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Melissa W Cooper

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

California # 141326

Transform Your Life Through Trauma Therapy

I understand that trauma can deeply affect your life and will guide you through the healing process with empathy and expertise in Culver City and virtually throughout California.

Close-up of a person's face and shoulder painted black with gold cracks and splashes, resembling a sculpture cracked by trauma.

What is Trauma?

Trauma and PTSD is any deeply distressing or disturbing experience that overwhelms your ability to cope, leaving long-lasting emotional, psychological, or physical effects. It can be developmental (experienced in childhood and shaping your life long-term) or vicarious (experienced indirectly through hearing or witnessing the trauma of another.

Common Symptoms

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Flashbacks

  • Difficulty Trusting Others

  • Struggles with Regulating Emotions

Melissa W Cooper with long brown hair and brown eyes smiling outdoors with greenery in the background.

Trauma can leave deep emotional scars. As an experienced trauma therapist, my job is to provide a safe, supportive space for you to process your trauma, reclaim your strength, and gain clarity.

My Approach to Trauma Therapy

  • I create a safe space where you will be seen and your story will be heard. It is important because everyone’s experience with trauma is unique and your story is important.

  • Once I know your story, we will co-create goals and I will introduce some basic skills to help you manage emotions. Some tools that I found helpful include:

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

    • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming (EMDR)

    • Somatic Practices

    • Depth (Jungian) Psychology

  • My goal is to guide you towards healing and growth, helping you integrate your traumatic experiences into your life in a way that fosters emotional well-being and resilience.

Who Experiences Trauma?

Trauma can affect anyone. While everyone reacts differently to traumatic events, they generally involve the creation of a feeling of helplessness, fear, or intense distress. Those feelings can arise from experiencing or witnessing accidents, natural disasters, life threatening events, death of a loved one, childhood neglect or sexual abuse and disrupt your sense of safety, identity, or well-being.

Two Main Types of Trauma

  • Acute: Resulting from a single, time limited event such as a car accident, natural disaster,, or sudden loss.

  • Chronic: Caused by prolonged or repeated exposure to traumatic events, such as ongoing abuse, neglect, or living in a war zone.

On the Blog

Close-up of a black statue of a person's face with gold cracks and splatters, depicting being cracked or shattered by trauma.

FAQs

Your Questions About Trauma Therapy Answered Here.

What is trauma therapy?

Trauma therapy is a form of mental health treatment focused on helping people heal from emotional and psychological trauma, including PTSD, complex trauma, and adverse life experiences.

How do I know if I need trauma therapy?

If you're experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, depression, emotional numbness, or difficulty in relationships after a distressing event, therapy may help.

What happens during a trauma therapy session?

Sessions may involve talking about past experiences, learning grounding techniques, exploring body sensations, or using structured methods like EMDR.

Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail?

Not necessarily. Some therapies (like EMDR or somatic approaches) do not require detailed verbal recounting of the trauma.

Yes, when done with a trained professional, trauma therapy is evidence-based and highly effective for many people.

Is trauma therapy effective?

Still Have Questions?

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