Trauma Therapy for Women in Los Angeles and California
Trauma therapy provides a safe space to process painful experiences and reconnect with yourself after difficult life events. As a trauma therapist in Los Angeles, I take a compassionate, trauma-informed approach that balances practical coping strategies with deeper healing and self-understanding so you can finally let go of the past.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Trauma therapy may be right for you if …
Trauma isn’t solely what happened to you, it’s how your mind and body experienced, reacted to, and learned to cope with those experiences. The beliefs, behaviors and protective patterns that you developed may have helped you navigate difficult moments in the past but they can continue to shape the way you see yourself and the world around you long after those experiences have ended.
You feel stuck in past experiences, emotions or memories that still feel very present
You have strong emotional reactions or triggers that you don’t really understand
You have a difficulty trusting others and being vulnerable in relationships
You’re always anticipating problems or staying alert because you expect the worst
Your nervous system often shifts into fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses
You tend to numb your emotions or “dissociate” because your experience is “too much”
You have learned to prioritize everyone else’s needs while ignoring your own
You experienced addiction, mental health issues, divorce, abuse or being the caretaker within your family environment growing up
You have a lot of unexplainable physical symptoms like chronic fatigue, bad digestion, weak immune system, insomnia, etc.)
You struggle with grief or unresolved emotions you were never able to process
HEALING IS POSSIBLE
Trauma therapy for women in Los Angeles can help!
Healing your trauma patterns may feel impossible right now because it’s all you’ve ever known and you can’t imagine a reality where things are different. But the truth is: if you’re tired of feeling stuck in your current experience, therapy can help you unlearn what isn’t working for you and learn new ways that support the life you would like to live.
Together, we can create a safe container that allows you to process painful memories and break old survival patterns so that you can finally move forward and build a secure attachment with yourself and others.
ABOUT ME
Hi! I’m Rachel, a trauma therapist in Los Angeles helping women let go of the past and create a new future for themselves.
Maybe you’ve put a lot of effort into trying to move forward from your past, but still find yourself struggling with old patterns, difficult emotions and beliefs about yourself that feel hard to let go of. The strategies that once helped you survive challenging experiences may now leave you feeling stuck, disconnected or exhausted. If any of that sounds familiar, you're definitely not alone.
My own experiences with trauma were one of the key reasons I first started therapy and ultimately, what inspired me to become a trauma therapist. On my own journey, I discovered that healing wasn't about forgetting what happened or pretending it didn’t affect me. It was about learning how my trauma affected me historically and how it continues to affect me today. Therapy helped and continues to help me learn that I am not my trauma and I don’t have to keep living in the story it created. I can create a life that works for me by better understanding the experiences that shape me.
Today, I help women across Los Angeles and California unlearn the beliefs that no longer serve them and replace them with more compassionate, empowering ones. Together, we'll work toward processing your lingering negative emotions and building practical tools to help you navigate triggers so that you can create a future where trauma is no longer in the driver’s seat.
MY APPROACH
Holistic trauma therapy for women in Los Angeles who want to get unstuck
My approach to trauma therapy is based on the belief that trauma isn’t defined by what you experienced, but what meaning your nervous system assigned to that experience and how you were able to cope with it. Regardless of what you’ve gone through in the past, it is my goal to help you process any emotions that have become stuck in the body and release them one small step at a time.
The foundation of that work is based on creating a therapeutic relationship where you feel 100% safe and comfortable. With me, there will be no wrong responses, no judgement, no embarrassment - no matter what you may be experiencing. Once we have that kind of relationship established, we’ll focus on trying to understand how your trauma shapes who you are, what we can do to help you separate your identity from the trauma and how to foster a sense of empowerment, resilience and agency over your own story.
Because no two women have the same trauma, I integrate a variety of holistic, evidence-based modalities to create a treatment plan that is tailored to you as an individual. That usually includes strategies based in Psychodynamic Therapy, Attachment-based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy as well as Somatic Therapy and Mindfulness strategies to help you reconnect with and feel safe in your body. I also like to use tools based in Narrative Therapy to help you understand yourself and your story through things like journaling and self-reflection.
MY PROCESS
What to expect from trauma therapy with me
Every therapy journey looks a little different and there's no "right" way to do therapy. Whether you're coming to therapy for the first time or returning after time away, I'll meet you where you are and guide you through the process with compassion and care.
1. Getting to know each other
I always offer a complimentary 20-min consultation on the phone so you can meet me, talk about what brings you to therapy, ask any questions you may have and decide whether we would be a good fit moving forward.
2. Building a foundation of trust
Our first few sessions together will mainly focus on getting to know you and what life looks like for you. My main goal is to establish a relationship where you feel safe enough to be completely yourself - no fear or judgement.
3. Finding immediate relief
Once our relationship is established, we’ll shift focus to helping you navigate what you’re currently struggling with most. I’ll share practical tools and coping skills that you can use to navigate tricky emotions and regulate your nervous system.
4. Understanding the deeper patterns
As your day-to-day mental health improves, we’ll start exploring some of the deeper experiences, relationships and beliefs that have shaped who you are and how you move through the world so you can achieve meaningful, long-lasting change.
5. Growing through life's seasons
For some women, therapy becomes more than just a place to work through a single challenge. Our therapeutic relationship becomes a consistent space for support and growth throughout all of life’s different chapters - from first entering womanhood to becoming a mother and beyond.
TRAUMA THERAPY FAQS
Still got questions about trauma therapy?
The process of starting therapy can feel daunting so it’s entirely normal to have questions. Here you’ll find some answers to common trauma-related questions. For more information on fees, insurance and more, check out my full FAQ page.
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Yes. Our early relationships often shape the way we see ourselves, others and the world around us. Childhood experiences can influence how safe we feel with other people, how we cope with difficult emotions and even the kinds of people/relationships we're drawn to. The good news is that these patterns aren't permanent and therapy can help you better understand and begin changing them.
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Sometimes it's obvious. You may notice patterns like difficulty trusting others, people-pleasing, perfectionism, feeling emotionally overwhelmed, struggling with boundaries or feeling like you're constantly waiting for something to go wrong. Other times, it's much more subtle and you never knew that certain behaviors may be a consequence of past experiences. Trauma therapy is designed to help you connect the dots between your past experiences and what's happening in your life today.
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I work with women who have experienced childhood emotional neglect, difficult family dynamics, loss, abuse, relationship trauma, attachment wounds and other experiences that have left a lasting emotional impact. Whether your experiences feel "big" or "small," if they continue to affect your life, they're worth exploring.
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Trauma therapy moves at your pace. Together, we'll create a supportive relationship where you can better understand your past experiences, process lingering emotions and explore the ways trauma may still be affecting your thoughts, relationships and sense of self. Along the way, we'll also build practical tools that can help you feel more regulated in your everyday life.
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Not at all. Building trust always comes first for me. There's never any pressure to share more than you're ready for so we'll move at a pace that feels comfortable for you. For many of my trauma clients, simply getting to know each other and creating a relationship that feels safe is an important part of the healing process.
GETTING STARTED
Take the first step on your trauma journey
If you’re interested in getting started, have questions that aren’t answered here or would like to meet me, I invite you to reach out and schedule a free consultation. No pressure to commit, just a chance for us to get to know each other and see if we would be a good fit.