Online Trauma & PTSD Therapy in San Diego and Throughout California
What happened may be a part of your story. It does not have to keep deciding what comes next.
Trauma can change the way you see yourself, other people, and the world around you. You may know logically that the danger has passed while part of you continues to respond as though it has not. Trauma-focused therapy can help you understand those responses, work through what keeps you stuck, and begin moving forward again.
Schedule an appointment for evidenced-based online trauma treatment with a California licensed psychologist whose training and clinical experience includes PTSD treatment in a psychiatric hospital setting as well as with active-duty service members.
Maybe you made it through something difficult and did what you had to do at the time. You kept working, took care of your responsibilities, and told yourself to move on. Yet something still does not feel resolved.
When the Past Still Feels Present
❋Your Body Stays on AlertYou scan for what could go wrong, startle easily, feel irritable, or have trouble sleeping.
❋ You Keep Going But Feel DisconnectedYou may also feel detached from people you care about, less trusting than you once were, or very capable on the outside while knowing something underneath still needs attention.
❋ Reminders Pull You BackCertain sounds, places, conversations, dreams, or memories trigger intense emotional or physical reactions.
❋ Avoidance Narrows Your LifeYou steer around reminders, difficult conversations, relationships, or activities that once mattered.
❋ The Meaning LingersGuilt, shame, anger, self-blame, or questions about what you should have done remain difficult to settle
Trauma treatment is not about pretending what happened was not serious. It is about helping what happened have less control over how you live now.
What is Trauma?
Trauma describes the psychological and emotional impact that can follow an experience that overwhelms your ability to cope, threatens your sense of safety, or changes how you understand yourself, other people, or the world. Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event develops PTSD, and trauma-related distress does not automatically mean you have a diagnosis. Trauma can result from a wide range of experiences. The categories below illustrate some common forms it can take, but this list is not exhaustive — your experience does not need to match an example exactly for it to be worth addressing in treatment.
Single Incident Trauma
1
An assault, accident, disaster, medical emergency, combat event, or sudden loss.
Repeated or Prolonged Trauma
2
Ongoing abuse, repeated exposure to violence, chronic maltreatment, or repeated occupational or military exposure
Interpersonal Trauma
3
Physical or sexual assault, domestic violence, coercive relationships, abuse, or betrayal
Military or service-related trauma
4
Combat exposure, serious injury or threat, witnessing death or injury, military sexual trauma, or service-related accidents
Does Experiencing Trauma Mean I Have PTSD?
No. Many people experience distress after trauma and recover naturally over time. PTSD is different — it's a specific pattern of symptoms that continues well after the event, often centered on re-experiencing what happened through intrusive memories, nightmares, or flashbacks, along with related changes in mood and alertness. It's this ongoing pattern, not the trauma itself, that turns a natural response into something that may need treatment. A thoughtful assessment can help clarify what you are experiencing.
Re-experiencing + Avoidance
Intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, strong reactions to reminders, or efforts to avoid thoughts, people, places, and conversations connected to trauma.
Changes in Mood + Alertness
Self-blame, shame, detachment, negative beliefs difficulty feeling positive emotions, hyper vigilance, irritability, sleep problems, startle response, or difficulty concentrating.
When is it Time to Consider Trauma Treatment?
You do not have to decide on a treatment by yourself. A consultation can help us discuss your goals, current needs, and whether a structured trauma-focused approach is a good fit.
You do not have to wait until symptoms become unbearable - or until someone formally diagnoses you with PTSD - to speak with a therapist about whether trauma treatment may be appropriate.
Memories of what happened remain intensely distressing.
You organize parts of your life around avoiding reminders.
Relationships have changed because you feel guarded, detached, angry, or unsafe.
Sleep, concentration, work, or day-to-day functioning has suffered
You remain on edge, easily startled, or unable to settle.
Guilt shame, anger, or self-blame feel difficult to settle.
You have stopped doing things that once mattered to you.
Your beliefs about trust, safety, control, worth, or relationships changed after the trauma.
You have tried to move on, but the experience continues to shape the present
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD
A Proven Structured Approach to Trauma Recovery
Cognitive Processing Therapy, often called CPT, is a trauma-focused psychotherapy developed specifically for PTSD. It helps people understand how trauma has affected the way they think about the event, themselves, other people, and the world - and learn how to evaluate beliefs that may be keeping them stuck.
CPT is one of the most researched and effective treatments for PTSD. It is recommended in major clinical practice guidelines and may be delivered in individual or group formats. In individual treatment, the number of sessions can be adjusted according to clinical needs and progress.
You and your therapist examine the evidence, context, assumptions, and conclusions surrounding trauma-related beliefs. The goal is not to force a cheerful interpretation. It is to develop a fuller and more accurate understanding of what happened and how it affects your life now.
CPT is NOT positive thinking
How Can Trauma Change What You Believe?
In, CPT trauma related beliefs that interfere with recovery are often called stuck points. They may sound like:
-
“I can never let my guard down.”
“The world is never safe.”
“Danger could be anywhere.”
-
”I cannot trust anyone.”
People will always let me down.”
I can’t even trust my own judgement.”
-
“I should have stopped it.”
It was my fault.”
“I must control everything to be safe.”
-
I am weak because this still bothers me.”
“Something is permanently wrong with me.”
“I should have known better.”
-
“If I get close, I will be hurt.”
“No one could understand what I’ve been through.”
“I don’t deserve to feel close to anyone.”
What Does CPT Look Like in Therapy?
Understand Your Responses
Learn how PTSD can influence thoughts, emotions, behavior, and avoidance.
Identify Where You Are Stuck
Notice beliefs that may continue driving guilt, fear, shame, anger, or avoidance.
Learn to Examine Those Beliefs
Use practical questions and structured exercises to consider evidence, context, and more balanced perspectives.
Rebuild Important Areas of Your Life
Explore how trauma affected safety, trust, power and control, esteem, and intimacy.
Is CPT as Effective as EMDR for PTSD?
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is one of the most well-supported treatments for PTSD available today. EMDR has become one of the most recognizable trauma therapies, but it isn't the only research-backed option — and it isn't necessarily the right fit for everyone. National treatment guidelines (developed by the VA and Department of Defense) identify CPT, EMDR, and Prolonged Exposure as the three leading, most strongly recommended therapies for PTSD.
CPT itself has been studied extensively — in dozens of clinical trials, across both military and civilian populations — and research consistently shows large improvements in PTSD symptoms, with many people no longer meeting criteria for PTSD after treatment. CPT has also been shown to work well through telehealth, making it accessible without sacrificing effectiveness.
CPT and EMDR simply approach trauma differently. EMDR works by processing traumatic memories while using guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation. CPT works more directly with the beliefs trauma can leave behind — about safety, trust, control, self-worth, and relationships — and teaches practical skills for examining and shifting those beliefs.
No single treatment is right for every person with PTSD. What matters most is finding the approach that fits you — your history, your goals, and how you process what happened. If you're wondering whether CPT might be a good fit for your experience, a free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to find out — no commitment, just a conversation about what could help.
Sources:VA.gov | Veterans Affairs. (n.d.). [General Information]. Retrieved September 8, 2026, from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/overview_therapy.aspVA.gov | Veterans Affairs. (n.d.). [General Information]. Retrieved September 8, 2026, from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/cpt_for_ptsd_pro.aspOnline Trauma Therapy Throughout California
While I am based out of San Diego, CA I provide secure telehealth trauma and PTSD therapy to adults located throughout California.
Online sessions can make specialized trauma treatment more accessible without requiring a commute. We can meet virtually from any private location in California where you have a reliable connection and space to speak openly.
During an initial consultation, we can discuss whether telehealth is clinically appropriate for your needs, what privacy and safety planning look like, and whether CPT or another recommendation best fits your goals.Christian Faith Integration in Trauma Therapy
For clients who want faith to be part of treatment, Christian faith can be integrated into trauma therapy alongside evidence-based clinical care. Trauma can raise profound questions about suffering, safety, trust, guilt, forgiveness, identity, and even a person's understanding of God. Those questions do not have to be separated from the clinical work.
Faith integration is optional and guided by your preferences.
What Getting Started Can Look Like
1.) Start With a Consultation
Share what is bringing you in, ask questions, and get an initial sense of fit.
2.) Clarify Your Needs
Discuss symptoms, history, goals, safety, and whether trauma-focused treatment is appropriate now.
3.) Build a Treatment Plan
If we decide to work together, we will agree on priorities, approach, pacing, and how progress will be reviewed.
4.) Begin Focused Work
Learn practical skills, address avoidance and trauma-related beliefs, and work toward a life with more freedom and choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Trauma refers to the psychological and emotional impact an overwhelming or threatening experience can have. The response varies from person to person, and not every trauma response is PTSD.
-
A psychologist can assess patterns such as intrusive symptoms, avoidance, changes in thoughts or mood, and increased alertness, along with how long they've lasted and how much they're affecting your daily life. Self-diagnosing from a website or checklist isn't a substitute for this — an accurate picture of what you're experiencing is best worked out with a trained professional.
-
CPT begins with education and a discussion of how the trauma has affected you. A detailed written trauma account is not required in standard CPT; whether additional narrative work is used is a clinical decision made together.
-
CPT was originally developed as a 12-session protocol, but treatment length may vary based on individual needs, progress, and clinical judgment. The expected course can be discussed during initial consultation.
-
No. CPT has been studied with military and civilian populations and can address PTSD connected to many kinds of traumatic experiences. Fit depends on the individual, not solely the trauma category.
-
Yes. CPT and EMDR are both recommended trauma-focused psychotherapies for PTSD. They use different methods; the best fit depends on clinical needs, preferences, access, and the therapist's assessment.
-
CPT has evidence supporting telehealth delivery. Online care still requires clinical fit, privacy, emergency planning, and that the client be physically located where the psychologist is permitted to practice. As part of an initial consultation, I'll assess factors like your ability to stay safe and manage emotions that may come up during trauma processing — this helps determine whether telehealth is the right format for your care, or whether an alternative level of care may be a better fit.
-
Yes, when requested. Christian faith integration can be included alongside evidence-based trauma treatment and will be shaped by the client's beliefs, goals, and comfort. Trauma can affect the way we see the world, including our faith — and the way those questions are processed can either support recovery or reinforce the very beliefs keeping you stuck. When faith is part of your life, addressing it directly in treatment can be an important part of healing rather than something separate from it.
The Past Does Not Have to Keep Running the Present
If trauma continues to affect your sleep, relationships, sense of safety, or ability to move forward, you do not have to sort it out alone. A brief consultation can help you decide whether online trauma therapy and CPT may be a good next step.