Healing from Trauma:

Symptoms, Screening Tools, and How Therapy Can Help

Trauma isn’t just about what happened to you — it’s about how your mind and body responded. Maybe you find yourself avoiding certain places, feeling constantly on high alert, or struggling with flashbacks and nightmares. Or maybe you don't have clear memories of what happened, but you feel its effects through difficulties in your relationships, overwhelming emotions, or a persistent sense of unsafety.

The good news is that healing from trauma is possible. Using evidence-based approaches like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed therapy, we help you process trauma at your own pace — so you can move forward without being defined by your past.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is a response to any deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope. Trauma can result from a single event, like an accident or assault, or from ongoing experiences such as abuse, neglect, or systemic discrimination.

Not everyone responds to trauma in the same way. Some people develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), while others may experience symptoms without fitting a formal diagnosis.

Common Symptoms of Trauma and PTSD

Symptoms of trauma can show up emotionally, mentally, and physically. Here are some signs you might be dealing with unresolved trauma:

  • Intrusive thoughts or memories of the traumatic event

  • Flashbacks or nightmares

  • Avoidance of reminders of the trauma

  • Feeling emotionally numb or detached

  • Hypervigilance (constantly feeling "on guard")

  • Difficulty trusting others

  • Irritability, anger, or emotional outbursts

  • Difficulty sleeping or concentrating

  • Physical symptoms such as headaches, digestive issues, or chronic pain

  • Persistent feelings of shame, guilt, or worthlessness

Understanding these symptoms is a vital first step in seeking appropriate support and treatment.

Screening Tools for Trauma and PTSD

If you suspect you might be dealing with trauma-related symptoms, self-screening tools can offer valuable insight. Some commonly used trauma screening tools include:

  • PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5): A 20-item self-report measure assessing the severity of PTSD symptoms.

  • ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Questionnaire: Helps identify the impact of early life trauma.

  • Trauma Screening Questionnaire (TSQ): A simple, 10-item tool to assess post-traumatic stress symptoms.

  • Life Events Checklist (LEC): Screens for exposure to potentially traumatic events.

While these tools can help identify symptoms, an official diagnosis should always come from a licensed mental health professional.

How Therapy Can Help Heal Trauma

Trauma therapy is designed to help individuals safely process their experiences, reduce symptoms, and reclaim a sense of agency and peace. Evidence-based approaches like EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed therapy are highly effective for trauma recovery.

  • EMDR Therapy: Helps reprocess distressing memories and reduce their emotional charge.

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS): Focuses on healing wounded parts of the self, promoting inner harmony and resilience.

  • Somatic Approaches: Teach the body to release trauma stored in the nervous system.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Trauma: Helps shift negative beliefs and thought patterns that resulted from traumatic experiences.

Working at your own pace with a trained therapist ensures that you feel supported, respected, and empowered throughout your healing journey.

Final Thoughts

You are not alone in your experience of trauma — and you don’t have to face healing alone either. Therapy offers a path forward, helping you process painful memories, reduce symptoms, and build a life rooted in safety and meaning.

If you're ready to begin your journey toward healing, Contact us today. We are here to help you move forward, free from the shadows of the past.

 What to Expect

  • If you’ve received the client portal invitation, log in and check any messages, fill out paperwork, etc.

    Be thinking of what you would like to talk about, or any questions you have. Feel free to write those down and bring them in.

    Verify your insurance. Click here for more information regarding insurance.

  • Our office is tucked beside/behind Ge’Angelo’s in the. Northern Lights Shopping Center.

    We do not have a receptionist, so feel free to have a seat and we will be with you as soon as possible.

    If there is still paperwork to be done, you may be asked to fill out paperwork before your appointment.

    Each therapist has a private office, so you will be with the same therapist in the same office every session. To increase privacy we leave a noise machine on as well as the bathroom light/fan. These are to muffle noises.

    The lighting in the office LED. If you prefer lamps to overhead lighting, let us know and we will be happy to use lamps instead.

    After your appointment we will work together to decide if you would like to schedule another session. We will also determine if that will be scheduled at that time, or if it will be scheduled later. There is no right or wrong way to do it.

  • Be kind to yourself, you’ve done a lot of hard work.

    You are welcome to contact your counselor with any questions/concerns between session. Email or the client portal are the preferred and most direct ways to get in contact. We are generally in with clients and are unable to answer phone calls much of the time. Please be aware we may not be able to return your message for up to 48 hours.

    You can use the client portal to check your appointments or make/change any appointments.

    Contact the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit your local emergency department if you are having thoughts of self harm or suicide. Vivant is not a crisis center.

 Frequently Asked Questions

  • Age ranges are based on individual clinicians.

    Child specific information:

    Sometimes kids are unable to manage more than 30 minutes. Children’s sessions may seem short, but they are still working.

    All child sessions are unique. Sometimes kids have parents/caregivers in the session, other times they do better without parents in the room. Parents/caregivers are almost always involved in the first session, and we will talk about these options.

    If you are bringing an elementary aged child, we ask that you stay in the building during the session if you are not in the session. If there is a concern we will try to accommodate something. We want your child to be safe.

    If you are bringing an older child that gets dropped off, please be aware of the end time (generally 45 minutes for middle school/high school aged kids) so they can be picked up quickly. Again, we want everyone to be safe and we will likely be in session and unable to monitor safety.

  • We treat a variety of diagnoses including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD. Our clinicians have extra training in trauma, and am Basic Trained in EMDR.

    We are not licensed to prescribe medications.

  • Yes. Vivant is LGBTQ+ Affirming

  • While we are not faith based, we welcome all faiths.

  • For ongoing clients, scheduling your next appointment can be done at the end of an appointment, through the client portal, or by calling 515-523-5543. Counselors are not always able to accommodate same day appointments.

    Potential Clients can fill out a potential client request on our scheduling page.

  • Read about our insurance/fees/payments here

  • We take your privacy seriously. This is suppose to be a safe space and confidentiality is vital to that. If you want someone to be able to communicate with us about your services. (including billing) you can sign a release of information. This is also something that can be revoked by you at any time. Best practice includes coordinating with your primary care provider, but again, this is your choice.

    HIPAA (Health Insurance Privacy Portability Act) protects your PHI (protected health information). Our emails use HIPAA compliant encryption. Our client portal and our backup telehalth platform are HIPAA compliant.

    Counselors are mandatory reporters. As such we are mandated by law to report any suspected child abuse.

    Child Specific: During our first session we will go over confidentiality with children. It is my practice to keep conversations private and only tell parents general updates (ex: ____was open and talkative today), unless there is a safety concern or something that I feel the parents/caregiver should know. If this is the case, I try to be transparent with that so the child is not caught off guard.

    42 CFR Part 2 affords special protection when talking about substance abuse. Therefore children 14 years of age and older need to sign a specific release of information for parents/caregivers to obtain information from the counselor about anything substance abuse related.

  • While our emails use a HIPAA compliant encryption, it is safest to use our secure portal to communicate with your counselor. You may call 515-523-5433, however this is not the preferred form of communication as we are often in session and unable to answer phone calls.

    We discourage coming in person without an appointment as we may be unable to help you. Our office space is shared with other counselors, but they are unable to see your information and will likely be unable to help.