Trauma Focused Therapists in Downtown, Charlottesville, VA

I have extensive experience supporting clients who suffer from trauma-related disorders, including intimate partner violence, childhood abuse/sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and loss and grief issues. We will work together as partners in your treatment, developing a plan to process your trauma and move from the role of victim to that of a strong and successful survivor. I also have experience working with clients who have other anxiety-related disorders and now offer online sessions via HIPAA compliant, secure, easy to use platform. Easy online scheduling.

Are you not feeling like yourself? Have you been feeling “stuck”, have you experienced emotional or relational trauma, struggle with Depression, or engage in self-criticism; I can help. As a therapist, I created a space where you can and heal and just BE. While in therapy, you will overcome trauma, manage your depression/ anxiety, walk away from self-criticism and lean towards self-compassion and self-love. While my specialties include trauma, self-love, and depression, I enjoy working with millennial women of color who experience anxiety, find it hard to manage life transitions and adjustment, stress, and chronic health issues.

I work with individual adults interested in personal growth. Sometimes the answers we seek are within us but hidden. I am skilled at bringing these hidden things to light in a kind & compassionate way. My approach to therapy is centered on you as a person. You set the pace & focus, while I support you in clarifying your needs & how best to achieve them. I provide reflections, structure, & guidance through your process of self-discovery. Reasons for therapy might include to be more effective, manage time, illuminate a puzzling feeling, feel more like yourself, increase awareness, improve relationships, identify meaning & purpose.

Working with couples and men is awesome. My clients always surprise me with their intelligence and strength, even if muted by their immediate troubles. Focusing on the connection the couple does have, we can work on the skills to being our own individual within the relationship. Working with men often involves negotiating the contradictions the world presents, attending to power differentials and how they impact our inner world, discovering where our habits developed and how we want to change and grow who we are in the world. I utilize a multitude of maps to offer my clients impactful and effective interventions.

I am an EMDRIA-certified therapist with 15+ years of experience serving individuals and families in Charlottesville. I operate from a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach and incorporate interventions from the following therapeutic modalities, depending on the client's goals for therapy and presenting issues: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems, CBT, Motivational Interviewing, expressive arts therapies.

Accepting new clients: I approach my work through the lens of attachment – how we cope in moments of disconnection with those we love the most – with empathy, cultural awareness, and validation around being a human – moreover, a parent. As a mother to young children, I understand the beauty and despair of parenthood. As a therapist, I understand the impact our childhood experiences have on how we show up in our adult relationships. I meld my experience and training to support both women and men along the path of reconnecting with themselves and with those whom they love most.

I offer therapy and evaluation (testing) services. Clients don't come to me because they are happy. They come, most likely, because they are in pain and hurt. They are tired of feeling stuck, and the fear, tears, and whatever seems to be causing them all. They aren’t interested in therapy because they want therapy. In fact, they are not even sure IF they want therapy—but they ARE sure they want to get unstuck and feel better. So, for you: here you are. . . not all that sure that this is going to help but damn sure you want to do something that might make a positive change and get your life moving forward again. I can help you.

Sometimes we struggle to connect with ourselves and others, but we all deserve to feel heard, respected, and understood. I believe that effective therapy starts with an authentic relationship between client and therapist. I strive to create an environment that is warm, inclusive, and challenging. It is an honor to provide a safe, non-judgmental space for clients to share their lives.

You won't find me stuffy, judgmental or condescending - life is hard enough; I'm on your side. However, I will challenge & support you to finally tackle the thorniest parts of your life. We’ll do this by going deep, not just rehashing. We’ll also work intimately together, finding ways to really and truly connect, & even sometimes have fun. I work best with scrappy & determined women who love making their own way, but sometimes get derailed by their own thoughts or bad relationships or family history. I also love working with men who want to understand life, but balk at traditional therapy - and like straight talk as much as support.

My past experiences of working with at-risk populations has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of trauma on an individual. While I support clients with a wide range of traumatic experiences, I consider myself an ally of survivors of sexual trauma in particular; I understand the pain and confusion that people experience and the many ways in which these experiences impact one's mental health. I hold an accepting, welcoming environment so we can work together through these past experiences to help you find peace in the present.

Accepting New Clients! There are moments when life changes and we are left feeling like strangers to our self. When the changes are hoped for we’re surprised to feel out of place in our dreams. When the changes are nightmares we feel cut off from everyone around us. We long to return, or experience for the first time, that sense of coming home. Home, where we feel safe, at ease and accepted. It is my honor to sit beside you while you rediscover your place in the community and the relationships that matter to you. You will undoubtedly discover that you are more powerful and resilient than you dared to hope.

Now accepting clients for couple therapy: Clients tend to come into therapy with feelings like anxiety, sadness, resentment, or disappointment. Couples may have unresolved relationship conflicts, needing reconnection and healing. They may also be seeking help with infertility, birth loss or trauma, postpartum depression or anxiety, parenting issues, divorce, grief, or complicated childhood experiences that impact the current relationship. We work together to close the gaps of disconnection and bring you closer, repairing the ruptures you have with less pain and more vulnerability and safety.

I use a person-centered, trauma-informed approach to create a safe space where you can explore the challenges that are preventing you from thriving in your daily life. I work with individuals, families and couples to identify behavior patterns and past experiences that are currently causing distress in their lives. We will work together to develop effective coping strategies that will support you feeling confident in your own abilities to reach your therapeutic goals.