Therapist for Trauma in Chicago
Trauma Therapy in Chicago
Therapist for Trauma in Chicago
Trauma is not only what happened. It is what your mind and body learned in order to get through it. Those adaptations kept you safe at the time, and they can keep running long after the danger has passed.
FlashbacksFeeling on edgeNumbnessTrouble sleepingIntrusive thoughtsTrouble in relationshipsHyper-independence
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How we treat it
There is more than one way into trauma, and more than one way through
EMDR
Works on the memory itself using a guided left to right movement, rather than retelling the details over and over.
Internal Family Systems
Treats the reactions that took over as protectors, and works with them rather than against them.
Trauma-Informed Care
Shapes how everything else is done. Pacing, consent and choice are built in rather than added on afterwards.
Strengths-Based Therapy
Starts from what is still working and what got you through, rather than starting from what is broken.
Before anything else
You do not have to tell the story to start
Trauma-informed means the order matters. Your therapist works on steadiness with you first, and the two of you decide together when, and whether, to go into the details. Nothing about this is on a schedule.
Book a Free ConsultationFinding your therapist
Expertly matched
therapy, for life
Tell us what is going on. Our Clinical Coordinator connects with you personally and works to match you with the right therapist.
Start hereLicensed therapists
LSW, LCSW, LPC, LCPC and PsyD clinicians.
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A free consult first
So you can tell whether it is right before committing to anything.
What happens next
Getting started
A free consultation. We believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship, and that starts with working with someone who gets you. The consultation is how you find out.
Getting scheduled. We aim to book you within 24 hours of reaching out, and most people are seen that week.
Your first session. You bring what is on your mind. Your therapist takes some history and you set goals together. Your therapist paces it with you.
In-network with
Coverage varies from therapist to therapist.
FAQs
Questions about trauma therapy
Do I have to talk about what happened?
No. Many people spend the early sessions on steadiness and coping rather than the details, and some never tell the story the way they expected to. Your therapist will talk through the pace with you.
What is big T trauma versus little t trauma?
Big T trauma is the kind most people picture. A car accident, an assault, a sudden death, a disaster. Something clearly outside ordinary life. Little t trauma is smaller and usually repeated. Being criticised constantly, being left out, growing up around unpredictability, a relationship that slowly wore you down. Neither one is more real than the other, and the little t kind adds up.
Can I have trauma if nothing huge ever happened to me?
Yes. Sometimes it is a series of ruptures rather than one event. What makes something traumatic is not the size of what happened, but what happened inside you while it was happening.
What is EMDR actually like?
You hold a memory in mind while following a repeated left to right movement, usually your therapist’s hand or a light bar. Sessions are structured, and your therapist spends time preparing with you before any processing begins.
Is it too late if this happened years ago?
Time since the event is not what decides whether therapy is useful. People come in months after something happened and people come in decades after. What matters is how much room it is taking up now.
How long do sessions last?
Fifty five minutes, usually weekly to begin with.
Is what I share in therapy confidential?
Yes, with the limited legal exceptions your therapist will explain, such as risk of harm to yourself or someone else.
Do you accept insurance?
Our entire team is in network with BCBS PPO plans. Some MARRA providers are also paneled with United Healthcare, Cigna and Aetna. Coverage varies from therapist to therapist.