Trauma
Therapy

in Pleasant Hill and Alamo, CA

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Explore Our Specializations

Trauma runs deep and shapes our sense of safety in an already overwhelming world. It affects how we interact with others and handle everyday situations. It can make relationships feel strained or trigger reactions that seem intense or out of place. You may struggle with intense emotions or feel isolated or unsure of who you are at times, even react in ways you don’t fully understand.

Therapy helps by providing a safe space to explore complex emotions without judgment. We’ll take a close look at how past experiences are impacting your life now. We’ll work through how those experiences have manifested in your life and begin to gently untangle their hold. You’ll learn coping skills that help in everyday life. You’ll learn to regulate intense emotions while gaining clarity and relief from the trauma. The goal is to find healing while easing the toll it’s taken on your mind and heart. Whether the trauma stems from childhood, relationships, or unexpected events, therapy can help you move forward with confidence and real solutions.

What we help with:

What we work on to help trauma in therapy:

Developing tools to manage trauma-related anxiety and triggers
Creating a safe space to process painful memories at your own pace
Rebuilding a sense of safety, trust, and self-compassion
Identifying and breaking free from survival patterns that no longer serve you
Navigating the impact of trauma on relationships and daily life
Processing and releasing stored emotions from past experiences
Strengthening emotional regulation and resilience
Addressing dissociation, hypervigilance, or feelings of disconnection
Transforming self-blame into self-understanding and empowerment
Healing attachment wounds and rebuilding healthy boundaries
Guiding you toward post-traumatic growth and reclaiming your life

Bessel van der Kolk

the body keeps the score

In-Network With:

Our Preferred Evidence-Based Treatments

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an empirically supported treatment that helps change distressing thought patterns that contribute to anxiety and depression. Through CBT, you'll learn to identify and challenge negative thoughts, reframe irrational beliefs, and replace them with healthier, more realistic perspectives. CBT also focuses on breaking patterns of self-doubt and worry by learning how to re-evaluate situations and adopt more constructive thinking. These tools empower you to make lasting changes in how you think and respond.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness principles to help individuals manage emotions, navigate challenges, and improve relationships. It focuses on four key areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. By building these skills, DBT empowers individuals to replace destructive patterns with practical, lasting strategies that promote resilience, balance, and a greater sense of control in daily life.
TF-CBT helps by combining practical coping skills with gradual exposure to difficult memories. It starts by teaching relaxation techniques, emotional regulation, and ways to challenge unhelpful thoughts. Once a strong foundation is built, individuals slowly and safely process their trauma with the support of a therapist. This approach reduces fear and distress, strengthens personal resilience, and fosters healthier ways of thinking and relating to others.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a short-term, goal-oriented approach that emphasizes finding practical solutions. It focuses on what you want to achieve, guiding you to take clear steps toward your goals. By building on your strengths, SFBT encourages you to do more of what works and change what doesn't. This effective, time-efficient approach ensures rapid progress while fostering long-term results.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a proven, client-centered approach designed to help individuals overcome ambivalence and create lasting change. It focuses on exploring personal motivations and values, guiding clients to take actionable steps toward their goals. MI is highly effective in treating issues like addiction, unhealthy behaviors, and low motivation by strengthening confidence and commitment, empowering clients to drive their own positive transformations.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a proven approach that that helps couples break negative cycles and strengthen emotional bonds. In therapy, partners identify patterns of conflict and learn techniques like emotional validation and replacing reactive behaviors with empathetic responses. EFT targets underlying emotional triggers, promoting healthier attachment while deepening intimacy. It’s particularly effective for couples facing disconnection, insecurity, and trust issues, leading to genuine understanding and lasting change. This therapy is effective for emotional withdrawal, fear of abandonment, and attachment wounds, creating stronger, more secure relationships.