Trauma Therapy

If I had $1 for every time a new client told me they "don't think [they] have trauma" because "[their] life wasn't as bad as ______" or "[they] never experienced _______" then I could retire already. Honey, if you are Queer, you have almost certainly experienced complex trauma -- especially if you've lived in the South. Contorting yourself to prevent relational rejection is a survival mechanism. Even if you believe you have a place to belong authentically now, your brain may need convincing.

I have over a decade of working in trauma services as well as interacting with the overlapping service providers and systems that often come into play, including family and criminal court systems, and assisting client attaining reasonable accommodations or assistance at work, school, or other environments.

Trauma-focused therapy is a specific approach to therapy that recognizes and emphasizes understanding how the traumatic experience impacts a person's mental, behavioral, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps people deal with difficult memories by using eye movements to process them, reducing their emotional impact and promoting healing.

I use a trauma-informed approach to counseling that values safety, transparency, and client autonomy.

I provide frontline treatments for trauma, including Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and Written Exposure Therapy. Often trauma can impact how we think about ourselves, others, and the world, as well as how view the trauma itself and whether we are to blame or "should" have done something differently. Further, trauma can lead us to avoid thoughts, feelings, and places that no longer feel safe. Trauma-focused therapies will help you take back your life.

Marina has completed the initial training for EMDR and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) treatment approaches to enhance her knowledge of PTSD, Complex Trauma, and Ongoing Traumatic Stress. Working through trauma and distressful emotional accounts enhances performance, mental vitality and stability, relational attunement and connection, and increases effectiveness in areas of life, including personal, spiritual, social, and professional.

Trauma Resource Institute: Trauma Resiliency Model - Level 1 Certificate

There is no "on-size fits all" approach to trauma. We address current debilitating symptoms such as suicidal ideation, dissociation, anxiety, and depression, and eating disorders. Therapists at Mind and Strength are trained to assess how to help client's find relief from traumatic experiences through identifying current problems, teach grounding skills, and then help client navigate best options. We have trained EMDR, DBT, and somatic-mindfulness based approach to trauma.

I am trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy and use evidence-based approaches to trauma treatment.

I am a certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CTP) trained by the International Trauma Training Institute. I am trained on evidence-based techniques and interventions for PTSD and Trauma as well as panic and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). These treatments include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Bilateral Stimulation, and Mindfulness techniques.

In 2012, I became trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), to provide evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents who have been impacted by trauma, along with support for their parents or caregivers, followed by completion of certification in 2014. In 2016, I became a Life is Good Playmaker, to further help children heal from the impact of childhood trauma. In 2019, I completed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) training to address trauma.

I have many years of education, training, & experience in helping people heal from many different kinds of trauma.

Trauma is an experience where an individual has experienced a loss of power and control. I am a Certified Trauma Competent Practitioner through Lakeside Global Institute. Every interaction with my clients is an opportunity to for them to regain power and control over their lives. I also work with clients on being able to process their trauma through somatic work (yoga, breath work, and mediation). I have also assisted clients with moving forward with life after trauma.

I have experience working within the refugee community, which is where my passion for helping people find freedom from the past began. I incorporate the body into trauma therapy, focusing on regulating the nervous system and connecting with the present moment through the senses. I also help clients explore beliefs that have become a part of their identity and challenge these beliefs with true, empowering beliefs to re-write their own narrative. I use EMDR and tapping techniques.

Sometimes deep psychic injuries prevent us from showing up in our lives as we would like. In these cases, it may be helpful to use specific techniques for exploring and healing such injuries.

I utilize Trauma-Based-Cognitive Behavioral therapy to help someone healthily process their trauma and learn healthier coping strategies and techniques.

At the core of my work I am a Trauma-Informed clinician. All of my assessment, methodology, interactions, and treatment is informed by my knowledge of trauma: what it does to the brain, how it can cause different reactions in different people and when occurring at different ages in development. Much of my clinical training has been in Trauma-Informed methods including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Animal Assisted Therapy, and Creative Expression Interventions.

I use a variety of techniques to treat trauma. Trauma's impact is unique to each person and I collaborate with you to identify a treatment that will best fit you, whether it is EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness, or other strategies.