ONLINE THROUGHOUT WASHINGTON STATE

Therapy for Overcoming Abuse, Neglect & Difficult Relationships

IN-PERSON NEAR OLYMPIA, LACEY & TUMWATER, WA

 

Is your past interfering with your life today?

You’re insightful. You know what you experienced wasn’t right. Maybe someone hurt you when you were young. Maybe you witnessed your parents fighting or saw someone else being hurt. Maybe a former partner manipulated you, hurt you, took advantage of you. Or someone wasn’t there when they should have been. You’ve been strong for a long time - you didn’t have a choice - so you learned how to get through it. You’ve been tired for as long as you can remember, and you’re ready for things to change.

Maybe you’re noticing:

  • You feel tense, anxious, and on-edge all the time. You’re exhausted, and not sure how much longer you can hold it together.

  • You feel overwhelmed trying to take care of everyone else. But if you don’t do it, who will? Even if there was someone who could help, you’re not sure you could really trust them enough to make sure things are ok. So, you do everything yourself.

  • You feel guilty about your relationships with others. It’s hard to be present and enjoy time with them. Maybe you’ve been snapping at your loved ones. Maybe you noticed your kids picking up on your anxious habits. This isn’t what you want for them, or for you.

Therapy for abuse, neglect & difficult relationships can help.

 

HOW THERAPY WITH ME WORKS

It may feel impossible now, but you can feel better. You can heal. You can have healthy relationships. And I can help you get there.

Everyone is unique, and our work together will be tailored specifically to you.

First, we’ll identify the experiences and situations that are causing you stress. Then we’ll strengthen your skills for handling stress, anxiety, and the challenges that are coming up in day-to-day life. We might use special techniques, like EMDR and Flash, to help you work through upsetting experiences from your past. And we’ll also make sure you feel confident and prepared for challenges you might face in the future.

Through our work together, you’ll experience relief, insight, confidence, and start enjoying life again (or maybe for the first time!).

Therapy for abuse, neglect, and difficult relationships can help you:

  • Understand why your experiences have impacted you the way they have. 

  • Build and strengthen your skills for managing stress, anxiety, and challenging situations.

  • Experience relief from the physical, mental, and emotional distress you’re experiencing.

  • Gain insight.

  • Increase your self-confidence and self-esteem.

  • Strengthen your ability to connect with others and have healthy relationships.

  • Build the kind of life you want to have.

You don’t have to live life feeling anxious or burdened by your past.

YOU CAN MOVE TOWARDS HEALING TODAY.

FAQS

Common questions about therapy for abuse, neglect & difficult relationships

  • If you’re wondering whether you experienced abuse, chances are you’ve been through something difficult. Sometimes abuse can be “easy” to identify - like someone hurt you physically and you know it wasn’t ok. Other times you might be unsure, but you know things don’t feel right. You don’t have to have experienced abuse to participate in therapy with me. If you’re feeling bothered by something that happened, therapy might still be helpful and appropriate. I’m happy to talk with you about whether therapy might be a good fit - please schedule an initial consultation with me if you’re curious.

  • Therapy for abuse starts with an intake, during which we’ll talk about your history, how you’re doing now, and your goals. We won’t talk in detail about your past experiences, and you don’t have to share anything you don’t want to. From there, we’ll make a plan and meet regularly to help you meet your goals. Sessions usually consist of talking about how things are going and specific exercises to help you get where you want to be. They might also include special techniques, like EMDR and Flash, which can help lower the bad feelings about your past experiences. Through our work together, you’ll experience relief, insight, confidence, and start feeling better.

  • You only need to share what you’re comfortable sharing. For some people, talking about what happened can feel like part of their healing. Others do not want to talk about what happened, and that’s ok too. There are types of treatment, like EMDR and the Flash technique, that do not require talking about what happened in order to experience relief and move forward with healing.

  • This will depend on your past experiences, how you’re doing now, and your goals. I’ll be able to give you an estimated time frame after your initial consultation and first session. It is common for people who experienced difficult relationships or ongoing experiences to work with me for about 12 months. Transformation and healing take time, effort, and consistency. However, everyone is different and you will ultimately decide how long you want to be in therapy.

  • What you get out of therapy often depends on what you put into it. If you show up every week, committed to the process and open to trying some new things, chances are you’ll experience some success.

    Healing is an ongoing process that involves time, effort, and consistency. I’ll be there to support you along the way and share what I’ve learned after more than a decade of working with survivors of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and intimate partner violence. We’ll also use evidence-based practices to guide your treatment, and move at a pace that feels safe and comfortable for you.

    One of the most important factors in successful therapy is working with a therapist who is a good fit. This is why we’ll start with a free, confidential initial consultation - to ensure we’ll be a good fit moving forward. If it turns out I’m not the right therapist for you, I’ll also try to help you connect with someone who may be a better fit.

  • Get started by scheduling an initial consultation. During our consultation, we’ll talk about why you’re interested in therapy, what you’d like to get out of our work together, and I’ll answer any questions you have. If it seems like we’ll be a good fit, you’ll have the option to schedule your first session at that time. If we’re not a good fit, no problem - I can refer you to another skilled therapist in my network.