Woman looking towards mountain standing in the sunlight.

You are not what’s happened to you.

In-person & online Counseling

Trauma Therapy & PTSD Treatment for women & college students in East Lansing, MI

Are you stuck in feeling unsafe, having low self-esteem, and unable to regulate emotions?


You struggle to identify and feel your feelings and can’t remember the last time you felt true happiness.

Maybe you’re noticing:

  • Having trouble focusing on things or brain fog

  • Going through the motions on auto-pilot, having little energy or motivation

  • Procrastination and fear of failure

  • Critical inner voice, self-doubting, and low self esteem

  • Trouble asking for help and difficulty trusting and being vulnerable

  • Scattered thoughts and frequently triggered

  • Feeling nervous, helpless, fearful, and sad

  • Feeling shocked, numb, or not able to feel love or joy

  • Experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

 Trauma Focused Therapy can help.

It’s time to feel empowered in being yourself.

How therapy works

You can learn to break free from dysfunctional patterns and feel safe and happy again.

It may feel unattainable now, but you can thrive again. As your therapist, I will help you through this process, adjusting and tailoring each step to your unique needs. My approach to trauma focused therapy comes from a place of hope and belief that those who suffer from trauma can feel secure and empowered. You are not the “problem”, sometimes you might get stuck in a pattern of negative thoughts that you need help adjusting. With commitment, time, and patience it can happen.

I can help you get there.

Therapy for trauma can help you…

  • Learn to manage your emotions

  • Learn to set, enforce, and communicate your boundaries

  • Recognize and cope with your triggers

  • Feel comfortable expressing your needs, feelings, and opinions

  • Safely explore feelings of shame and self-doubt

  • Identify where challenging feelings about self are coming from and work towards self-acceptance

  • Start to treat yourself with kindness and compassion

  • Build self-love

  • Move through life feeling self assured and confident in being yourself

  • Overcome distressing post traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD)

Specializing in trauma therapy for…

  • Counseling shortly following a traumatic event.

    PTSD Treatment even after many years after the trauma.

Sunlight shining through trees.

Frequently asked questions about trauma therapy

FAQs

  • In the initial sessions we will focus on information gathering. We will then work to understand how trauma is affecting your mental health by building self awareness, utilizing coping skills, and establish goals. We will use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and/or Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to help challenge negative beliefs and unhelpful thought patterns. We will also employ Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to start to grow self compassion and increase the ability to use mindfulness to self-love.

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  • Symptoms of trauma can include but not limited to:

    Emotional and psychological symptoms:

    Shock, denial, or disbelief

    Confusion, difficulty concentrating

    Anger, irritability, mood swings

    Anxiety and fear

    Guilt, shame, self-blame

    Withdrawing from others

    Feeling sad or hopeless

    Feeling disconnected or numb

    Physical symptoms:

    Insomnia or nightmares

    Fatigue

    Being startled easily

    Difficulty concentrating

    Racing heartbeat

    Edginess and agitation

    Aches and pains

    Muscle tension

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  • The first step is emailing (sarah@forwardoutlookcounseling.com), or completing the contact form to book an initial consult. Once we have that consult and make sure we are a good fit, we schedule our first session. You will get an email with a link to fill out initial paperwork. Then, we have our first therapy session either in person or virtually.

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 You don’t have to continue to live this way.

Life can get better.