasons why trauma can have a lasting impact on someone's life, but those effects do not need to last forever. It is important to know that help is available to get the support you need to continue your recovery from trauma.

I offer therapy services for adults in St. Louis who have experienced and survived trauma or other stressful events, but are still noticing the effects of those experiences in their day-to-day lives.  Part of our work would be to understand how your experiences have impacted you, and explore what has kept you feeling stuck. Trauma and other negative past experiences can have an effect on your thoughts and emotions, your relationships, your work and career, as well as other domains.  Working with a qualified professional can help you get to the bottom of what you are struggling with, and identify ways to address and reduce the ways in which those experiences impact the things that matter most to you.

What is the difference between trauma-focused treatment and trauma-informed care?

In short, trauma-focused treatment is therapy that is specifically designed to treat and reduce trauma-related mental health symptoms and their impacts on your day-to-day life.  Below, there is more information regarding different types of trauma-focused treatment available.

In contrast, trauma-informed care is not a specific type of therapy, but is instead a set of principles intended to guide practitioners to ensure that the care they provide promotes healing, growth, trust, and safety in all individuals, including trauma survivors.  In practice, this means that everyone from individual therapists all the way up to entire hospital systems and clinics should consider the ways in which their practices, policies, and procedures can affect individuals who have been through trauma.  Trauma and other negative life experiences are extremely common, and it is easy for clinicians or larger systems to not always be aware of or consider ways in which their policies or practices can affect individual people.  For instance, if a trauma survivor goes to get help at a hospital, it can be quite difficult to tell their story over and over to each nurse, doctor, or specialist who walks in to see them.  Institutions can address this by having better procedures for passing information between practitioners rather than having the client repeat their story.  

In individual therapy, therapists can practice trauma-informed care in the following ways: 

1. By ensuring that they provide an environment and build a relationship that enhances a sense of safety and trust

2. By involving clients in choices, rather than providing them with directives

3. By seeking feedback from clients and working together with them each step of the way

4. By helping them feel empowered and effective in using their strengths and growing their abilities

(Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care, 2026)

I practice trauma-informed care with all clients I see.  I work to build a sense of safety and trust in our treatment relationship, present you with options and choices to support a collaborative approach that is driven by your preferences, and focus on helping to empower you to build and keep the life you want.  

In practice what this means is that 

1. I will not “require” you to talk about trauma if you prefer not to

2. We will discuss together the goals you wish to address and accomplish in your therapy

3. We will always be flexible with the goals and agenda we are pursuing

4. I will work to earn and keep your trust and to ensure you feel respected, and

5. We will make efforts to identify your strengths and abilities and use those to help you feel more empowered

If you would like more information about trauma-informed care, you can click here.

What kinds of trauma-focused therapy are available?

There is no requirement in therapy to talk about trauma if you prefer not to.  However, if this is an area you feel you need to address, and if at some point you felt ready to do so, you would have the opportunity to talk with me about what you have been through, and how those experiences have impacted your life (both now and in the past).

I practice Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma.  Both of these methods are considered first-line treatments for trauma and PTSD (American Psychological Association, 2026).  CBT and CPT are treatments I believe in because they are known to be effective treatments (they have both been heavily studied and consistently show promising results), and I have a wealth of experience in utilizing both effectively with my clients.  CBT for trauma would include working to identify the impacts that trauma has had on your day-to-day habits, your emotions, and even your thoughts.  We would work together to notice those patterns, identify which ones are serving you and which ones are not, and work to address them.  CPT is a version of CBT, with particular content and objectives.  CPT works to address similar concerns to that of CBT, with a particular focus on identifying “stuck points,” which broadly refers to the thinking patterns (and related behaviors) that have kept someone “stuck” in their recovery from trauma.  CPT works to address these as well as certain thought domains that are commonly impacted by trauma, specifically beliefs about safety, trust, power and control, esteem, and closeness/intimacy.  Both CBT and CPT have been researched extensively for decades, and both are known as strong and effective treatments for trauma.

It is also useful to know that Cognitive-Behavioral and similar methods are built with the notion that you can become your own therapist. Therapists who practice CBT typically believe that you have the power, strength, and ability to face the challenges you encounter.  While therapy can be massively beneficial, good therapy will give you the tools to navigate life’s challenges outside of a therapist’s office. My hope for you is that you leave therapy feeling confident in your ability and skills in coping with challenges in life, while also being able to identify when you may need the help and support of additional therapy as you move forward.

While there are many therapies out there that have emerged over time to treat trauma, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy have continued over time to stand as top-of-the-line options for individuals working to overcome PTSD and trauma.  If you are interested in more information about why CBT and CPT are considered first-line treatments for trauma, you can read more here: https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments.

What is the next step for me?

There’s nothing that says you have to jump into dealing with trauma right away.  Starting to address trauma and other negative life events can feel scary and maybe daunting, and we can take things at your pace.

What I want you and other people to know most of all, is that effective treatments are available to help you improve your life.  Many people I work with start their therapy by working on other goals or concerns, and transition to trauma-focused therapy when they are ready.  Treatments work, therapy happens at the pace you are comfortable, and you can do this, even if it feels impossible.  Going through trauma doesn’t mean you have to feel this way forever.  Effective therapy can help, and that therapy is available to you.