Trauma Therapy for Parents | Metro Detroit
Healing at the root. For you. For your family.
Most parents who find their way to me say some version of the same thing: "I've done the work. I know where this comes from. And I still lost it with my kid yesterday."
Parenthood has a way of making that gap impossible to ignore. The patterns you swore you wouldn't repeat. The moments where you react and then wonder where that came from. The sense that something unresolved in you is quietly shaping your kids' experience, and you're not okay with that.
Insight isn't enough. It isn't about what your brain knows. It's about what your body is holding.
What Is Generational Trauma?
Generational trauma, also called intergenerational or transgenerational trauma, refers to the way unresolved trauma is passed down across generations through patterns of behavior, nervous system responses, and attachment styles. Research in epigenetics and attachment theory has demonstrated that trauma affects families across generations even when the original experiences are never discussed.
For parents, this often shows up in the moments that catch you off guard. The way you react when your kid pushes back. The parenting instincts that feel automatic but don’t feel like you. The realization that some of what you’re carrying came from long before you were old enough to choose it. Addressing your own trauma isn’t just about you. It’s one of the most direct ways to change what gets passed on.
If you’re a parent in Metro Detroit carrying something you’re ready to address, this is exactly the work we do together.
A lot of my clients come in pretty self-aware. They can tell you exactly where their patterns come from. They've done the work of understanding themselves. But understanding something and being free of it are different things, and that gap is usually where I come in.
For parents, that gap carries extra weight. Because it's not just about you anymore.
Why Insight Alone Often Isn’t Enough
How I Work
I use two evidence-based approaches that work beautifully together for trauma:
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is an evidence-based trauma therapy developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It is endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, and the Department of Veterans Affairs as a first-line treatment for trauma and PTSD.
EMDR is an eight-phase model, which means we don't jump straight into processing. We start by exploring your history: what's gotten you to this point. From there we look at how you're coping, strengthen what's already working, and add skills where needed. Once we've built that foundation and identified a plan, we use bilateral stimulation (BLS) to help your brain desensitize and reprocess the experiences that have been stuck. It's structured and client centered. This is a collaboration.
IFS, or Internal Family Systems, is an evidence-based psychotherapy model developed by Richard Schwartz. It works with the different parts of a person’s inner world, helping them understand and heal the protective and wounded parts that developed in response to difficult experiences.
What makes IFS particularly powerful for parents is what it does with the parts that show up most in your hardest moments.
IFS creates emotional distance from your symptoms. It might sound simple, but it’s not easy. It’s incredibly hard to examine a pattern when you’re treading water in it. IFS gives you a way to step back far enough to get curious, to understand what that part of you has been trying to do, and why it made sense to develop in the first place.
Together, these approaches allow us to work at the root level, not just manage symptoms. And for parents, working at the root level is how the cycle actually stops.
Who I Work Best With
The people I work best with aren't just struggling. They're ready. I talk about readiness a lot, because I genuinely believe it matters. It's about having the capacity to do this kind of work right now, and genuinely wanting to, not just feeling like you should.
Parents are often some of the most motivated clients I work with. The stakes feel real in a way that tends to make the work move. Most of my clients have had therapy before. They have insight. Something just hasn't moved yet. If that's where you are, we're probably a good fit.
What If It Doesn’t Work?
That’s the question I hear most from people who are a good fit but still on the fence. And it’s a fair one, especially if you’ve already tried therapy and something still hasn’t moved.
Here’s what I want you to know: this isn’t the only path to healing. I believe that genuinely. If we work together and find that this approach isn’t the right one for you, there are others. My goal isn’t to be your answer. It’s to help you find what actually works.
Imagine a life where…
you can be fully present with your kids instead of bracing for what’s coming
the cycle you’ve been trying to break actually stops
what happened to you no longer runs the show
If you've made it this far and something here resonates, that probably means something. I'd love to connect and see if we're a good fit. Schedule your free 15-minute consultation below.
Change is possible.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
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Traditional talk therapy builds insight and coping skills, and those are genuinely valuable. Trauma therapy goes a step further by working with how painful experiences are stored in the body and nervous system, not just how we think about them. That's the difference between understanding why you feel stuck and actually getting unstuck.
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Readiness isn't just about needing help or even wanting it. It's about having the capacity to engage with this kind of work right now and genuinely wanting to, not just feeling like you should. Most people who are ready have usually had some therapy before, have a sense that something underneath hasn't been fully addressed, and are curious enough to explore it. If that resonates, you're probably closer to ready than you think.
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That's one of the most common things I hear from parents, and it's worth taking seriously. The preparation phase of EMDR exists precisely for this reason. We don't move into processing until you have the internal resources and coping skills to handle what comes up between sessions. You won't be left without a net. And the parents I've worked with consistently tell me that doing this work made them more present, not less.
get to the root. for you. for your family.
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get to the root. for you. for your family. —