Trauma Therapy in Redondo Beach — FAQ
What is trauma therapy, and how is it different from regular talk therapy?
Trauma therapy is a specialized approach that helps your nervous system, not just your mind, process what happened. Regular talk therapy can help you understand a difficult experience; trauma therapy helps your body finally believe it's over. I draw on approaches like CBT, ACT, and somatic-informed work alongside traditional talk therapy, so healing happens on every level, not just the cognitive one.
What therapy approaches do you use for trauma?
I integrate CBT, ACT, somatic and body-based techniques, and attachment-focused talk therapy, tailored to what your particular history and nervous system need. Some clients need more structure and skill-building early on; others are ready to go straight into processing. We figure that out together, and I adjust as we go rather than running everyone through the same protocol.
Do you offer therapy for a specific traumatic event, or only long-term/complex trauma?
Both. Whether you're processing a single distressing event — an accident, a medical crisis, an assault — or the accumulated weight of years of difficult experience, we'll build a plan suited to what you're actually carrying. Not all trauma looks the same, and it shouldn't all be treated the same way.
How do I know if I need trauma therapy?
If a past experience still shows up in your body — a racing heart at certain sounds, a tightness in your chest around certain people, a startle response that feels bigger than the moment calls for — that's often a sign trauma is still living in your nervous system. You don't need a dramatic single event to qualify; ongoing stress, neglect, medical trauma, and relational wounds all count. If you're asking the question, it's worth a conversation.
Do you work with adults dealing with childhood trauma?
Yes — this is a core part of my practice. Childhood trauma often doesn't announce itself as "trauma" at all; it can look like chronic anxiety, difficulty trusting people, perfectionism, or a persistent sense that something is wrong with you. Untangling that and helping you separate what happened to you from who you are is work I find deeply meaningful.
How long does trauma therapy take?
There's no universal timeline — it depends on the nature of the trauma, how long it's been carried, and what other support is in place in your life. Some clients notice meaningful shifts within a few months; others, especially those working through complex or childhood trauma, are with me longer. I'll always be honest with you about what I'm seeing and what I think the work still ahead looks like.
Where are you located, and do you offer telehealth?
I'm based in Redondo Beach and see clients throughout the South Bay, the greater Los Angeles area, and throughout California, in person and via telehealth. Many clients start in person and move to virtual sessions as scheduling needs change, or vice versa — whatever keeps therapy sustainable for you.
Is trauma therapy just talking about the worst thing that happened to me?
No, and this is one of the biggest misconceptions I hear. We move at the pace your nervous system can tolerate, and a lot of the work happens without you needing to narrate every detail out loud. My goal is never to re-traumatize you by making you relive something before you're ready — it's to help you build enough safety and capacity that the memory eventually loses its grip.
What if I've tried therapy before and it didn't help?
That's more common than people think, and it doesn't mean you're "bad at therapy" — it often means the approach wasn't matched to how trauma actually lives in the body. If talk therapy alone left you feeling like you understood your trauma intellectually but still reacted to it the same way, that's usually a sign that a body-based approach or somatic work is worth trying.
Available for in-person and virtual appointments.
Book a 15-minute free consultation today.