Finding the Right Trauma Therapy for You
Trauma and Anxiety therapy services are offered in English and Spanish
Healing isn’t just possible, it’s your power. Reclaim it and reconnect with life.
Ashley Carreras, Psy.D., licensed Clinical Psychologist and certified provider in EMDR, Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).
Areas of Expertise
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Complex trauma occurs when someone experiences repeated or prolonged traumatic events, often starting in childhood. Unlike a single traumatic event, complex trauma can affect your sense of self, emotional regulation, and relationships over time. I help women process these layered experiences, heal deep emotional wounds, and reclaim their sense of safety, strength, and self-worth.
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Childhood and relational trauma can have lasting effects on self-esteem, relationships, and emotional well-being. Early experiences with neglect, abuse, or insecure attachment can shape how you trust others, set boundaries, and see yourself. Trauma within close relationships such as partners, family, or friends can further impact connection and emotional safety.
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Military trauma can result from combat exposure, military sexual trauma, or the unique challenges of military service. These experiences can impact mental health, relationships, and personal identity long after service ends.
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Sexual trauma can have lasting effects on many areas of life, including intimacy, sexuality, trust, self-esteem, and relationships. Experiencing sexual trauma can leave women feeling unsafe, disconnected, or unsure of themselves
Trauma doesn’t look the same for everyone, so therapy shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. If you lined up five people who’ve experienced trauma, their needs and goals would likely all be different. I work with you to create a treatment plan that fits you. I often compare therapies to running shoes what works for one person may not work for another. My approach is to listen closely, understand what matters most to you, and decide on a path forward together. During your intake, we’ll talk through your goals and create a plan that feels personalized. Below are several trauma therapies I’m trained in and may draw from as we build your treatment.
Which Trauma Therapy Is Right for You?
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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
CPT is a therapy that helps you work through your past experiences by giving you the tools to see how they’ve shaped the way you think and feel. It helps you notice thoughts like “I’m to blame” or “I’m not safe” and shows you how those thoughts affect your emotions. With CPT, you can start to feel more in control, trust yourself again, and even feel safer with others. It’s especially helpful if your mind is always racing with a lot of thoughts and you’re looking for a way to make sense of them.
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a therapy that helps you work through painful memories by having you focus on the memory while gently following a guided movement, like tracking a hand moving back and forth. This process helps your brain sort through the memory so it feels less upsetting over time. It’s especially helpful for people who’ve experienced multiple events they want to work through, or for those who don’t fully remember a traumatic experience but still feel its impact.
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Prolonged Expsosure (PE)
PE is a therapy that helps you face the memories of your trauma in a safe, controlled way. In PE, we gently bring the memory back in a way that lets it lose some of its power over you. We’ll also make a list of things you’ve wanted to do but might have felt afraid or hesitant to try because of the trauma: like going to concerts, Disney, or sporting events and we’ll slowly work through that list together. The goal is to help you start doing the things you want to do without being held back by anxiety.
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Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)
Narrative Exposure Therapy is based on the idea that there is power in your story. In this approach, we work together to create a timeline of your life, looking at both the painful moments and the meaningful, positive ones. You’ll have the opportunity to put your experiences into words by writing out your life story, and in session we’ll gently walk through it together. As we do, we’ll notice patterns and themes that have shaped you and carefully work through the parts that still feel heavy, so your story feels more integrated and less overwhelming.
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Written Exposure Therapy (WET)
Written Exposure Therapy is based on the idea that there is power in putting painful experiences into words. In this approach, you’ll spend time writing about your traumatic memory in a structured, guided way. The goal isn’t to overwhelm you, but to help your mind process what happened so it doesn’t feel as intense or intrusive over time. By facing the memory on paper, in a safe and supported setting, it can begin to lose some of its grip on your day-to-day life.