TRAUMA THERAPY FOR LGBTQ+ FOLX | WASHINGTON

Rise above the past.

Do you feel caught in painful patterns you can’t seem to break?

“Trauma” can feel like a really big word to assign to what you’ve experienced—it may feel like “just” been an absent or emotionally distant parent growing up, or “just” the criticism you experienced as a teenager, or “just” the systemic oppression of living as an LGBTQ+ person. But these things have left a lasting impact on you.

You might be:

• Feeling out of control: living life in a constant state of “fight or flight,” always feeling on edge

• Experiencing isolation or loneliness: feeling alone or misunderstood, even when you’re with others

• Struggling to trust yourself: second-guessing and doubting your value or what you bring to your relationships, career, or family life

• Getting caught in painful relationship cycles: finding yourself in mismatched, unhealthy, or incompatible relationships

Trauma therapy can help you process the impacts of your past, attend to the younger parts of yourself that need healing, and transform your day-to-day life.

How does trauma therapy work?

Addressing any painful experience starts with feeling safe. I’ll offer you a space where you can open up at your own pace. As you share, I’ll start to build a picture of your challenges and the goals you have for therapy.

From there, we will start helping you build a toolkit of self-soothing and grounding skills to help you manage difficult emotions in day-to-day life. We’ll also work to identify and explore your attachment style and what it means for you & your relationships. Over time, we can shift the painful or unhelpful patterns that are holding you back from the life and relationships you truly want.

My Approach

Unprocessed trauma is stored in our bodies (it’s why you may struggle with things like poor sleep, pain, or GI issues). While traditional trauma therapy focuses on words—the things you say, think, and believe about what you’ve experienced—our work together includes attending to what’s happening in your body as well.

Using a method called sensorimotor psychotherapy, I’ll support you in tuning into the messages that your body is sending you and address the physical sensations associated with painful events. This approach helps you draw on the strength and resilience that’s already inside of you to find closure and move toward healing.

Trauma therapy can help you:

• Process and move forward from painful past experiences

• Identify your attachment style and how it influences your interactions

• Feel more comfortable and secure in your relationships

• Become more attuned to your body and its messages

• Gain confidence in asking for what you want and need

• Set healthy boundaries that support your wellbeing

What could life look like if you regained your sense of self, safety, and security?

Common Questions About Trauma Therapy

Q: What is trauma?

A: Trauma is often thought of as large, significant experiences such as an accident, assault, or violent event. However, trauma often takes other, more subtle forms—things that take place over time, like abuse, neglect, or gaslighting & manipulation.

Trauma is, ultimately, any experience or series of experiences that leaves a negative or lasting effect on a person. Whether the experience you had was large and significant or more subtle over time, trauma therapy can help you address the impacts of it and move forward.

Q: How do you support LGBTQ+, kink, or polyamorous folx with trauma?

A: Many folx in these communities experience daily oppression, which is, itself, trauma. When combined with other trauma from their past, those in the LGBTQ+, kink, or polyamorous communities can find it especially difficult to find support. I offer a safe, accepting space where we can discuss the nuances of each of these things, without the need for explanation or justification.

Q: How do we get started?

A: I want you to get the most out of therapy, and that starts with the relationship you have with your therapist. Click this link to schedule a free consultation to decide if I’m the right fit for you. I’ll answer your questions, share a bit more about my approach, and discuss what working together can look like.