Trauma-Informed Therapy at Bridge to Balance

When you’re navigating the effects of trauma, compassionate and effective support is essential. Our trauma-informed therapy services are designed to help you feel safe, supported, and empowered as you process your emotions and heal from your pain.

As practitioners skilled in treating trauma, our team believes that you deserve to begin your healing journey equipped with knowledge. In line with this belief, we’ll describe trauma-informed care in detail below so you know what to expect from treatment and the options available to you as you take the courageous step to seek professional support.

What is Trauma-Informed Therapy?

Trauma-informed therapy refers to mental health services that recognize the significant effects that trauma can have on a person’s life. When you seek services from a trauma-informed therapist, this provider will focus on creating a safe and supportive environment because they understand that trauma can threaten a person’s sense of safety. Trauma-informed therapists will consider the effects that trauma has on your life, including the way it may affect your perceptions of seeking treatment, at every phase of the therapy process.

Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

A trauma-informed therapist will follow the fundamental principles of trauma-informed care as follows:

• Safety: Creating a secure, non-judgmental space where you feel physically and emotionally safe.
• Empowerment: Fostering self-advocacy and emphasizing your strengths and resilience.
• Collaboration: Working together to establish goals and strategies for healing.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Respecting your unique identity, values, and experiences.
• Avoiding Retraumatization: Ensuring that therapy methods do not inadvertently trigger past trauma.

Types of Trauma-Informed Therapy

Under the umbrella of trauma-informed therapy, there are several different treatment modalities that can be effective when pursuing therapy for trauma and moving you toward healing. At Bridge to Balance, we offer a variety of trauma-informed therapy modalities, which are discussed below in more detail.

Sandtray Therapy

Sandtray therapy uses a sandbox and miniature figures to help clients express emotions and process trauma non-verbally. It’s especially effective for individuals, such as children, who may struggle to articulate their feelings.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a structured therapy that uses guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation to help people process and reframe traumatic memories. EMDR can reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories, so you feel more in control of your thoughts and feelings.

Somatic Experiencing

Somatic experiencing focuses on the connection between the mind and body to release stored trauma. It helps regulate the nervous system and restore a sense of safety. In somatic experiencing therapy sessions, you’ll focus on internal sensations linked to trauma, instead of thoughts and feelings.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)

ART is a short-term therapy that uses visualization techniques to quickly resolve trauma-related distress. A therapist using this modality will ask the patient to visualize a traumatic event and then rescript, or rewrite, the way the event ends, to make it more positive or satisfying. This modality can lead to quick resolution of trauma symptoms.

Traumaplay

Traumaplay is a child-focused approach that uses play as a medium for processing trauma in a developmentally appropriate way. Play provides a safe context for children to express emotions, and it encourages healing through creativity.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

TF-CBT combines traditional CBT techniques with a focus on trauma-related challenges, such as intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and emotional dysregulation. This modality provides patients with tools to reframe negative thinking patterns related to trauma. It also teaches emotion regulation and coping skills and promotes resilience.

Brainspotting

Brainspotting is a technique that uses focused eye positioning to access and process trauma stored in the brain and body. The goal is to locate a fixed eye position, or “brain spot” that activates the traumatic memory, and then focus on bodily sensations associated with that “brain spot.” Through this process, a patient can reprocess traumatic memories.

Beginning Your Healing Journey with Therapy for Trauma

Our clinicians at Bridge to Balance are experts in trauma-informed care, and they recognize that healing is not one-size-fits-all. They are trained in a variety of therapeutic modalities, so they can work with you to find the specific therapy model that best meets your unique needs.

We currently have office locations throughout New Jersey in Voorhees, Piscataway, Hamilton, and in Portland, Maine. Visit our webpage to learn more about our practice or to schedule an appointment. We’re ready to work with you to create a safe, empowering path toward your recovery.