Relational Trauma Therapy
in Los Gatos, California
You've been carrying this for a long time
Maybe it was a single event. Maybe it was years of living in an environment that never felt fully safe. Maybe you're not even sure what to call it, just that something happened, and you've never quite felt the same since.
Trauma doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like anxiety that won't quit, relationships that keep falling apart, or a deep sense that something is wrong with you. It isn't. But something did happen, and it deserves attention.
Signs you could benefit from relational trauma therapy in Los Gatos
You find yourself reacting in ways that feel out of proportion and you don't know why
Certain situations, people, or environments put you on edge without a clear reason
You struggle to feel safe, even when nothing is actually threatening you
You grew up in a home where you had to manage your parents' emotions instead of the other way around
You've worked hard to move on but the past keeps showing up in your present
Intimacy feels risky, like being truly known by someone is more dangerous than being alone
You've been told you're too sensitive, too reactive, or too much
What you're describing isn't a character flaw. It's what happens when a nervous system has been through something it didn't have the support to process.
What if you could go from:
Always scanning the room for what's about to go wrong
→ Actually being able to relax, even when things are good
Apologizing for needing anything at all
→ Asking for what you need without bracing for rejection
Feeling like your body is working against you
→ Trusting your body's signals instead of fighting them
Performing okay-ness so no one worries about you
→ Letting people see you struggle, and staying connected anyway
How relational trauma therapy in California can help
Trauma therapy isn't about rehashing everything that happened in painful detail. It's about helping your nervous system understand that it's safe now, even when it doesn't believe that yet.
We work at your pace. We follow what feels right for you. The goal is not to erase what happened but to loosen its grip so it stops running your present.
Many of my clients have spent years trying to outthink their trauma. Reading about it, understanding it intellectually, telling themselves they should be over it by now. Therapy offers something different.
A space to actually feel it, process it, and begin to move through it in a way that lasts.
The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studiesoutlines how trauma affects the nervous system in ways that go far beyond memory — which is why body-based approaches are so central to this work.
A kinder inner voice — replace the self-criticism with something more honest and compassionate
Boundaries that feel natural — not walls, not collapse, but a real sense of what you will and won't tolerate
A more connected sense of self — feel at home in who you are, not just who you learned to perform
Relief from hypervigilance — stop bracing for something bad to happen all the time
A regulated nervous system — feel the difference between real threat and old fear
Healthier relationships — stop abandoning yourself to keep others comfortable
What you'll gain from relational trauma therapy
What working together actually looks like
Step 1.
We start by understanding your nervous system, not just your story. What sets you off, what shuts you down, what safety has actually felt like (or hasn't) in your life.
Step 2.
We trace your reactions back to where they started. Usually that's family of origin, early relationships, the environments where you learned what was safe to feel and what wasn't.
Step 3.
We build new experiences of safety in real time, in session, in your body, so your nervous system has evidence that things can be different now.
My approach to relational trauma therapy
I work from an attachment informed, somatic-informed lens, and IFS informed, which means we pay attention to what's happening in your body, not just your thoughts. Trauma is stored in the nervous system, and that's where the real healing happens.
I'll never push you to go somewhere you're not ready to go. We build safety first, always. And we stay curious rather than clinical, because you are not a diagnosis. You are a person who adapted to something hard, and those adaptations deserve to be understood, not pathologized.
Private pay only. Fully confidential. No insurance involvement.
Your Questions, Answered
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A friend can listen. Trauma therapy helps your nervous system actually update, not just your understanding of what happened.
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No. Trauma isn't about the size of the event, it's about how much support you had processing it at the time. Growing up managing everyone else's emotions counts.
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It depends on what you're working through, but many clients start noticing shifts in how they respond to stress within the first few months.
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Sessions are $225 for 50 minutes. I'm a private-pay provider, which means no diagnosis required and no limits from insurance on your care. I provide a superbill so you can seek reimbursement if your plan offers out-of-network benefits.
Start relational trauma therapy in Los Gatos today
You don't have to keep carrying this alone. I offer a free 15-minute consultation so we can connect before you commit to anything.
Telehealth throughout California. Serving Los Gatos, Saratoga, Atherton, Menlo Park, Tiburon, Danville, Orinda, and the greater Bay Area.