Sexual Trauma

I have a deep passion for helping survivors of sexual trauma heal from what they’ve experienced. Many of my beginning years as a therapist were at an agency that specialized in working with survivors of sexual trauma - kids, teens, adults, all genders - as well as youth who had sexually acted out on other youth. Sexual trauma can include childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, confusing or uncomfortable sexual situations, or anything that has had a negative impact on one’s relationship to sex or their sexuality.

While I work mostly with adults currently, I have a clear understanding of sexual abuse dynamics from all angles that can impact a person at these various stages of life, and much of my training has been focused on the many nuances of this complicated experience.

Along with sexual trauma so often comes other types of trauma and symptoms - relational, attachment wounds, body shame, addiction, disordered eating, self-harm, dissociation, and many more.

Sexual trauma is rarely a clear-cut event. The nature of trauma is that it’s anything but organized and clear; it’s instead often very confusing, causing survivors to doubt themselves or over-compensate for beliefs they’ve internalized about themselves (i.e. “I’m bad”, “It was my fault”, “I’m not good enough”, etc.).

Sexual abuse trauma especially can be confusing for several reasons:

• Sexual abuse trauma most often is inflicted by someone the survivor already knows and/or has a relationship with.

• We live in a victim-blaming culture. How often have we heard “are you sure that happened?”…“What were you wearing?”…“Did you give them any mixed messages, or maybe you wanted it?”…”Did you say no?” All of these questions imply that what happened was the survivor’s fault.

• Speaking up or holding someone accountable for hurting us can sometimes feel scarier than keeping it to ourselves, especially if we anticipate backlash, not being believed, or that we won’t feel safer/things won’t change.

• All of these reasons (and many more!) are shaming and silencing for survivors, often leaving them feeling isolated and alone in their experience.

The shame you’ve been carrying was never yours to carry in the first place. It’s my intention to create a space where your sacred story can be held - where you can tell and heal from your experience, and release the burdens you’ve been carrying.

Wondering what to expect or what sexual trauma therapy might look like in sessions? Read here for an explanation of the process and reach out if it sounds like something you’re interested in. I’m happy to help.