Question 1

What if I’m not sure what I experienced counts as trauma?

Accepted Answer

This is one of the most common things I hear. Many people minimize what they grew up with because it wasn’t dramatic, or because it looked fine from the outside, or because they were told they were overreacting. The nervous system doesn’t distinguish between big-T and small-t trauma. If your early environment shaped the way you function today and it’s getting in your way, that’s worth working on. You don’t need a formal diagnosis or a difficult story to deserve help.

Question 2

What is CPTSD and how is it different from PTSD?

Accepted Answer

PTSD typically follows a single traumatic event. Complex PTSD (CPTSD) develops after prolonged or repeated difficult experiences, often in childhood or within close relationships. It tends to affect a person’s sense of self, emotional regulation, and relationships. Symptoms often include chronic shame, difficulty trusting others, hypervigilance, and feeling fundamentally different from other people. Many people with CPTSD grew up in high-conflict or emotionally unsafe homes and were never given that framework to understand their experience.

Question 3

Do you work with people who had a parent with a personality disorder?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Growing up with a parent who had narcissistic, borderline, or other personality disorder traits creates very specific patterns around self-trust, emotional validation, and what feels normal in a relationship. This is something I have significant experience with. The work can be incredibly clarifying for people who have spent years wondering why they feel the way they do, or blaming themselves for dynamics that were never their fault.

Question 4

What is Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy?

Accepted Answer

IFS is a therapy approach that understands the mind as made up of different parts. Some parts carry wounds from early experiences. Others developed to protect us from those wounds. IFS works by developing a compassionate relationship with all of those parts, rather than trying to silence or fight them. It’s a gentle and deeply effective approach for trauma, and it tends to resonate strongly with people who have tried other approaches and felt like something was still missing.

Question 5

Is trauma therapy covered by insurance?

Accepted Answer

Coverage varies from plan to plan. The best way to know what applies to you is a quick call to your provider to ask about your mental health benefits. I'm always glad to talk through payment and any coverage questions on a free consultation call, so cost doesn't become a barrier to getting started.

Question 6

Do you offer online therapy for trauma?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I offer virtual trauma therapy sessions for clients across New York, New Jersey, and Florida. For many people, being in their own space actually supports this kind of work. You get to choose where you feel safest, and that matters.