Trauma Therapy in NYC
Who is Trauma Therapy for?
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Who is Trauma Therapy for? |
Trauma isn’t just about what happened to you — it’s about how it still lives in your body, thoughts, relationships, and daily life. If you find yourself feeling stuck in survival mode, overwhelmed by emotions (or unable to feel them at all), disconnected from others, or constantly on alert, you’re not alone, and you deserve support.
Our Trauma Therapy services are for individuals in New York who are healing from past experiences such as childhood trauma, emotional neglect, abuse, sexual assault, medical trauma, grief, relational trauma, or repeated stress that became too much to carry alone.
You don’t need a formal diagnosis or a certain type of trauma to reach out. If your past is affecting your present, through your relationships, sleep, sense of safety, or self-worth, therapy can help.
We welcome people of all genders, sexualities, identities, and cultural backgrounds, including LGBTQ+ individuals. Our approach is culturally competent, body-inclusive, and sex-positive.
Common Trauma Symptoms or Experiences May Include:
This list isn’t exhaustive—your experience is valid even if it doesn’t appear here.
Feeling unsafe, on edge, or constantly alert
Emotional numbness, dissociation, or feeling disconnected from your body
Sudden mood swings or emotional overwhelm
Flashbacks, intrusive memories, or nightmares
Avoiding people, places, or conversations that remind you of the past
Shame, self-blame, or believing you are “too much” or “not enough”
Difficulty trusting others or maintaining relationships
People-pleasing, over-explaining, or caretaking to stay safe
Trouble sleeping, chronic fatigue, or physical symptoms with no clear cause
Feeling broken, hopeless, or like something is wrong with you
Types of Trauma we Treat in NYC:
Childhood Trauma: Experiences of neglect, abuse, or unsafe environments during formative years.
Single-Incident Trauma (PTSD): Acute traumatic events such as accidents, assaults, or sudden losses.
Complex Trauma (C-PTSD): Prolonged and repeated exposure to traumatic situations, often interpersonal in nature.
Sexual Trauma and Harassment: Unwanted sexual experiences and violations affecting individuals of any gender.
Vicarious Trauma: Indirect exposure to traumatic events through witnessing or hearing about them.
Are you questioning if you need a trauma therapist?
You don’t need to “have it all together” or be in crisis to seek trauma therapy. If you’re wondering whether your experiences are “bad enough” to need help, trust that they are. Nothing is too small or too big to bring into therapy. Trauma therapy can be helpful if you feel stuck in the same painful patterns, if your body reacts before your mind understands why, if you feel emotionally numb or easily overwhelmed, if you long for closeness but also fear being hurt, or if you’re simply tired of surviving and want to feel safe living. If you think you might need trauma therapy, you probably do.
You don’t have to face this alone. Healing is possible, and we’re here to walk with you — at your pace.
Our Approach to Virtual Trauma Therapy in NYC
We use a relational, evidence-based, and compassionate approach that integrates the following:
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1. Building Safety & Trust
Before we ever unpack trauma, we make sure you feel safe and supported. This phase may include:
Creating a grounded, trusting therapeutic relationship
Developing safety strategies and coping tools
Reconnecting with your body’s cues through gentle awareness
You’ll never be pushed to share more than you’re ready for.
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2. Processing & Making Meaning of Trauma
When you’re ready, we’ll begin gently exploring your story and the impact it’s had on your life. This may involve:
Identifying and naming emotions and body sensations
Understanding where beliefs like “it was my fault” came from
Honoring what was lost, what you needed, and what was never given
Reprocessing difficult memories in a way that feels safe and contained
This phase isn’t about reliving trauma—it’s about reclaiming it.
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3. Integration, Connection & Post-Traumatic Growth
Healing doesn’t stop at understanding the past—it’s about learning how to live now with more peace and agency. Here we focus on:
Building supportive relationships and communities
Setting boundaries and protecting your nervous system
Exploring identity beyond survival methods
Finding meaning, empowerment, and self-trust
Trauma becomes part of your story—not the whole story.
Evidence-Based Modalities We Integrate Into Trauma Therapy
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you identify and reframe harmful thought patterns that developed in response to trauma, so you can respond to life with greater clarity and self-compassion.
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) supports you in building emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills—especially when emotions feel too big, too numb, or too hard to navigate alone.
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Narrative Therapy empowers you to rewrite the story you’ve been carrying, while honoring your pain, reclaiming your voice, and seeing your experiences through a lens of truth rather than shame.
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Mindfulness and Somatic Practices help you reconnect with your body in safe, gentle ways, using grounding, breathwork, and nervous-system awareness to reduce overwhelm and increase feelings of safety.
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Exposure and Trauma-Focused Therapy allows you to gradually and safely process traumatic memories or triggers, reducing their power over your daily life while helping your nervous system learn it is safe now.
Sexual Trauma Group Therapy / Support Group
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In addition to individual therapy, we offer specialized Sexual Trauma Group Therapy (virtual, small-group format).
These groups offer:
Shared Understanding – being with others who get it
Collective Healing – support, reflection, and connection
Empowerment & Community – healing in spaces where you are believed and valued
Why Choose LEL Therapy?
At LEL Therapy, we do things differently. Our therapists show up as real humans. We are warm, honest, and deeply relational. We don’t show up as as blank slate therapists. Many of us have walked through our own versions of pain, which means we carry deep compassion for what it takes to heal. We combine lived experience with specialized training in trauma, offering care that is trauma-informed, feminist, culturally responsive, body-inclusive, and grounded in equity. You’ll never be asked to shrink yourself, perform, or “stay strong.” This is a space where you can be exactly where you are.
We tailor therapy to your needs, honoring your pace while prioritizing safety, trust, and emotional integrity. When helpful, we collaborate with medical providers, psychiatrists, and your wider support system to make sure your care is cohesive. At the heart of our work is this belief: post-traumatic stress can transform into post-traumatic growth.
You don’t have to go through this alone. We’re here to walk beside you every step of the way.
We are therapists who are humans and humans who are therapists.
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We are therapists who are humans and humans who are therapists. ✦
Ready to get started?
Because healing is possible.
Wanting to learn more about trauma recovery? Check out these blog posts on all things trauma healing:
How Does Trauma Work "Work"
Holistic Trauma Treatment: Treating the Body & the Brain
3 Reasons to Try Group Therapy
Owning our story
Therapy for Your 20s in New York City: Finding a Therapist Who Gets You
Wanting even more? Follow our practice owner Lauren Larkin, LMHC on TikTok and Instagram for In Between Sessions, where she offers therapy and therapeutic topics in between sessions.
Other Services Offered:
In addition to specializing in trauma, LEL Therapy offers sexual trauma group therapy. We offer therapy for all types of eating disorders, including but not limited to Anorexia, Binge Eating Disorder, ARFID, Bulimia, and Disordered Eating. We specialize in relationship issues, whether familial, romantic or platonic relationships, and we treat anxiety and general mental health conditions. We would love to help you on your mental health journey. Reach out for a free consultation today!