Online Trauma and PTSD therapists in Illinois
Trauma and PTSD
Karen Baumstark, Ph.D.
Psychologist, Ph.D., CMHIMP, CTACC
None of us can escape some level of trauma; inevitably, it will be a part of life. How much it affects us, however, depends on many factors including the nervous system we were born with, our outer resources, and how much relational support we receive to help us recover from the trauma. Many people do not have access to adequate resources to help them recover from trauma (and this is very subjective and personal, varying from person to person), and the trauma continues to affect them in (sometimes subtle, but still) impactful ways. If certain factors come together, PTSD may develop out of trauma. Often clients feel like they have failed because they can't completely "get over" their PTSD reactions. I have often reminded clients that PTSD is "the gift that keeps on giving". It can be very hard, perhaps impossible, to completely eradicate PTSD reactions, because the reaction is not just of the mind, it is of the whole body. My approach to helping clients with trauma and PTSD involves looking at it holistically and working to understand how the trauma changed you, your reaction across many facets of your life (thoughts, feelings, habits, behaviors, self-care or lack thereof, expectations, how you view the world), and then working on replacing what is harmful with what is helpful. The goal isn't to completely get rid of the PTSD symptoms (which is likely impossible) but rather to dramatically reduce its effect on you, so you can live your best life, and so an occasional symptom breaking through will not derail you.
34 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Stacy Koch
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW
I specialize in trauma recovery and PTSD by helping you feel a sense of safety and security in your life again. I help trauma become integrated as part of your story while focusing on your strengths and resources so you can feel less damaged. I am trained in EMDR which uses a somatic approach focused on helping adaptively consolidate memories rather than having them stay there stored in the body.
27 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Dr. JD Wright
Psychologist, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
When working with trauma I pull from EMDR, somatic approaches, and parts work. A primary goal of the work is to reduce shame and self-judgments, and for you to feel like you can understand and provide compassion to yourself. Through those processes, trauma can be transformed and your experience of yourself and those around you naturally reshaped.
4 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
David A. Heilman
Psychologist, Psy.D.
I have received multiple specialized trainings in EMDR and Internal Family Systems therapies to work effectively with a wide variety of trauma symptoms.
6 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Meghan McCoy-Smith
Psychologist, PsyD
I am experienced in working with individuals navigating a history of trauma and abuse. I can help you return to safety and help you understand (and change) how it impacts you currently so that you can experience the world as a safe space again.
9 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Lillian Gecker
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW
I have extensive training and experience working with trauma and traumatic stress, including post-graduate training in feminist-relational treatment of trauma. I work with clients to develop regulation skills to manage symptoms of traumatic stress, as well as provide a safe space to process trauma, increase insight into how trauma is impacting relationships, identify thoughts and bodily sensations associated with trauma, and integrate trauma narrative into a healthy and resilient sense of self.
6 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Jamie Reed
Psychologist, Psy.D.
I've been trained in a number of modalities to treat trauma and PTSD. I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
12 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Dr. Sophia Aguirre
Psychologist, Ph.D., CGP, F-AGPA
My approach to working with Trauma and PTSD is holistic, integrative and collaborative. My goals for trauma/PTSD work are trifold: 1) helping you heal from difficult traumatic memories that are keeping you stuck in the past so that you can focus on what is truly important in the present 2) helping you gain insight and awareness into how your past trauma(s) are impacting the relationships in your life (relationships with others and with your own self) and 3) helping you move away from fear/avoidance-based behaviors and choices and instead, make choices in your life that are aligned with your goals and values. I am here for you when you are ready to begin your healing journey.
15 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Dr. Susan L. Waldo
Psychologist, PhD
I find the greatest fulfillment in the work I do by helping those who feel broken and devastated by life find a path forward to create a life for themselves that is beautiful in its own way and worth living.
I experienced trauma and neglect in my childhood and did some things during that time that caused me to hate myself. I lost my father to a crime, was a victim of tragedy when my brother was killed in an airliner crash. I have felt the incredible sting and devastation of being betrayed more than once. With the help of my therapists, groups, books, and healing partners, I have created a life for myself that I absolutely love that is free of most of the pain of the past.
It is my greatest joy in life to pay forward all that has been given to me to help others find healing and freedom so they can also create a life they love.
I have worked with those who have been victims of harm and also those who have accidentally killed or irreparably harmed others. I have worked with those who due to youthfulness, drugs, alcohol, naivety, or unmanageable pressures in their life took purposeful action to hurt others and now regret it bitterly. I judge none and hope to help all achieve the freedom from the past so they may walk forward and create the life they want.
To accomplish healing from great harm, multiple therapies may be utilized. IFS to help heal internal selves that drive behaviors in unwanted ways; CBT to help manage emotions and to use the whole of the mind rather than just emotions to heal; DBT to learn skills to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, improve interpersonal relationships, and learn to be mindful; ACT to help learn to accept and commit to tolerating the past without suffering overly much or being imprisoned by it; Somatic and Art Therapy to heal pain held in the right brain, and EMDR to integrate experiences. Don’t let this list worry you, in therapy we move from one to another seamlessly and it is not required that you be familiar with these therapies. I will let you know what gems there are in each one that will help you heal.
In addition to therapies, if you have PTSD, you will learn many coping skills to manage your symptoms and make sense of what is happening to you. I will provide you with strategies that will help you feel more safe, capable, and confident and less terrified, vulnerable, and out of control as you travel the PTSD road.
29 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Dr. Traci Williams
Psychologist, PsyD, ABPP, CFT-I
I support clients who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. I help you recognize and manage your triggers, so you can regain control of your life.
11 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Jackie Ma
Psychologist, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
I am trained in evidence-based treatments for PTSD, such as Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Given my health psychology background, I aim to support individuals with a history of medical trauma as well.
1 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Gloria Ortiz
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC, ALMFT
Trauma can leave lasting wounds, affecting your sense of safety, trust, and well-being. Together, we'll embark on a journey of healing and transformation, drawing on spiritual insights and relational dynamics to navigate the complexities of your experiences.
3 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Serenity Therapy, LLC
Licensed Professional Counselor, LMHC, LPC, LCPC, CCMHC, NCC
Together we will determine a treatment plan to assist with your specific trauma symptoms.
12 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Kailyn Bobb
Psychologist, PsyD
Treating trauma involves a sensitive and individualized approach aimed at helping individuals process and heal from distressing experiences. In our work together, we would address the psychological impact of traumatic events while establishing a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship to allow you to explore and make sense of their experiences.
7 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Best Therapies, Inc.
Therapist
There are three main types of trauma: Acute, Chronic, or Complex. Acute trauma results from a single incident. Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged such as domestic violence or abuse. Complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature. Sometimes people experience post traumatic responses to adverse childhood experiences, a single event or living as marginalized identities in our society. That is, some people experience trauma response by dealing with recurring microaggressions, discrimination, bullying from individuals, communities and macro aggressions such as systemic oppression. We need to consider the impact traumatic experiences have on our mind, body and overall experience as a human navigating uncertain and challenging times.
5 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Norma J. Perez
Psychologist, PhD
I have been working with individuals who have trauma and PTSD for over 20 years. For many years this was my main focus and as a evidence-based therapist I learned many different ways of treatment and developed a hybrid approach that I taught to other therapist for years. I start by helping you reduce your symptoms, then if your willing we re-process your trauma and help you look at it in a different way by identifying what is your "stuck point" and working to move that along. That in itself can also reduce remaining symptoms. With what is left, I help you move forward with your remaining symptoms and do what make you happy, despite of your symptoms. It may make you anxious to do something but at the end of the day, the joy you felt makes it worth it. Again, remember, you would be doing this with much less anxiety than when you started therapy. This a is a proven approach that has worked with so many individuals with trauma.
20 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Dr. Jadah Petty
Psychologist, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Trauma is an experience that can impact nearly every aspect of someone's life, from relationships/trust, to work, to self-esteem, to mood and the list goes on. Finding someone who specializes in trauma/PTSD is essential to truly getting the help you need. I offer the gold standard treatments for PTSD (e.g. Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure), as well as treatments like EMDR and STAIR. Building a strong relationship is the first step to help you on your journey to re-engaging in the life you want to lead. I will then help you process your trauma, understand triggers, and develop new coping strategies for managing.
5 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Dr. Natassia Johnson
Psychologist, Ph.D., LPC
Traumatic experiences can breed feelings of confusion, sadness, anger, and shame. Let's slowly look at the parts of these experiences that often go unspoken and work on being resilient in the face of them.
1 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Lee Chase
Psychologist, Ph.D.
The impact of a single, traumatic event or experiencing an environment that provides a chronic sense of danger can have a debilitating effect on how we view the world and how we function in it. Through therapy, we'll identify how your experiences of trauma are manifested in your body and thoughts, and work on improving upon your awareness of triggers and improving coping behaviors.
30 Years Experience
Trauma and PTSD
Susan Spicer
Psychologist, PhD
My background as a licensed psychologist and a trauma survivor uniquely positions me to offer compassionate and effective support to individuals who have experienced trauma, whether it be abandonment or physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. My personal journey through trauma has given me firsthand insight into the complex and often challenging process of healing. This, combined with my education and professional experience, enables me to approach therapy with deep empathy, understanding, and a genuine connection to my clients' experiences. I believe in the power of resilience and the potential for growth in the face of adversity, and I am dedicated to helping survivors on their path to recovery and empowerment.
With EMDR as my primary treatment modality, I bring a wealth of experience and expertise in guiding individuals towards trauma healing. My approach focuses on collaboratively identifying trauma targets for processing while also prioritizing resourcing techniques to reestablish a sense of safety and inner peace. Through EMDR therapy, I help clients transform the way traumatic memories are stored in the brain, ultimately freeing them from flashbacks, nightmares, and avoidance patterns associated with trauma. My commitment is to support individuals on their journey to reclaim their lives and find lasting relief from the effects of trauma.
24 Years Experience