What trauma-informed care means
A trauma-informed approach considers how difficult experiences may affect your life and your experience of care. It guides how a practice listens, plans treatment and responds when something feels uncomfortable or overwhelming. It does not assume that trauma explains every difficulty.
SAMHSA describes four commitments: realizing the impact of trauma, recognizing possible signs, responding through policies and practice, and resisting retraumatization. Its six guiding principles are safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration; empowerment, voice and choice; and attention to cultural, historical and gender issues.
Source: SAMHSA: Trauma-informed approaches and programs
At Turning Leaf, you can ask why an approach is being suggested, say when something feels too much and discuss what would help you participate. Trauma-informed care is an approach to care. A trauma-specific treatment, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), is a particular intervention with its own methods and evidence.
Our relational psychodynamic approach
We place the therapeutic relationship at the center of our work. Your therapist pays attention to your emotional life, relationships and the ways earlier experiences may influence the present. Together, you can explore what happens between you, including moments of trust, misunderstanding or feeling unheard.
If you grew up being dismissed, for example, you may be cautious about whether a therapist will listen. That concern is worth talking about. A consistent relationship can offer opportunities to understand familiar patterns and try responding differently. Your therapist will work with you to find an approach that fits; relational therapy is not the only way to recover from trauma.
Research on psychodynamic therapy for PTSD is more limited. A 2024 review found promising results when interpersonal and psychodynamic therapies were considered together, but only two of its ten trials studied psychodynamic therapy. Those combined findings should not be treated as a result for Turning Leaf’s relational approach.
Source: Keefe, Kimmel and Weitz (2024): Interpersonal and psychodynamic psychotherapies for PTSD
Clinicians here draw on different methods, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS) or parts work, and body awareness practices. Some also use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). What is offered depends on the clinician’s training and your needs. These methods have different purposes and levels of research support. Ask about a therapist’s experience with the treatment you are considering.
EMDR therapy Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Meet a few therapists who work with trauma
These profiles are a starting point. You can name a therapist in your request or ask intake to help you choose. Intake confirms fit and current openings.
Anne Miller-Uueda
LCSWWorks with adults and adolescents on trauma, including interpersonal violence, sexual assault and birth trauma.
Ellis Matthews
LPCWorks with people ages 14 and up on developmental and relationship trauma, with an additional focus on the LGBTQIA+ community.
Tara Bailey
LCSWSpecializes in complex trauma and has training and experience working with dissociative disorders.
Experiences people bring to trauma therapy
People seek help after a single event, repeated harm or experiences they have struggled to put into words. A difficult experience and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are not the same thing. PTSD requires assessment of the event, symptoms, their duration and their effect on daily life.
The informal terms “Big T” and “little t” are sometimes used to discuss different experiences. They are not diagnostic categories or a way to rank whose suffering matters. Distressing experiences that do not meet PTSD’s event criteria can still deserve attention.
Source: NIMH: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
A single event
An assault, accident, disaster, sudden traumatic loss or witnessing violence can leave someone struggling afterward. Many people recover over time; others benefit from treatment. The effect and the care needed vary.
Repeated harm and childhood experiences
Abuse, neglect, ongoing violence or an unpredictable home can affect trust, self-worth and relationships. Complex PTSD is a specific diagnosis in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11, involving PTSD symptoms alongside persistent difficulties with emotional regulation, self-concept and relationships. Repeated trauma alone does not establish the diagnosis.
Source: VA: Complex PTSD assessment and treatment
Harm within relationships
Being controlled, frightened or repeatedly dismissed by someone close to you can make it hard to trust, express needs or accept care. Relational therapy gives space to understand those experiences and how they affect relationships now.
Medical experiences
A frightening diagnosis, childbirth, emergency surgery, intensive care or an invasive procedure can have lasting emotional effects. It can be difficult to talk about distress from care that also helped you survive or recover.
Family and intergenerational experiences
Family histories of violence, loss, persecution or displacement may affect how later generations understand safety and relationships. Families can pass on ways of coping alongside sources of support. These patterns do not establish a biological inheritance of trauma in an individual.
Community violence and identity-based harm
Witnessing violence, experiencing racism or discrimination, or living with continuing threats can affect daily life. Treatment can consider ongoing circumstances as well as past experiences; a reaction to present danger should not automatically be treated as a memory of the past.
PTSD and complex PTSD therapy Attachment therapy Identity exploration
Stress responses, body sensations and memory
After a frightening experience, some people remain easily startled or on edge. Others feel numb, detached or disconnected, and responses can change over time. These experiences may include bodily sensations as well as thoughts and emotions. They do not mean everyone’s nervous system remains permanently activated.
Source: NIMH: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The “window of tolerance,” associated with Dan Siegel’s work, is a clinical model for discussing when emotions feel manageable or overwhelming. Some clinicians also use ideas from Stephen Porges’ polyvagal theory. These are ways of thinking about experience, not a test of someone’s nervous system or proof of how a particular therapy works.
Sources: Queensland Health Insight: Window of tolerance · Porges (2025): Polyvagal theory and its proposed clinical implications
Therapy can help you notice and respond to distress without treating sensations as evidence of a forgotten event. You can work on what is troubling you now even when memories are incomplete.
Source: APA: Questions and answers about memories of childhood abuse
When it may help to talk with someone
People come to therapy with anxiety, low mood, relationship difficulties or a feeling of disconnection. They may also notice:
- Feeling on guard, easily startled, ashamed or emotionally numb.
- Avoiding reminders, having nightmares or finding memories intrude on daily life.
- Difficulty trusting, saying what they need or feeling comfortable with closeness.
- Changes in sleep, concentration or physical tension. Some people notice feeling detached during stress, using substances, eating for comfort or overworking as ways of coping.
These experiences can have several causes. They do not by themselves show that trauma occurred or that you have PTSD. Persistent pain, fatigue, digestive symptoms or other physical changes also deserve medical assessment.
Sources: NIMH: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder · APA: Questions and answers about memories of childhood abuse
Some responses may have helped you cope in difficult circumstances. Therapy can explore that possibility without assuming one explanation for everything you feel. You do not need to decide on a label before asking for help.
Nine patterns that may be associated with unresolved trauma
What sessions can involve
Early conversations focus on what brings you to therapy, what feels difficult now and what you hope will change. You can discuss your history without giving a detailed account before you are ready. Depending on your needs and your therapist’s training, sessions may include conversation, practical coping skills, body awareness or a specific trauma treatment.
Source: SAMHSA TIP 57: Trauma screening and assessment
Judith Herman’s work describes recovery in terms of safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection. We use these themes as a flexible framework:
Source: Judith Herman (1998): Recovery from psychological trauma
Safety and support
This can include discussing current safety, building trust and finding ways to manage distress. How much preparation is useful varies. A separate, lengthy stabilization phase is not a requirement for everyone before trauma-focused treatment.
Source: VA: Complex PTSD assessment and treatment
Working with memories and their meaning
When you and your therapist agree on a plan, you may work more directly with memories, feelings or beliefs connected to what happened. The therapist should explain the proposed method and discuss your concerns, including discomfort and how to respond if the work feels overwhelming.
Relationships and everyday life
Therapy may also focus on connection, loss, identity, meaningful activities and the life you want to build. These concerns can be part of the work from the beginning.
Not everyone needs all three areas in the same way or in the same order. Some people begin with a sense of safety and want help with memories; others want to rebuild relationships after isolation. Your plan should be reviewed as your needs change.
Trauma-informed care in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Urban ACE Study broadened childhood-adversity questions to include experiences such as witnessing violence, racism, bullying, unsafe neighborhoods and foster care. Its findings draw attention to circumstances beyond the household. An adversity score is not an individual diagnosis.
Source: Philadelphia Urban ACE Study: Expanding the concept of adversity (2015)
In therapy here, there is room to discuss what life in Philadelphia means for you: exposure to violence, discrimination, financial strain, loss, community ties or the people and places that support you. Your therapist should ask about your circumstances rather than infer them from your neighborhood or identity.
Life transitions Grief therapy LGBTQIA+ affirming care
Getting started
- Tell us what you are looking for. Share what brings you to therapy, when you can meet, whether you prefer in-person or video sessions, and your insurance or self-pay preference.
- Talk through a therapist match. Our intake team reviews your request and follows up about fit, scheduling and payment. You can name a therapist you are interested in or ask us to help you choose.
- Arrange your first appointment. Once a suitable match and appointment time are confirmed, you will receive the information you need to begin.
We aim to reply within 1 to 2 business days. A reply is the start of the conversation; the timing of a match and appointment depends on fit and current availability.
How getting started works Plan your office visit
Costs and insurance for trauma therapy
Individual-therapy fees generally range from $130 to $200 per session. Confirm your appointment fee with intake. With insurance, your cost depends on the specific plan, clinician, service and any deductible, copay or coinsurance.
Turning Leaf works with select Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare and Optum plans. The Blue Cross plans listed on our site include Highmark, Capital, Anthem, Anthem New York (formerly Empire), FEP and Horizon NJ. A carrier name alone does not confirm that an appointment is covered. Intake can help check your expected benefits and costs.
Independence Blue Cross, including Keystone Health Plan East, and Cigna are out of network. If your commercial plan has out-of-network benefits, we can provide a superbill on request. Ask your insurer about reimbursement rules and your share of the cost. Pennsylvania VCAP is a separate victim-compensation program; ask intake about using approved assistance for therapy.
We are not accepting new clients enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid, including Medicare Advantage, Pennsylvania Medical Assistance and NJ FamilyCare, even if they wish to pay privately. Please ask your plan for participating therapists. Existing clients whose coverage changes should contact their therapist and intake team.
Plans and coverage details Rates and payment options Pennsylvania VCAP Medicare and Medicaid policy
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a PTSD diagnosis to ask about therapy?
No. You can contact us about experiences or difficulties you want help with even if you are unsure what to call them. A clinician can assess your symptoms and discuss suitable care. Any diagnosis needed for insurance billing is a separate part of that assessment.
Will I have to describe everything that happened?
You can begin with what feels manageable. Your therapist should explain why they are asking about an experience and discuss the treatment options with you. Some trauma-focused treatments involve working directly with memories or reminders; you should know what that involves and have a say in the plan.
Can I get help if my memories are incomplete?
Yes. Therapy can address current distress, relationships and coping without requiring a complete account of the past. Symptoms, body sensations or gaps in memory do not establish that an unremembered traumatic event occurred. The aim is to help with your present concerns without pressuring you to reconstruct memories.
Source: APA: Questions and answers about memories of childhood abuse
How long does trauma therapy take?
The length depends on your goals, symptoms, circumstances and treatment. Some structured PTSD treatments commonly last about 8 to 16 sessions; other work may take longer. This is not a promised timeline for care here. Your therapist will discuss a plan with you. If you feel worse, stuck or concerned about the work, bring that into the conversation so the plan can be reviewed.
Source: VA: Talk therapy for PTSD
What does research say about treatment?
Effective treatments are available for PTSD. The VA identifies Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure and EMDR as trauma-focused psychotherapies with strong research support for adults. That evidence does not establish the same results for every relational, IFS or body-based approach, or for every age group. Treatment choices should consider assessment, preferences, clinician training and response over time. Ask about the methods a clinician offers; a trauma-informed approach alone does not name a specific PTSD treatment.
How soon can I meet with a therapist?
We aim to reply to requests within 1 to 2 business days. That reply starts a conversation about your needs, scheduling and payment. The timing of a therapist match and first appointment depends on fit and current openings; submitting the form does not reserve an appointment.