Our therapists offer PTSD & trauma therapy in Williamsburg, VA

My go-to approach for helping people in therapy starts with getting to know you as a person and not just a client. I want to know about your life: What’s working, and what could be better? What are your hopes and dreams? What are your strengths? What are you passionate about, what brings you joy, and how can we build more of that for you? I use an integrative approach that explores how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors overlap and work to coax change in all of these areas to bring a better sense of life balance. Everything you share with me will help me to provide support and work toward solutions!

I often use a combination of the following tools in trauma therapy:

• Tracking patterns of thoughts, feelings, and emotions and the ways they may interact
• Challenging and reframing negative or fearful thoughts
• Mindfulness
• Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)
• Guided imagery
• Deep breathing
• Sleep hygiene
• Ways to challenge automatic negative thoughts
• DBT-based skills involving distress tolerance and emotion regulation
• And many others

I know a client is making meaningful progress in therapy when they start to recognize they are coping better or feeling less distressed.

Clients can supplement their time in therapy by staying mindful of their therapy and life goals. Sometimes, our therapy sessions will have homework such as tracking patterns and trying new skills, and the more invested clients can be in the therapy process, the better their outcomes are likely to be.

To prepare for your first therapy session, you can find a quiet, safe, comfortable space from which to join your telehealth session. The goal of the intake session is to collect information to inform future therapy services, so please be prepared to answer a lot of questions about your current concerns, mental and physical health, personal and family history, etc. I will ask you to tell me about what you are struggling with, but I also want to know the unique strengths and skills you already have! We will also begin to set goals to guide our work together. It's not unusual to feel a little nervous before the first appointment, and I will do my best to help you feel at ease. It is so important to find a therapist who is a good fit for you, and I welcome your feedback in that regard. I'm also happy to answer any questions you may have!