In person sessions and online across pa
Trauma Therapy for LGBTQ
Individuals in Philadelphia
Do you wake up everyday with a sinking feeling of dread?
Even when things are going well, you’re bracing yourself for something to go wrong.
You lie in bed at night, tossing and turning until it’s 3 in the morning. You’re exhausted. You have to go to work in 4 hours, and you can’t go on another day on little to no sleep.
Maybe you’ve been ghosted again after a promising couple of dates and are noticing a pattern of relationships that leave you feeling like you’re not good enough. You put everyone first, because taking care of yourself feels selfish.
You stay in relationships way beyond their expiration date because you don’t want to hurt their feelings, even though you’re miserable.
Past events keep replaying in your head, no matter how hard you try to push them out.
Sometimes you’re hit with intense anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere, and the tiniest inconvenience will fill you with so much rage that you lash out at your partner, even though you don’t want to.
You feel insecure and worry you’ll never find someone who truly loves you. You make yourself small because you’ve been taught that your feelings are an inconvenience and that they don’t matter.
Perhaps you walk on eggshells around people because you don’t know how they’ll react.
You struggle to feel confident in your own choices because you’re not even sure who you are deep down. All you know is that you’re afraid to show people “the real you”. So you keep people at arm’s length, even though you’re lonely and long for a meaningful connection with someone.
Maybe you’re struggling with…
Feeling like you’re always on high-alert and having to access a situation on whether it’s safe
Doom-scrolling on your phone or drinking at night to take the edge off
Intense fear and panic triggered by certain smells, sounds, and sights
Thoughts of not wanting to be here and that you’re a burden to others
Zoning out when feeling stressed, spacing out in conversations, and feeling like you’ve lost time
Recurring nightmares and bad dreams
Specialized Trauma-Focused Therapy That Honors Your Identity
Traditional trauma therapy often fails to account for the complex layers of identity, discrimination, and minority stress that LGBTQ+ individuals face. My trauma-focused treatment approach recognizes that your experiences may be deeply intertwined with navigating a world that hasn't always been safe or affirming of your authentic self.
Whether you're processing family rejection after coming out, managing the complex relationship between gender dysphoria and disordered eating, or healing from discrimination and invalidation, my trauma-informed therapy creates a safe and supportive environment where all aspects of your identity are welcomed and affirmed.
As a queer person, I bring both professional expertise and personal investment to this work. You won't need to educate me about binding, tucking, chosen families, or the anxiety of existing in gendered spaces. Instead, we can focus on your healing journey.
how trauma therapy works
Together, we'll explore your inner world and connect with your true self—the version of you who knows how to heal.
You might already know what’s wrong, you just don’t understand why it keeps happening. Why one part of you is exhausted and just wants rest, while another part responds to work emails at 10 pm. You long for connection but find yourself ignoring your friend’s text.
While these parts of you may seem in conflict, they’re trying to protect you from pain. But when they stay stuck in overdrive, you lose touch with your own inner wisdom. Trauma therapy can help you understand these patterns without judgment. You’ll learn to gently connect with your inner parts and get curious about what they need.
Underneath all of this is your true self—the confident, calm part of you that’s always there, even if you can’t feel it. Parts work helps you find balance in your inner world so you can access your true self again.
In our sessions, you set the pace. You’re always in control of what and how much you share. We’ll take time to explore your history and talk about what you want life to feel like going forward.
I’ll stay attuned not just to your words, but to the subtle shifts in your body and energy. If therapy ever feels too intense, I’ll help you slow down and take a breath.
Together, we’ll develop tools to calm your body when strong emotions surface—so you can stay grounded both in session and in your daily life.
And over time, as your parts learn to trust the process, you’ll begin to heal the pain they’ve been carrying.
Therapy won’t erase what happened to you. But it can help you feel more whole, more steady—and more in charge of your life.
My Approach to Trauma Therapy
Art Therapy for Processing Traumatic Experiences
As an art therapist, I offer creative pathways to healing that transcend verbal expression. Art-making provides a powerful outlet when traumatic events feel too overwhelming to discuss directly or when words simply aren't enough. Through visual expression, you can externalize complex emotions, explore your relationship with your body, and transform traumatic memories into something tangible you can work with.
This approach especially benefits those with creative inclinations—whether you're in a band, enjoy visual arts, or simply appreciate metaphor and imagery as tools for understanding your experience.
Psychodynamic Therapy for Complex Trauma
My psychodynamic approach explores how early relationships and developmental trauma shape current patterns. We'll examine how past experiences influence your relationships, self-worth, and coping strategies. For many LGBTQ+ individuals, this includes unpacking how conditional acceptance and identity-based rejection have created lasting negative beliefs about yourself.
This trauma-informed care approach helps identify the roots of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the intense fear of rejection that many of my clients experience.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS recognizes that we all contain multiple "parts" that developed to protect us from harm. Through this trauma-focused therapy approach, we'll explore how different parts of you respond to traumatic memories and current triggers. Perhaps you have a part that manages anxiety through food restriction, another that seeks validation through perfectionism, and another holding deep shame about your identity.
Rather than pathologizing these protective strategies, IFS helps us understand and heal these parts with compassion. This approach particularly resonates with trauma survivors who've had to compartmentalize aspects of themselves for safety.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
For those experiencing OCD alongside trauma-related symptoms, I incorporate ERP techniques. This evidence-based approach helps you gradually face trauma reminders while resisting compulsive behaviors. In the LGBTQ+ context, this might include working through social anxiety about authentic presentation or managing intrusive thoughts about identity and belonging.
The Intersection of Trauma, Identity, and Eating Disorders
My specialized training uniquely positions me to navigate the complex relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), gender identity, and eating disorders. Traditional eating disorder treatment often assumes a cisgender, heteronormative experience that doesn't fit many LGBTQ+ individuals' realities.
For trans and non-binary individuals, body image work involves additional considerations. Food restriction might simultaneously manage gender dysphoria, attempt to achieve an affirming body shape, and cope with chronic trauma from discrimination. My trauma therapy approach recognizes these nuances rather than applying generic recovery models.
If you're navigating medical transition while addressing disordered eating and PTSD symptoms, we'll work together to distinguish between healthy body changes and harmful behaviors. This requires nuanced understanding that many practitioners lack—expertise I bring to every session.
Group Therapy for Shared Healing
Beyond individual trauma therapy, I offer group therapy specifically for LGBTQ+ trauma survivors. These groups provide powerful opportunities to connect with others who share similar experiences without having to explain or defend your identity.
Groups may focus on themes like:
Navigating eating disorder recovery as a trans person
Processing discrimination and minority stress
Supporting transitioning partners
Healing from family rejection
The witnessing and validation from peers who truly understand can accelerate healing in profound ways.
Supporting Your Loved Ones
If you're supporting a transitioning partner or have a teen exploring gender identity, I offer specialized guidance for these unique situations. We'll explore maintaining your emotional wellbeing while being supportive, navigating changing dynamics, and processing your own emotional responses within a trauma-informed framework.
Who Benefits from My Trauma-Focused Treatment
My trauma therapy services are designed for LGBTQ+ individuals experiencing:
Identity-based trauma: Family rejection, religious trauma, conversion therapy aftermath, or discrimination
Complex PTSD: Resulting from prolonged exposure to invalidation, emotional abuse, or chronic minority stress
Eating disorders with trauma: When disordered eating intertwines with traumatic experiences or identity struggles
Anxiety disorders: Including OCD, social anxiety, and panic related to identity or traumatic events
Relationship challenges: Difficulty with boundaries, trust, or intimacy following traumatic experiences
Gender-related distress: Dysphoria complicated by trauma or traumatic responses to transition-related experiences
You might find yourself feeling overwhelmed by emotions in everyday moments—or sometimes, you just shut down completely. Maybe it’s hard to feel present in your own body. Whatever it looks like for you, you deserve care that meets you with compassion, not judgment. Therapy helps you understand what’s really going on, and find ways to move through it.
What we’ll work on
Specialized therapy for trauma can help you…
Choose relationships where you feel supported and let go of the ones that drain your energy.
Increase self-confidence, set clear boundaries and build a future rooted in what really matters to you.
Handle daily stress with more ease and stay grounded when emotions feel intense.
Let go of shame so you can breathe easier, find joy in the simple moments, and live fully in the here and now.
Release the tension in your body so you can relax and feel more comfortable in your own skin.
Explore new interests, revisit old passions, and reconnect with the values you may have left behind.
You deserve more than just survival.
Let's build the confidence you need to live life to the fullest.
Questions?
FAQs
-
Trauma therapy sessions will initially focus on ways to help you cope with strong emotions and sooth your nervous system. This is to ensure you feel safe and grounded enough to navigate the deeper work.
I use an Internal Family Systems approach by helping you see your thoughts, feelings, and memories as parts. The goal is to heal the emotional wounds of your past and help you reconnect with your core self.
-
Therapy tends to be longer term but it all depends on your needs. I recommend trying to meet on a weekly basis for it to be the most benefical.
I frequently check in on how therapy is going, which helps us stay focused on what your top priorities are in sessions.
Sometimes goals/needs change in therapy, or you might realize that something is missing in sessions. I always center your needs in treatment and encourage feedback on what’s working for you and what’s not working.
-
It can be a big leap to make that first appointment! There are no guarantees, but here are some things to look for.
You’ve been in therapy before and are looking to do deeper work.
You want an approach to therapy that is more relational.
You’re interested in a different approach than talk therapy.
You’re open to longer term therapy.
You feel stuck in old patterns that you’re hoping to change.
You’re not sure if you have trauma but nothing has seemed to work and you can’t feel better.
-
You can schedule a consultation by booking online. I’ll reply to your email within 1-2 business days (not on weekends). From there, we’ll pick a day and time that works for both of us.
After the phone call, if it’s a good fit, we can schedule that first appointment. You will receive an email to set up your client portal and complete the intake paperwork online. Once all of the forms are completed, your appointment will be confirmed.
What to Expect from Trauma Therapy with Me
Your First Step
Begin with a free 20-minute phone consultation, easily scheduled through my website. This conversation helps us both determine if we're a good fit for trauma-focused therapy. I'll ask about what brings you to treatment and explain how my approach addresses your specific needs.
Initial Sessions
Our first meeting explores your experiences, current challenges, and hopes for healing. I'll ask about your history with food, body image, and identity while screening for various mental health conditions. I'll be transparent about my trauma-informed approach and how it specifically addresses the intersection of trauma, identity, and any disordered eating patterns.
These initial sessions let you experience my style and determine if it feels supportive. Creating this safe and supportive environment is essential for effective trauma work.
Ongoing Treatment
We typically meet weekly for one-hour trauma therapy sessions, with options for 90-minute sessions or increased frequency when actively processing traumatic memories or preparing for significant transitions. Between sessions, I may provide tailored journal prompts or, when using ERP, specific exercises to practice coping skills.
My collaborative approach means you're the expert on your experience while I provide specialized trauma-informed care and evidence-based techniques. Together, we'll develop coping strategies that honor your authentic self while addressing trauma's impact on your daily life.
Why Choose My Trauma-Focused Therapy Practice
My unique combination of being a queer-identified therapist with advanced training in both eating disorders and gender-affirming care means I understand the complex intersections of identity and trauma that many therapists miss. My relational, experiential approach through IFS, art therapy, and psychodynamic work offers alternatives to traditional CBT models that may feel too clinical or disconnected from your lived experience.
You deserve trauma therapy that doesn't require you to educate your therapist or defend your identity. You deserve care that recognizes how systemic oppression, family rejection, and identity-based discrimination create genuine traumatic experiences requiring specialized treatment.
Begin Your Healing Journey
Seeking trauma-focused treatment takes courage, especially if previous therapy experiences left you feeling misunderstood or judged. My practice centers radical acceptance and genuine understanding of LGBTQ+ experiences.
Whether you're processing family rejection, navigating transition, addressing eating disorders, or healing from any traumatic event, you deserve affirming support. Through evidence-based trauma therapy tailored to your unique needs, we'll work together to integrate traumatic experiences, develop robust coping strategies, and build a more peaceful relationship with yourself.
Your story matters. Your healing matters. You don't have to navigate trauma recovery alone.
Schedule your free 20-minute consultation through my website to explore how trauma-informed therapy can support your journey toward healing and authentic self-expression in Philadelphia
