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Trauma and PTSD therapists in California

Find experienced trauma and PTSD therapists in California who provide testing, evidence-based treatment for trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and related challenges such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Compare detailed therapist profiles and connect with a provider that’s right for you.
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Los Angeles, California therapist: Jonathan Kruger Therapy, marriage and family therapist
PTSD/Trauma

Jonathan Kruger Therapy

Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
Trauma affects our lives in many, many ways. There are complex traumas which occur when an individual endures ongoing, long-term and repetitive abuse of some nature- be it physical, sexual or emotional. Simple traumas, while limited to a single event, are just as devastating for the emotional well-being of the patient. Trauma can be debilitating, lead to addictions, cause unconscious behavior patterns, be completely repressed, and significantly impact our interpersonal and familial relationships. My therapeutic approach to trauma, offers a nurturing, systematic, and comforting methodology that quietly explores the nature of the trauma in a safe and gentle environment.  
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13 Years Experience
In-Person in Los Angeles, CA 90046
Online in California
Ventura, California therapist: Melanie Simms, marriage and family therapist
PTSD/Trauma

Melanie Simms

Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
I am trained in EMDR and have extensive experience treating survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. I approach every client through a trauma-informed lens.  
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11 Years Experience
In-Person in Ventura, CA 93003
Online in California
San Diego, California therapist: Hilary Stokes, therapist
PTSD/Trauma

Hilary Stokes

Therapist, PHD, LCSW
We experience trauma when the stress or fear of threat overwhelm our system and we are not able to consciously process everything that is happening. Our instincts take over and our nervous system goes into survival mode to help us deal with the situation. This is a process known as neuroception, where we assess risks and react via our primal instincts. This looks like the part of our nervous system that is capable of survival and takes a primary role and we either fight, flight, freeze, appease or collapse in response to what is happening. Our rational thinking brain takes a back seat to let our instinctual emotional brain take over. Once we experience an event as traumatic, our nervous system makes it difficult to get out. The part of our brain responsible for memory of details, time, space and basic facts becomes far less active and our sensory memory takes over. We can lose track of the details making it challenging to recall what happened after the fact. The traumatic experiences get stored at a sensory, visceral, and often nonverbal level in our implicit memory. We may experience this at more of an unconscious level making it difficult to fully process at a more cognitive or conscious level. These memories tend to get suspended or stuck in time leaving a residue of unresolved distressing energy. This puts a lot of stress on the mind-body system, is exhausting and inevitably is not sustainable. Healing as a result requires accessing the implicit memories that exist outside of our ability to verbalize and rationally process our thoughts about what happened. Brainspotting, EMDR , somatic therapy and other mind body therapies known to access implicit memory networks are vital to healing. They help move memories from an unconscious and unresolved state to a more conscious and adaptive state.  
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25 Years Experience
Online in California (Online Only)
San Diego, California therapist: Ross Kellogg, LMFT, marriage and family therapist
PTSD/Trauma

Ross Kellogg, LMFT

Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Individual, Marriage, and Family Therapist (LMFT)
Single event trauma and long-term developmental trauma in childhood can each be overwhelming experiences that bring about an overwhelming set of symptoms that often end in a lot of isolation for the traumatized person. Therapy can help you re-engage with people and life again. A multi modality approach including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy couples with Object Relations Therapy and Internal Family Systems Therapy can often be an effective method for managing symptoms, getting back to feeling good, and accepting the full impact and meaning of the traumatic event(s).  
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12 Years Experience
Online in California, North Carolina, Washington (Online Only)
San Francisco, California therapist: California Center for Change, psychologist
PTSD/Trauma

California Center for Change

Psychologist, PhD
Many people who struggle with addiction are also carrying the weight of experiences that were never fully processed, childhood wounds, losses, or events that left a lasting mark on how they see themselves and the world. Substances can become a way of managing the pain, the numbness, or the hypervigilance that trauma leaves behind. We are trained in trauma-informed approaches and work gently and carefully to help you make sense of what happened, reduce the hold it has on your present life, and build a stronger foundation for lasting change.  
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17 Years Experience
Online in California (Online Only)

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