Trauma Therapy in Peoria, IL
For the women who are done trying to hold it all together. Online sessions available across Illinois & all PSY-PACT eligible states.
You’re finally starting to admit to yourself that something isn’t right.
You can feel yourself starting to unravel. You’re exhausted but can’t sleep, and the tension never really lets up. Your emotions either feel way too big…or like they’re not there at all. Staying busy and keeping control used to work, but now you just feel disconnected—from yourself, your people, and even your own body.
Maybe you’re not sure if it even “counts” as trauma. You just thought this was “how things were”...because aren’t we all just dealing with our own shit? But trauma isn’t always one big, obvious event. Sometimes it’s chronic stress, emotional neglect, or being the one who held everything together when no one else did. It’s also not just about what happened—it’s about how your system had to respond to survive.
Reasons you might be here…
You feel like too much and not enough at the same time
You're always bracing for the next bad thing
Asking for help feels like failure (so you just don’t)
You don’t trust compliments, rest, or good things
Tension lives in your shoulders, jaw, gut—no massage ever touches it
You keep ending up with the same kind of partner, and it never works out
Sex is complicated—pain, shutdowns, disconnection, confusion
You’re often reaching for another drink or another way to numb the pain
My Approach
I’m not your average trauma therapist.
Most clients come to me saying that they want to "feel better."
Great. I’ll probably ask, "What the hell does that even mean?" Not because I’m being snarky (well…maybe a little), but because we’re going to get curious together. What would "better" really look like in your day-to-day? What would it mean to not feel like the past is always being carried on your shoulders? What is life really like without a nervous system on red alert 24/7?
Trauma work doesn’t include rehashing everything all at once or forcing healing into an all‑or‑nothing box. We move at a pace that actually makes sense for your nervous system, not anyone else’s timeline. Part of the work is paying attention to what’s really happening in both your body and mind, and we’ll build that awareness slowly. We’ll put shame and judgment to the side and replace them with curiosity about what you’ve been white‑knuckling your way through, the beliefs that feel like truth (spoiler alert: they aren’t), and the patterns that once protected you and are now making life harder or more painful.
If you’re looking for structure, I’m trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy and other trauma modalities. And if you need something more fluid, we can do that instead. Either way, everything we do is built around you—your needs, your history, and your voice.
Because the relationship between us is the foundation of this work, we’ll check in on it often. We’ll talk about what’s going well, what might be “off,” and if you want to quit. (spoiler alert: you probably will!) You might want to quit because you think “it’s easier,” or wonder “if it’s even working,” or “it’s too much and too uncomfortable, it’s not worth it.” And when you stick with it, that’s where the real magic happens.
Healing isn’t always fun. It's not linear, and it can be painful along the way. But it opens doors to a world of being you can’t even imagine. You’ll feel it in your bones—the shifting, the change. A lot of times, you can’t really name it, but you sense it on a deep, deep level. I want that for you, and I’m so fucking ready to help you meet that version of yourself.
The difference trauma therapy can make:
Not taking everything as a personal attack
Less chaos in your head
Not relying on alcohol or other substances to escape or “manage”
Confidence in your decisions and what you want
Actually finding ways to relax and take care of yourself
The ability to say “no” and knowing it’s not selfish
No longer making yourself small (aka reclaiming your power)
Understanding and naming your own emotions
Living in the present instead of being rooted in the past
It’s about fucking time to live loudly, fully, and authentically—without the past running the show.
Let's do this
Let's do this
FAQs
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That’s completely okay. You don’t need a specific label or diagnosis to deserve support. If something still lingers—if it keeps showing up in your body, your relationships, your thoughts—it’s worth paying attention to. If it hurts, we explore it curiously and non-judgmentally. I’m not here to measure your pain or minimize any part of your experience.
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I’m not going to pretend that doesn’t happen. It likely will. This work can be uncomfortable—and there may be moments where you want to ghost me, shut down, or wonder if it’s even worth it. That’s not failure. That’s part of the process. When (not if) those feelings come up, we talk about them. That’s where real movement often begins.
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Yes, when it’s the right fit. I’m certified in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and sometimes having structure can feel grounding and is necessary. At other times and for other clients, it’s more about going at your own pace, focusing on our therapeutic relationship, and letting things unfold naturally. Either way—we’ll decide together, based on what feels most supportive to you.
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With the right kind of therapy and support, you won’t feel like this forever, no. However, healing doesn’t mean you will never feel anxious or overwhelmed again. You’ll learn how to ride those waves instead of being swallowed by them. We’re not chasing perfection here in any sense. We’re looking to build steadiness, self-trust, and the capacity to accept what’s happened and what you’re feeling without it running the show.
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First—thank you for even considering this work. I have extensive experience helping women heal from sexual trauma, and I recognize how heavy, confusing, and isolating that can make life feel. A lot of people come in unsure whether what they experienced even “counts,” or feeling frustrated with how it’s still showing up in their body, their relationships, or their sex life. If intimacy feels complicated or like something you just tolerate or push through, that matters.
I won’t force you to relive anything or say more than you’re ready for. We’ll move at your pace, focus on safety and control, and work toward helping you feel more connected to your body and more confident in your personal choices related to intimacy, and ultimately, every other part of your life.