A gentle place to begin healing
If you have experienced sexual trauma, please let me begin by saying something you deserve to hear clearly: what happened to you was not your fault, and you are not alone. The impact of that experience is real, and the ways you have survived it make sense. I offer trauma-informed, deeply compassionate care to individuals and couples in Sarasota and across Florida and Connecticut who are healing from sexual trauma and finding their way back to safety, self-trust, and connection.
Healing from trauma is possible. I want to say that plainly, because trauma often whispers that things will always feel this way. They will not. With gentle, careful support, people do reclaim their sense of safety, their relationship with their own bodies, and their capacity for intimacy and joy. This work moves at your pace and never faster. You are always in control here, and that is not a slogan. It is the foundation of everything we do.
What trauma can leave behind
Sexual trauma can affect many parts of life, often in ways that feel confusing or out of your control. You may notice anxiety, difficulty trusting, a sense of numbness or disconnection, or moments when the past intrudes on the present. You may struggle with closeness, or feel unsafe in your own body, or carry shame that was never yours to carry. Intimacy that once felt natural may now feel frightening or complicated.
If you recognize yourself in any of this, I want you to understand that these are not signs of weakness or brokenness. They are the normal ways a human nervous system protects itself after something overwhelming. Your responses made sense. They helped you survive. And now, gently, we can help your body and mind learn that the danger has passed and that safety is possible again.
Stabilization comes first
One of the most important things I want you to know is that good trauma work does not begin by asking you to relive what happened. That approach can overwhelm and re-traumatize, and it is not how I work. We begin instead with stabilization, which means building a foundation of safety and steadiness before we go anywhere near painful material.
In this first phase, we focus on helping you feel more grounded in the present. We build practical tools for managing anxiety and for calming your nervous system when it becomes activated. We strengthen your sense of safety, both in our sessions and in your daily life. Only when you feel ready and resourced, and entirely on your terms, do we gently approach the harder memories, and even then we do so carefully, in small and manageable pieces, always with your consent at every step.
You never have to share more than you choose to. You do not have to recount details for healing to happen. Some people find it helpful over time to speak about their experience, and some heal without ever describing it in detail. Both paths are valid. This is your process, and you set its pace and its boundaries.
There is no timeline you are supposed to be on. Some people come to this work soon after an experience, and others come years or even decades later, when they finally feel ready or when something in life brings the past forward again. Healing is not less possible because time has passed. Wherever you are, and however long it has been, this is a valid moment to begin. I will meet you exactly where you are, without any expectation that you should be further along than you are. Trust, both in the process and in me, is something we build slowly and honestly, and you never have to extend more of it than feels safe in any given moment.
What is underneath
Trauma is not stored only as a memory. It lives in the body, in the nervous system, in the beliefs we absorb about ourselves and the world. Part of gentle trauma work is understanding these deeper layers with compassion.
The protective parts of you
I often work with the different parts of a person, an approach drawn from Internal Family Systems. After trauma, we usually develop protective parts, the vigilant part that scans for danger, the part that numbs to avoid pain, the part that carries shame in an attempt to make sense of what happened. These parts are not problems to be eliminated. They are protectors that stepped in when you needed them. In our work, we come to understand them with gratitude and help them soften, so the wounded parts underneath can finally receive care. This is tender, respectful work, and many people find it profoundly relieving.
Shame that was never yours
So much of the suffering after sexual trauma comes from shame, and I want to be very clear about this. The shame does not belong to you. It belongs to what was done. Trauma has a cruel way of turning the responsibility inward, leaving survivors feeling that they were somehow to blame. Part of healing is gently returning that weight to where it belongs and helping you reclaim a sense of your own innocence and worth. You did nothing wrong, and you deserve compassion, most of all from yourself.
Reclaiming safety and intimacy
For many survivors, the hope is not only to feel less pain but to reclaim the capacity for closeness and intimacy. Trauma can make connection feel unsafe, and that is understandable. Slowly and gently, we can help you rebuild trust, both in yourself and, when you choose, in a partner. If you are working through this within a relationship, I can help both of you understand what is happening with patience and care, so that closeness becomes a source of safety rather than fear. This is never rushed. Reclaiming intimacy is a process of rebuilding safety, one small and trustworthy step at a time.
How I work
My approach is warm, patient, and always centered on your sense of safety and control. Our sessions are talk therapy in a calm and confidential space. There is never any physical exam, never any undressing, and never any touch. Nothing about this work is explicit. We move at a pace you set, and you are free to pause, slow down, or step back at any moment.
I draw on trauma-informed practices throughout, along with Internal Family Systems to tend gently to the protective and wounded parts of you, narrative approaches to help you reclaim your own story from the trauma, and emotionally focused work when we are healing within a relationship. Above all, I bring a steady, compassionate presence and a deep respect for your resilience. You have already survived the hardest part. My role is to walk beside you as you move from surviving toward living fully again.
Throughout our work, you remain the one in charge. I will regularly check in about how you are doing, invite you to tell me when something feels like too much, and honor every boundary you set. If a session touches something tender, we slow down, return to safety, and make sure you leave feeling steady rather than raw. This careful pacing is not a delay in the healing. It is the healing, because learning that you can move toward difficult things and still stay safe is itself a profound form of recovery.
A note about crisis support
Healing is a process that unfolds over time, and sometimes people in pain need immediate support between sessions or in a moment of crisis. Please know that help is always available. If you are ever in crisis or need to talk to someone right away, confidential crisis and support resources exist and are available around the clock, and I am glad to help you identify the ones that fit your needs. You never have to face an overwhelming moment alone, and reaching out for support in a hard moment is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Reassurance and hope
If you feel hesitant about beginning, that is completely understandable, and there is no rush. You can take all the time you need. When and if you are ready, you will find a place here that honors your pace, protects your safety, and treats your story with the care it deserves. You are not too much, your reactions are not wrong, and you are not beyond healing. The very fact that part of you is seeking help speaks to a resilience that is still very much alive in you.
I have witnessed the remarkable capacity people have to heal, to reclaim their lives, and to find their way back to safety, self-trust, and even joy. It does not erase the past, but it does loosen its grip, until the trauma becomes something that happened to you rather than something that defines you.
An invitation, whenever you are ready
You deserve to feel safe in your own body, at peace in your own mind, and free to connect with others on your own terms. Healing is possible, and you do not have to do it alone. From my office at MindSpa Integrative Wellness Center in Sarasota, or virtually anywhere in Florida, I offer a gentle, trauma-informed, and completely judgment-free place to begin whenever you feel ready.
If and when that time comes, I warmly invite you to reach out for a free, confidential consultation. There is no pressure and no obligation. It is simply a chance to meet me, to share only as much as you wish, and to see whether working together feels safe and right for you. You have carried so much, and you deserve support that is as gentle and steady as you are brave. I would be deeply honored to walk beside you.
Related support
If this resonates, you might also explore Individual Therapy, Sexual Dysfunction, or Anxiety & Depression. You can browse all of my services, read more about how I work, find answers on the common questions page, or book a free consultation whenever you feel ready.