Specialties
Safe Haven Trauma Services is a trauma-specific practice that provides psychotherapy and related services for those impacted by all types of traumatic life experiences. I also provide supportive services for parents and caregivers that are grounded in attachment research. At Safe Haven Trauma Services, I believe trauma is any experience that overwhelms a person’s capacity to cope. Each of us process experiences differently and what may be traumatic to one person may not be to another. I also believe that healthy attachment can provide a buffer against trauma that could occur throughout a lifetime.
I work with women, mothers, and families. See below for a list of my specialties.
Parents and Parents To Be
Trying to Conceive
Trying to conceive can be a stressful, anxiety inducing experience for a variety of reasons. Maybe you feel nervous about if you’ll be able to get pregnant. Maybe you’ve experienced a loss and feel fearful of another loss. Maybe you’ve been trying to conceive for a while, but having trouble getting pregnant. Or perhaps you experienced a lot of trauma in childhood and are afraid of passing on “issues” to your children.
Pregnancy Counseling
Okay, you’re pregnant, now what?? Many parents experience stress and anxiety around being pregnant for a variety of reasons. You may be fearful of something being wrong with the baby. Maybe you’re afraid of losing the baby because of a past loss or just because your mind tends to go to worst case scenarios.
Postpartum Counseling
Okay, baby is here! Now what?? Do you feel sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and inundated with advice from any and everyone? Do you find yourself wanting to trust your instincts, but fearing judgment from those around you? Do you want the best for your baby, but feel scared and overwhelmed with the new task of raising an actual human?
Parenting Through the First Year
The first year of life is crucial to your child’s development. Sometimes it can feel daunting and scary if we truly realize how important this time is. Healthy attachment and bonding through the first year can set your child up for a lifetime of success, both relationally and in school. Our babies come into the world incredibly vulnerable, trusting little beings. You are their answer to absolutely everything, which sure can feel like a lot of pressure!
Parenting a Toddler
Toddlers are emotional little beings that are sure to push ALL of our buttons. They are needy, reactive, and they really can’t always communicate very well. And how do we respond? Often by being reactive. Our culture often expects toddlers to be able to behave like little adults. Words like manipulative and demanding are often used. Our toddlers are starting to learn ways to get their needs met and they don’t always let us know what they need in the most polite of ways. Many times they let us know through tantrums, fibs, hitting, biting, etc. We start to think they have behavioral issues and we wonder where our sweet little one has gone to.
Trauma Specialties
PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often caused by a traumatic event where there is actual or threatened serious injury, death, or sexual violence.
Dissociation
Often those with complex trauma have learned to use dissociation as a way to cope and survive. If the trauma is now over, many times individuals need to learn grounding skills and how to live in the present.
Complex Trauma
When trauma is repeated and long-term, the result is complex trauma. This type of trauma is often relational, meaning it stems from how you were treated by other human beings…
DID/OSDD
We specialize in assessment and treatment of complex dissociative disorders. DID and OSDD are often missed in treatment settings due to lack of graduate training in assessing and treating dissociative disorders.
Depersonalization/Derealization
Depersonalization is a feeling of being detached from one’s own body or feeling outside of one’s body. Derealization is the feeling that the world is not real. People describe feeling as if they are looking at the world through a fog or from behind a glass wall.
Narcissistic Abuse
This type of trauma can sometimes go unnoticed for years or even decades. It is often subtle and covert, but over time has a tremendous impact on people. Whether you are a partner or a child of a narcissist, you may often question yourself and not trust your own judgement.
Extreme Abuse
We are also able to treat individuals with the most complex of histories who have experienced events that are unfathomable for most. Complex trauma can include extreme abuse that is sadistic and cruel in nature, perpetrated in an intentional, organized way.
Other Trauma Related Concerns
Anxiety
Trauma can greatly impact your ability to stay calm and have feelings of peace. It can cause significant anxiety in the form of generalized anxiety, panic attacks, OCD-like symptoms, agoraphobia, etc.
Relationship Issues
We frequently work with individuals who struggle in relationships or have experienced trauma in past relationships that may have been toxic or abusive. All humans long for a sense of connection and belonging. Relationships are essential for living a happy, fulfilling life, but often times wounds from the past wreck havoc in current relationships.
Depression
Trauma can impact your ability to feel happy, fulfilled, and find meaning in life. Trauma often leads to symptoms of depression, which can feel completely debilitating.
Somatic Issues
Survivors of trauma often struggle with somatic issues as a result of their traumatic experiences. Somatic symptoms can take on various forms. This may include things such as body memories, unexplained pain, headaches, muscle tension, etc.
Other Specialties
Creatives
At Safe Haven TS we really enjoy working with those with creative interests. With our location being in Music City, we often work with musicians, artists, singer/songwriters, and other creatives. We highly value intuition, creativity, and curiosity, which we tend to see as common characteristics in creative people.
Entrepreneurs
Individuals who own their own businesses can be impacted by trauma, self-doubt, imposture syndrome, and other stressors. Sometimes being an entrepreneur involves managing teams, financial stress, time management, and feeling like your work is never complete.