You can stop living like the next bad thing is about to happen.
A lot of people I work with tell me some version of the same thing:
“I do not understand why I still feel this way.”
On the outside, life may look mostly fine. But internally, you feel tense, overwhelmed, emotionally guarded, or constantly prepared for something bad to happen. You may notice yourself pulling away from relationships, struggling to relax, or feeling like your body never fully settles.
CBT for trauma helps you make sense of those reactions instead of just fighting through them. Together, we identify the beliefs, fears, and coping patterns that trauma left behind and work on changing them in a way that feels manageable and practical.
Part of you stopped feeling safe. And you are not sure when that changed.
You have kept this together well from the outside. But the inside tells a different story. Trusting people is harder than it used to be. You find yourself at arm’s length in relationships, not because you want to be, but because being vulnerable is frightening. You keep expecting others to let you down. So you rely on yourself. You stay in control. It feels safer. But it is also exhausting, and at some point, the cost of carrying it alone becomes hard to ignore.
Even in places that should feel calm, like a quiet walk through Eisenhower Park, the guard does not come down. Your body stays braced. You are still scanning, still waiting. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for trauma helps your mind and body stop reacting as if the danger is still happening, not by asking you to talk through every detail, but by identifying the beliefs the experience left behind about yourself, about other people, and teaching you practical ways to respond differently.
You can learn to let people in again without always bracing for disappointment. CBT gives you a structured way to get there.
CBT for trauma may be a good fit if you:
CBT for trauma works by looking at the beliefs and coping patterns trauma created. The goal is not to make you forget what happened. It is to change what it is still teaching you about yourself, about other people, and about whether you are safe in the world. Together we identify which thoughts are accurate and which ones trauma installed, and practice responding differently. Sessions are focused and collaborative. You leave with something concrete to work with.
What the work actually involves:
You Can Feel More Like Yourself Again
Many of the adults I work with are functioning well on the outside while quietly struggling on the inside. They are exhausted from always feeling on edge, overthinking, or carrying the weight of what happened alone for far too long. Over time, trauma can affect the way you see yourself, your relationships, and the world around you.
My approach is warm, structured, and practical. Together, we work on understanding the patterns trauma left behind and building healthier ways of responding to them so you can feel more present, connected, and grounded in your daily life.
I am a licensed psychologist and a Beck Institute-certified CBT therapist in New York. I have specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and attachment-based approaches, and my work is grounded in evidence-based trauma treatment. I work with adults across Long Island and New York State who are ready to stop just getting through and start feeling more like themselves again.
What I offer:
The goal is not to forget what happened. It is to stop living as if it is still happening.
Trauma usually stays stuck because several patterns are reinforcing each other at the same time. The beliefs it left behind, the situations and feelings you have learned to avoid, and the relationships that narrowed as a result. The techniques below address those different patterns, and together they help you build skills you can actually use outside of sessions.
The beliefs trauma installs run deep. I cannot trust anyone. It was my fault. I am not safe. If I let my guard down, I will get hurt. These feel completely true because of what happened. In CBT, we examine those beliefs carefully, not to dismiss what you experienced, but to figure out what is actually accurate now versus what the trauma forced you to conclude. You can learn to hold what happened without letting it write the rules for everything that comes after.
What this looks like in sessions:
The more you avoid reminders of what happened, the harder it can become to face. Avoidance keeps the fear going, even long after the danger has passed. Gradual exposure works against that. It is the process of approaching trauma-related memories, situations, and feelings in a structured way, starting with what feels most manageable and building from there. This is not about forcing yourself to relive anything. It is about helping your mind and body learn that you can face what happened without being overwhelmed.
What this looks like in sessions:
Trauma often teaches you that you can only rely on yourself. Getting close to people feels risky. Asking for help is uncomfortable. Vulnerability gives you the chills. Behavioral strategies in CBT help you map the ways trauma has narrowed your relationships and daily life, and build a plan for re-engaging, gradually and deliberately. This is not about forcing closeness. It is about making small, intentional choices that help you stop letting past experiences make the decisions for your present relationships.
What this looks like in sessions:
Even while doing the deeper work, there will be moments when trauma surfaces without warning. A trigger that catches you off guard. An emotional reaction that feels out of proportion to what just happened. CBT for trauma includes practical tools for managing those moments: grounding techniques to bring you back to the present, controlled breathing to lower physical tension, and strategies for tolerating distress without it taking over. These give you something concrete to reach for while the deeper patterns shift.
What this looks like in sessions:
The first visit is a conversation, not an assessment. You do not need to come in ready to talk about what happened. You do not need to have it organized or explained. Part of my job is helping you understand how the experience has been affecting you and where to begin. We figure it out together. What we typically cover:
By the end of the first session, you will have a clearer sense of what is keeping things stuck, what the work involves, and whether this feels like the right fit. You do not need to decide anything immediately. A free phone consultation is available first if you want to talk things through before booking.
A consultation is a good place to start if you want to understand what trauma is still doing to how you live today.
Trauma is not only what happened to you. It is what the experience leaves behind in how you think, how you feel, and how you move through the world. A CBT trauma therapist helps you identify those patterns and build practical skills to change them. We figure out what the experience is still teaching you about yourself and about other people, and we work on changing that, not just talking about it.
General talk therapy provides support and space to process. CBT for trauma is more targeted. We set specific goals, identify the beliefs and behaviors trauma put in place, and practice new responses actively. Sessions have direction. You leave with something concrete to work on. The aim is real change in how trauma shows up in your daily functioning.
Trauma does not always announce itself. Many people come in saying they cannot even name exactly what happened, or that it does not feel serious enough to be called trauma. What matters is not the label. What matters is whether something from the past is still shaping how you live today. If you cannot trust people the way you want to, if you are always preparing for something to go wrong, if you have trouble feeling settled even when things are fine, that is worth looking at.
Unhealed trauma tends to show up in patterns rather than a clear memory. Difficulty trusting people and always expecting to be let down. Feeling like you can only rely on yourself. Emotional numbness or reactions that seem out of proportion to what just happened. Going through the motions without being fully present. A persistent sense of being on edge that never quite turns off.
Trauma does not only live in your thoughts. It lives in the body too. Many people carry physical symptoms for years without connecting them to a traumatic experience.
CBT for trauma addresses the cognitive and behavioral patterns that keep those physical responses going. As those patterns shift, the physical symptoms often follow.
When something overwhelming happens, the nervous system registers it as a threat. The body’s protective responses, heightened alertness, tension, and the impulse to freeze, are designed to keep you safe. The problem is that those responses can keep firing long after the original threat is gone. Your body stays braced. It keeps waiting. CBT for trauma works with the thoughts and behaviors that keep that alarm system running when it does not need to be.
Sooner than most people do. Most adults I work with do not come in because of a crisis. They come in because something has not been right for a long time, and they have not been able to change it on their own. They cannot trust people the way they want to. They feel like they are always waiting for something to go wrong. They move through daily life without feeling fully engaged. At some point, the cost of adapting around it becomes greater than the discomfort of addressing it. You do not need a formal diagnosis. If something from the past is affecting your relationships, your sense of safety, or your ability to be present, that is enough.
Yes. CBT-based approaches are among the most strongly supported treatments for PTSD. Cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure, both CBT-based methods, have robust evidence for PTSD specifically. For a more detailed look at how the approach works, see my article on what trauma-focused CBT is. Results depend on fit, consistency, and how actively skills are practiced between sessions. I will give you an honest sense of what is realistic for your specific situation from the start.
PTSD symptoms include intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, heightened anxiety, panic attacks, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and avoidance of reminders of the experience. Not everyone with a trauma history meets criteria for PTSD. What matters clinically is whether the patterns from the experience are still affecting daily life, relationships, and sense of safety.
People are often surprised by how strong the research on CBT for trauma actually is. CBT-based approaches, including cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure, have some of the most robust evidence in the trauma treatment field. For a closer look, see my article on CBT for complex trauma. Results depend on fit, consistency, and how actively skills are practiced between sessions. I give you an honest sense of what to expect for your specific situation from the start.
A lot of the adults I work with are surprised by how structured and time-limited trauma-focused CBT can be. Cognitive processing therapy, for example, is typically delivered in 12 sessions. More complex presentations, particularly those involving prolonged or childhood trauma, usually require a longer timeline. The pace depends on the nature of the trauma and how consistently skills are practiced between sessions. I give you an honest sense of what to expect from the start, and we revisit the plan as we go.
Several evidence-based approaches are used by trauma therapists on Long Island. Here is a brief overview of how they differ from the CBT-focused approach I use.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, typically guided eye movements, to help reprocess traumatic memories. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is not something I offer, but it has a strong evidence base for trauma and PTSD. If EMDR is specifically what you are looking for, I can point you toward appropriate referrals.
Internal Family Systems approaches trauma through parts work, and polyvagal theory-informed therapy focuses on nervous system regulation. Neither is my primary approach. My work is grounded in CBT: identifying the specific thoughts, beliefs, and avoidance patterns trauma left behind, and changing them through structured collaborative sessions.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a newer evidence-based approach for trauma. Cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure are CBT-based approaches with strong evidence for PTSD, and both inform the work I do. During a consultation, I discuss which approach makes the most sense for your situation.
Most adults who have been through a traumatic experience and are still living with its effects can benefit from trauma-focused CBT. The type of event matters less than whether the experience is still shaping how you live today.
Adolescents and teens dealing with trauma can benefit from CBT-focused therapy. Trauma during development affects identity, the ability to trust, emotional regulation, and relationships. If you are an adult seeking support for a teenager, I can discuss during a consultation whether my scope is the right fit or whether a specialist in adolescent trauma would serve better.
CBT for trauma is appropriate for adults who have experienced a range of traumatic events, including car accidents, sexual assault, natural disasters, childhood trauma, domestic violence, and other forms of trauma exposure. During a consultation, we discuss your specific situation and what approach makes the most sense.
It can. One of the most consistent things people notice as CBT for trauma progresses is a shift in how they relate to other people. The guardedness that kept you safe starts to become less automatic. You stop expecting others to disappoint you before they have the chance. You find it a little less frightening to let people in. For many adults, that shift in relationships is one of the most meaningful changes from work.
Trauma often teaches you that you can only rely on yourself, that keeping your distance is safer than being vulnerable. CBT addresses the specific beliefs about trust and safety that trauma puts in place. As those beliefs shift, the capacity to re-engage in relationships, gradually and at your own pace, tends to follow.
It is one of the most common concerns people bring to a first consultation. In CBT for trauma, we work at a pace that feels manageable. You are not required to immediately discuss what happened. The work is structured so that exposure to difficult material is deliberate and controlled, not something that surfaces unpredictably. Some weeks feel harder than others, especially early in the work. If something feels too fast or too uncomfortable, we slow down. You remain in control of the pacing throughout.
Modern trauma-focused CBT does not require you to relive the full intensity of the experience for change to happen. The therapy process is structured and gives you a supportive environment to work through emotional responses at a pace that feels tolerable. Healing trauma is not about recreating the experience. It is about changing what it is still doing to how you feel and function. Many people find they can engage with difficult material far more than they expected once the structure and pacing feel right.
If, after a reasonable period of time, you are not experiencing improvement, we will look at why together. Sometimes the approach needs adjustment. Sometimes a different type of support is a better fit. I would rather have that honest conversation than have you persist in something that is not working.
The memory of what happened does not disappear. But the goal of CBT for trauma is not to make you forget. It is to change your relationship to what happened so that it no longer has the same power over how you live today. Most people find that after effective treatment, they can think about or encounter reminders of what happened without being overwhelmed by it or pulled back into the experience. If major transitions later in life bring the trauma response back to the surface, the skills you have built make it easier to recognize what is happening and respond. Coming back for a few sessions to recalibrate is always an option.
Most people notice the changes first in everyday moments. You feel less on edge. You stop expecting the worst all the time. Relationships feel less exhausting. Your body relaxes more easily. The memory is still there, but it stops pulling you back into it the way it used to. Healing and resilience are not about never being affected by what happened. They are about having the practical skills to handle it when it comes up.
As the patterns keeping the trauma response active shift, you develop a greater capacity to manage stress, regulate emotional responses effectively, and recover from difficult experiences without being overwhelmed. CBT for trauma builds emotional regulation skills and capacity that extend beyond the sessions themselves and continue to support your functioning long after treatment ends.
Yes. I offer in-person CBT for trauma at my office in Port Jefferson, Long Island. The office is conveniently located right behind the Port Jefferson Station Train Station, in the building with the pillars. I serve adults across Suffolk County and Nassau County, including communities from Huntington and Rockville Centre to Port Jefferson Station, Stony Brook, Setauket, Miller Place, and Mount Sinai.
Yes. I offer online CBT for trauma for adults across New York State. Remote sessions use a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform and are structured identically to in-person sessions. If you are in New York State and looking for CBT trauma support, you can access the same approach remotely regardless of where you are.
Reaching out does not require having everything figured out. I offer a free 15-minute phone consult so we can talk about what has been happening before you commit to anything. If this approach feels like a possible fit, we will discuss next steps. If it does not, I will try to point you in a useful direction.
My blog includes articles on CBT for childhood trauma and complex trauma that are a good starting point if you want to understand the approach before reaching out. A free consultation is available when you are ready to talk.
$250 for a 50-minute therapy session.
