I’m Christy, and I really like my job. A lot.
When people learn that I am a trauma therapist, a common response I hear is: “That must be so hard to be around people who are suffering all of the time.” While I can appreciate the well-intended concern, if I’m being honest, this statement never sits right with me. To me, there are a few unfortunate myths wrapped up in it — for instance, the myth that pain is something to be avoided, that being with someone in their pain can only lead to emotional drain, and that there are some feelings that are better left untouched.
Look, I get it. Throughout so much of my life, I subscribed to these ideas too. It’s the water we swim in. It’s what we’re taught. And while I believe myths like these are at the root of so much psychological harm, they are a part of our collective story.
But I have to tell you: the greatest joy of my life has been in unlearning them. And I love helping others unlearn them too.
Interested in working together?
About My Work
I work with adults of all ages (individuals and couples), specializing in trauma-informed therapy techniques designed to help people through issues such as depression, anxiety, grief, life transitions, relationship difficulties, and other life stressors related to trauma.
My approach is psychodynamic, relational, and experiential, and I am trained in neuroscience-supported and attachment-based therapies such as Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Keep scrolling to learn more about what that means…
My therapeutic approach is centered on the following truths:
#1. You have an innate capacity for healing.
Just as your body has systems to direct blood flow and regenerate cells when you are physically wounded, you have a wired-in ability to heal emotional wounds. We sometimes experience disruptions in our ability to heal. That’s where therapy comes in — to help you reconnect with the parts of yourself that promote healing and growth.
#2. Healing is supported in the context of a secure relationship.
My goal as your therapist is to show up as myself, just as you are so bravely showing up as yourself. In our authenticity together, we will work to gently set aside any out-of-date strategies that may be preventing you from connecting to your self-at-best.
#3. Therapy shouldn’t just be about simple insights.
Part of what creates psychological distress is the dissonance between what you know and what you feel. You may know certain things (e.g. that you are a human being worthy of love, that a curt email from your boss can’t actually hurt you, that you’re safe, etc.) but deep down in your bones, you just don’t feel that way. That’s why therapy has to be more than just collecting small tidbits of advice. It’s about engaging in experiences that actually rewire your neural pathways so that your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are aligned.
What you may be struggling with right now:
You feel overwhelmed.
Your thoughts are fast, loud, or out of control.
Your body is tense.
You feel like a switch has been flipped and you can’t figure out how to turn it off. (Perhaps you’ve never known how.)
You live with a fear that the people in your life may be burdened by you, or want to give up on you, or that they’ll somehow find you out.
You feel underwhelmed.
You can’t seem to connect to your why.
You are shut down and exhausted.
You live with a sense of regret, shame, or feelings of unworthiness (or not-enoughness).
You feel stuck, listless, maybe even bored.
You want more.
In some cases, these types of struggles can be symptoms of trauma.
Many people have a complicated relationship with the word “trauma’’ — assuming that it can only apply for certain people in specific situations, such as those who have experienced combat or abuse. But trauma, in its most basic sense, is anything that leaves a wound.
And these wounds can have profound impacts on the nervous system’s ability to process information, causing us to enter states of fight and flight and/or freeze. These primitive neurobiological states are supposed to help us in life-threatening situations. However, for those of us who have trauma, these states can be triggered in situations where they aren’t warranted. That’s why you may consistently feel underwhelmed or overwhelmed without really being sure why.
Perhaps you are also dealing with:
Depression
Low mood, low energy, feeling unable to connect with things that used to bring you joy
Relationship Stress
Strain in friendships, romantic relationships, or within your family of origin
Anxiety
Highly activated, racing thoughts, physically agitated, difficulty focusing
Identity Issues
Struggling with how you are seen and known, particularly as it relates to identity markers such as gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, or appearance
Grief/Loss
Death of a loved one, loss of a relationship, or loss of part of your identity
Self-Esteem Issues
Challenges in seeking out the things you want in life due to an underlying sense of unworthiness or incapability
Trauma Flashbacks
Difficulty moving past a harmful experience or series of experiences from your past
Life Transitions
Changing careers, moving, leaving school, relationship changes, coming out — anything that may shift the day-to-day experience of your life
How Therapy Can Help You
Regain a sense of control over your internal experience
Connect more authentically to the people in your life
Reconnect to your sense of purpose
The work of therapy is designed to get you back to yourself at best — the version of you that exists at your core.
As we work together, my job is to create an environment that is safe enough for you to risk setting aside out-of-date strategies that no longer serve you. In doing so, the idea is to process that which has gone unprocessed so that you can actually experience healing on the deepest level. Through this kind of work, clients often express feeling surprised by what they are able to accomplish. A deeper sense of personal agency, better connections with friends and loved ones, a more defined sense of purpose — these are some of my favorite outcomes of therapy. Along with this, therapy can help you connect to your emotions safely, examine internal narratives you may have about yourself or the world, and ultimately it gives you the opportunity to decide which stories you want to tell yourself moving forward.