Our therapists offer PTSD & trauma therapy in Philadelphia, PA

James: My go-to approach for helping people in PTSD/trauma therapy is EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy). I find the best benefit in EMDR because it helps clients reprocess traumatic memories relatively quickly.

Marie: My go-to approach for helping people in PTSD/trauma therapy is taking a compassionate and empathic approach and being present to support them in their healing journey. I prefer using trauma-informed approaches and evidence-based practices, grounding, identifying and understanding triggers, CBT, and changing the schemas. I will never push a client where they are not ready to go, as that can be more damaging than healing.

James: I teach the following tools in PTSD/trauma therapy:

• Grounding/regulation skills: A great deal of our stored in and recalled through our bodies. I frequently teach clients ways to help ground themselves and regulate their bodies through visualization and breathing techniques.
• Container exercise: Some clients find it helpful at the end of a session to imagine a container: a secure place where they can temporarily and safely store the things that are bothering them. The container is not meant to hold things forever, but it can be a helpful way to temporarily let go of upsetting material.

Marie: I teach the following tools in PTSD/trauma therapy: Exploring self as a child, adolescent, and adult; identifying and understanding triggers and how to manage them vs. them controlling you; grounding; psychoeducation on the impact trauma has had on views of self, others, and the world with the end goal of healing and rediscovering self.

James: I know a client is making meaningful progress in PTSD/trauma therapy when their relationship to their traumatic memories has changed. PTSD/trauma therapy techniques like EMDR therapy will not erase traumatic memories, or make them pleasant, but it can change how we react to them. Sometimes a client will say that they can now “touch” a memory safely in a way they never could before, or that they were finally able to tell their spouse about what happened to them when they were younger. These are powerful indicators of meaningful progress.

Marie: I know a client is making meaningful progress in trauma therapy when they are better able to control and manage triggers, more open to asking for help and support, able to ground using their five senses, and frequently revisit the treatment plan goals along with self-reporting and session observations.

James: Clients can supplement their time in PTSD/trauma therapy with group therapy (led by a qualified clinician). Trauma can be very isolating, so the experience of group therapy can be powerfully validating and can be an important aspect of healing.

Marie: Clients can supplement their time in trauma therapy by utilizing group therapy and EMDR to process and move to a level of healing that they might have seen as impossible when they first entered therapy. I find that self-care is crucial, along with being open to exercises that will challenge the negative schemas and work toward positive self-talk to realize their goodness and potential.

James: To prepare for their first PTSD/trauma therapy session, a client can practice self-care. I recommend good sleep, a healthy diet, and regular exercise.

Marie: To prepare for your first trauma session, you can be open as much as you are comfortable without any pressure to share everything in that first session. Time and trust will build from session to session. It is important to remind yourself coming in that you are not being judged, blamed, or shamed but rather supported around rediscovering yourself as you navigate your road to healing.