Online Domestic Abuse therapists in Tennessee

In the aftermath of such traumatic experiences, it's crucial to have a safe space to process emotions, heal from the trauma, and rebuild a sense of security. With a compassionate and trauma-informed approach, I offer tailored interventions to help you navigate the complexities of your situation, regain your sense of agency, and break free from the cycle of abuse.  

Facing difficult experiences such as domestic abuse and violence head on can be a challenge. Let's process the emotions that result from these experiences and discuss the behaviors it'll to take to journey your way out of them.  

I have over six years providing counseling to victims of domestic violence.  

Domestic abuse often creates very painful symptoms and is something for which I use a therapy called Prolonged Exposure (PE). In this therapy, we will revisit traumatic situations, process painful emotions, and change unhelpful beliefs about yourself and the world around you as a result of your trauma. People are often amazed at how quickly this treatment can work and by the very meaningful change that can result. For these reasons, this is one of my favorite treatments to provide.  

I work with a lot of clients who are in or have left abusive situations and one of the most important things for the client to hear is that they weren't overreacting or misreading a situation. Treating domestic abuse and violence involves helping the client improve their self-esteem, self-confidence, self-worth, inner strength, and decision making skills.  

Separate treatment programs for victims and offenders  

Having been through it myself, as an advocate and big influence in the community as well as helped many women get through this horrible situation and recover from it with flying colors.  

I work often with the abused person in the relationship doing EMDR to help them process their experience and pain. I also work to help the client identify how this trauma has impacted their life and relationships.  

Kids are resilient, but… They often need help processing and coping with the experiences they’ve had or changes they may be going through. After witnessing domestic violence, most children often don’t have the tools to cope and move forward (at least not in a healthy way). Maybe they didn’t seem bothered by these things at the time, but now (perhaps even months or years later), their behaviors suggest that something is wrong. During a life-changing experience, kids go into “survival mode.” And that can look different based on the child. During or immediately after a stressful event, a child’s brain may activate specific areas of the brain and de-activate others as a natural response to help them survive. Some children may have increased awareness and adrenaline, often becoming jumpy or easily startled. Others may struggle with the area of the brain that helps them regulate their emotions, causing them to have mood swings, emotional outbursts, or tearfulness. Many children begin to withdraw and isolate themselves. Children who are struggling to process or cope with trauma experience problems sleeping, such as nightmares and trouble falling or staying asleep. They experience intense feelings of anxiety that cause them to be on “overdrive” and always alert to potential danger. They struggle to process and communicate their feelings appropriately, resulting in meltdowns, tantrums, or isolating themselves. They are easily distracted and find their mind wanders, causing them to “space out” during tasks or conversations. They don’t know how to trust you (or anyone) because of what they experienced. A special therapy has been proven to help. Whether your child has experienced recently witnessed domestic violence… or it’s something they’ve experienced in the past, I’m here to help. Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a proven treatment to help children and teens who have experienced a scary or stressful event in life. This therapy will identify how trauma has affected your child and will help your child process stressful memories and develop ways to cope with thoughts and feelings related to the event in a safe environment. Children who have experienced trauma are frequently still “haunted” by lingering trauma reminders (or trauma triggers)… A fight at school could bring back crippling memories of a fight they witnessed in the past. Together, your child and I will identify and confront the trauma triggers that are still impacting your child. Your child will process the experience in a safe environment and develop skills to cope with the emotions associated with the event. Relaxation skills such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation will be taught and practiced with your child in sessions (and in language they understand). These will become your child’s defense against their big and scary thoughts and feelings as they continue to move through treatment. They’ll learn ways to manage their emotions and combat panic and anxiety related to the experience and how to identify their feelings. Your child will create a “feelings-scale” and begin practicing ways to calm themselves down (or bring themselves “back down the scale”) when their feelings become too much. They’ll begin communicating their feelings to you in healthy ways. They’ll learn why their former (and sometimes aggressive) ways of communication are unhealthy and often result in consequences, and they’ll replace those old ways with new skills such as using “I-feel statements.” As your child develops these skills, they will prepare to process the traumatic event head-on by completing a trauma narrative with my support. Through the trauma-narrative process, your child will confront memories of the situation and address unhelpful thoughts and core beliefs they have as a result of the event. They may think the abuse was their fault. Or that they are a “bad kid” due to the abuse they experienced. We will work together to process these unhelpful thoughts and core beliefs and change them to positive, true, and helpful thoughts. The trauma-narrative process is completely tailored to each child. Your child may choose to draw, paint, or use art to express their narrative. They may choose to write and sing a song describing their experience, or they may simply choose to write their story in narrative form. Your child is free to choose the best way that works for them. After this process, your child will have the opportunity to “destroy” or keep the narrative to signify their incredible and brave progress in moving forward. Throughout treatment, we will also work together to plan for any additional needs for your child outside of therapy (ex. behavior planning, safety planning, school safety planning, or supervision planning). Don’t let an event change the rest of your child’s life. I am here to provide help within a judgement-free, therapeutic environment. Are you ready to help your child change their patterns of behavior, emotional distress, and negative thoughts resulting from the binding impacts of a traumatic event? If so, give me a call today!  

Break free from the cycle of domestic abuse with compassionate counseling support. If you're experiencing domestic violence or abuse, know that you're not alone, and help is available. I provide a safe and confidential space for individuals to process their experiences, explore their options, and develop a personalized plan for safety and healing.  

Once acknowledged, emotional support, acceptance without judgment, compassion, and behavioral resistance skills make up the foundation for treatment for those suffering from or perpetrating domestic abuse and violence. Clients are encourage to uncover the sources of their profound emotional dysregulation by gaining understanding and building functional skills based on their personality, attachment styles, neuropsychological responses, and trauma history.  

One of our specialties is working to restore healthy minds, hearts, and families as we work with anger management and the dynamics of controllers and victims of domestic violence. Dynamics are in play . Come and learn what, why, how, when regarding your issue and then learn how to stop the violence and instead learn to empathize and respect .  

I am glad that you are taking care of you! Together we can work to establish safety and achieve the healing that you need and deserve. Highly skilled and experienced in this area, I used evidence based practice to help you establish safety, wellbeing and re orient to living as your best self in a safe space.  

“Trauma may happen to you, but it can never define you.” ― Melinda Longtin I can help if you are experiencing trauma from Domestic Abuse or Violence.  

You deserve safety, support, and empowerment. As a dedicated therapist specializing in domestic violence counseling, I provide a confidential and compassionate space to help survivors heal, regain control, and rebuild their lives with strength and resilience. Take the first step towards a brighter future – reach out today, and let's journey towards healing together.  

I do not work with the abusers but I do work with victims to learn how to keep themselves safe and to heal from the wounds created through these awful situations.  

As a licensed psychologist specializing in treating victims of domestic violence, I understand the profound and lasting impact that trauma of this nature can have on an individual's life. These experiences can become deeply ingrained in both the mind and body, affecting how you navigate relationships, approach parenting, and engage in daily living. The trauma from domestic abuse and domestic violence can erode self-esteem and result in a constant state of hypervigilance, leaving you feeling anxious and jumpy, as if you are constantly walking on eggshells. My approach to helping you heal from domestic abuse and domestic violence involves the use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, which has proven effective in treating trauma associated with such experiences. Through EMDR, we can work together to facilitate the recovery process, increase resilience, establish healthy boundaries, and enhance coping skills. My goal is to empower you to build the resilience needed to manage difficult a relationship, or find the strength to leave it, ultimately facilitating healing and fostering a path toward a healthier, more fulfilling life.