Trauma and PTSD therapists in Covington, Tennessee TN

Kids are resilient, but… They often need help processing and coping with the experiences they’ve had or changes they may be going through. Whatever the experience – parental divorce, the death of a loved one, or even abuse or neglect – children often don’t have the tools to cope and move forward (at least not in a healthy way). Maybe they didn’t seem bothered by these things at the time, but now (perhaps even months or years later), their behaviors suggest that something is wrong. During a life-changing experience, kids go into “survival mode.” And that can look different based on the child. During or immediately after a stressful event, a child’s brain may activate specific areas of the brain and de-activate others as a natural response to help them survive. Some children may have increased awareness and adrenaline, often becoming jumpy or easily startled. Others may struggle with the area of the brain that helps them regulate their emotions, causing them to have mood swings, emotional outbursts, or tearfulness. Many children begin to withdraw and isolate themselves. Children who are struggling to process or cope with trauma experience problems sleeping, such as nightmares and trouble falling or staying asleep. They experience intense feelings of anxiety that cause them to be on “overdrive” and always alert to potential danger. They struggle to process and communicate their feelings appropriately, resulting in meltdowns, tantrums, or isolating themselves. They are easily distracted and find their mind wanders, causing them to “space out” during tasks or conversations. They don’t know how to trust you (or anyone) because of what they experienced. A special therapy has been proven to help. Whether your child is experiencing a life-changing event right now… or it’s something they’ve experienced in the past, I’m here to help. Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a proven treatment to help children and teens who have experienced a scary or stressful event in life. This therapy will identify how trauma has affected your child and will help your child process stressful memories and develop ways to cope with thoughts and feelings related to the event in a safe environment. Children who have experienced trauma are frequently still “haunted” by lingering trauma reminders (or trauma triggers)… A fight at school could bring back crippling memories of a fight they witnessed in the past. Grandparent’s Day activities at their daycare may cause them to experience those same intense feelings they had when they first lost their grandparent. Seeing a distant parent after a divorce could cause them to isolate and withdraw as they wanted to when they saw parents fighting before the split. Together, your child and I will identify and confront the trauma triggers that are still impacting your child. Your child will process the experience in a safe environment and develop skills to cope with the emotions associated with the event. Relaxation skills such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation will be taught and practiced with your child in sessions (and in language they understand). These will become your child’s defense against their big and scary thoughts and feelings as they continue to move through treatment. They’ll learn ways to manage their emotions and combat panic and anxiety related to the experience and how to identify their feelings. Your child will create a “feelings-scale” and begin practicing ways to calm themselves down (or bring themselves “back down the scale”) when their feelings become too much. They’ll begin communicating their feelings to you in healthy ways. They’ll learn why their former (and sometimes aggressive) ways of communication are unhealthy and often result in consequences, and they’ll replace those old ways with new skills such as using “I-feel statements.” As your child develops these skills, they will prepare to process the traumatic event head-on by completing a trauma narrative with my support. Through the trauma-narrative process, your child will confront memories of the situation and address unhelpful thoughts and core beliefs they have as a result of the event. They may think the divorce was their fault. Or that they are a “bad kid” due to abuse they experienced. We will work together to process these unhelpful thoughts and core beliefs and change them to positive, true, and helpful thoughts. The trauma-narrative process is completely tailored to each child. Your child may choose to draw, paint, or use art to express their narrative. They may choose to write and sing a song describing their experience, or they may simply choose to write their story in narrative form. Your child is free to choose the best way that works for them. After this process, your child will have the opportunity to “destroy” or keep the narrative to signify their incredible and brave progress in moving forward. Throughout treatment, we will also work together to plan for any additional needs for your child outside of therapy (ex. behavior planning, safety planning, school safety planning, or supervision planning). Don’t let an event change the rest of your child’s life. I am here to provide help within a judgement-free, therapeutic environment. Are you ready to help your child change their patterns of behavior, emotional distress, and negative thoughts resulting from the binding impacts of a traumatic event? If so, give me a call today!  

I've been working with trauma survivors since prior to graduate school, beginning in 2004. While I have experience in treating a wide range of traumatic related symptoms, I've found that I'm most effective in treating first responders (healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters), ministry leaders and volunteers serving in crisis management roles, and those who've experienced single incident traumas (car accidents, medical trauma, physical assault, natural disasters). I also specialize in helping individuals who've experienced traumatic grief/loss (those who witnessed a traumatic event). I've completed training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) through the Veteran Affairs Medical Center and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) through an EMDRIA approved trainer. I use several different approaches to prepare clients for the hard work of facing their pasts. When you're ready, we will work together to decide what treatment will be most effective for you.  

I have worked with clients who have been traumatized as a child, teenager, adult or older adult. Trauma can occur due to emotional, physical, sexual or psychological assault. Everyone experiences and manages their trauma exposure in their own unique way. Sometimes we are not even aware of events that have happened to us or have spent a lifetime trying not to remember. Regardless, that experience can impact how we think about and treat ourselves and others. Depending on the severity and duration of that trauma, it is not uncommon for it to affect our ability to work, parent, maintain relationships, function and even tolerate being around others. I work with clients who have experienced physical and psychological abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, combat or military trauma, racism, discrimination and marginalization, sexism and violence. Everyone's story is unique and I work to help that individual process those experiences at a pace that they can manage to reclaim the life they deserve.  

Trauma is an experience that can impact nearly every aspect of someone's life, from relationships/trust, to work, to self-esteem, to mood and the list goes on. Finding someone who specializes in trauma/PTSD is essential to truly getting the help you need. I offer the gold standard treatments for PTSD (e.g. Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure), as well as treatments like EMDR and STAIR. Building a strong relationship is the first step to help you on your journey to re-engaging in the life you want to lead. I will then help you process your trauma, understand triggers, and develop new coping strategies for managing.  

I place a high value on authenticity, empathy, and safety, and strive to work on clear goals to improve well-being. As a daughter of immigrants, someone dealing with two autoimmune diseases, I wish to use my personal experiences to better assist those who struggle with identity and health issues, and difficult transitions. It is not uncommon to experience trauma when struggling with complex medical health diagnoses.