Trauma Therapy
RACHEL LOHRMAN, LPC, NCC
Welcome! I’m so glad you found me. Are you wondering whether healing from trauma is possible? Have you tried therapy before but it didn’t work? Do you feel like you’re a hopeless case? Are you carrying so much that you can’t figure out where to start? If so, you’re probably my idea client. Let’s figure out if we would make a good team to tackle your trauma together.
What’s Going On?
- Do you have an extensive trauma history?
- Are you suffering from the lasting effects of childhood abuse or neglect?
- Diagnosed with a dissociative disorder or Dissociative Identity Disorder?
- Interested in EMDR, or has EMDR not worked for you?
- Is suicidality part of your story? Do you wonder what what the point of living is?
- Do feel like you’re a burden to people or like you’re “too much”?
- Have you been called Borderline or been diagnosed with BPD?
- Heard of Internal Family Systems and want to give it a try?
- Do you have a sense in inner chaos, like you can’t shut your mind off?
- Are you specifically looking for Christian trauma therapy?
- Or do you feel like God abandoned you in your worst moments?
What difference would it make for you if the past no longer haunted you, if you felt more in control, and finally felt confident going after what you want out of life? As a trauma therapist, I help clients move from the pain of the past towards hope and healing for the future. My goal is to come alongside you on your healing journey so you don’t have to walk it alone. If you’re looking for a comfortable counseling experience with a skilled therapist who does therapy just a little different than all the others, you’re in the right place!
Hi! I'm Rachel.
Let me introduce myself. I’m Rachel Lohrman and I’m a licensed therapist in Tucson. I specialize in the treatment of trauma and dissociation. I believe in the power of a strong relationship between therapist and client and that healing happens in the context of that relationship.
I tend to apply a unique approach with each client, blending several counseling models to suit your specific needs. My approach is part cognitive, part somatic (body-based), and includes proven therapeutic techniques. I am an EMDR trained and IFS informed therapist. I show up in counseling as my authentic self and work hard to get to know you on the same level. Sometimes we’ll laugh together and talk about nothing, sometimes we’ll do some really tough trauma work. Whether you need to just talk and process or whether we dip into the tumultuous waters of the past, we’ll do it together.
I am a Christian and integrate the Christian faith and worldview, including the application of Biblical principles, comfortably into counseling if, and only if, you request this from me. I am the founder and CEO of Joshua Tree Counseling, a unique group counseling practice in Tucson.
Credentials
AZ Licensed Professional Counselor 20943
OK Licensed Professional Counselor
AZ Approved Clinical Supervisor 52806
National Board Certified Counselor 1097920
IFS Informed 2023
Personality Disorder Treatment Provider 2022
Certified Grief Informed Specialist 2021
EMDR Trained 2018
Education
Master of Science 2019
in Professional Counseling
Bachelor of Arts 2003
in Psychology
On a More Personal Note
My hobbies include long walks with my dog Henry; reading and writing; creating cozy spaces; and working with horses. I love old bookshops with creaky floors; and chalky, ominous monsoon skies. I love sunrises before the world is awake and black coffee. The desert is my home and where I find so much beauty and comfort. I have horses and a little bit of land. I’ve been married since 2004 and we raised children adopted from foster care and my husband and I are now empty nesters. I’m an Enneagram 5w4 and an INFJ. I collect old copies of my favorite novel, Jane Eyre. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you better!
Services.
Treatment Models
- Trauma Model Therapy
- EMDR/AF-EMDR
- Internal Family Systems
- Neuroaffective Embodied Self-System Therapy
- Ego State Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Relational Listening Approach
- Solution Focused Brief Therapy
- Attachment-Focused
- Christian-Based (if desired)
Specialties
- Trauma/Complex Trauma
- PTSD/C-PTSD
- Dissociation/Dissociative Disorders
- Dissociative Identity Disorder
- Sexual Abuse
- Childhood Wounds
- Suicidality
- Self-harm
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Cult Recovery
- Organized Abuse/SRA
- Spiritual Wounding
Trauma Therapy
Trauma therapy is more like an archeological excavation than digging for treasure. Soft brushes, time and layers are needed, not a shovel, haste and brute force. While I can’t promise it will be easy to embark on a trauma-healing journey, I can promise to walk the road with you so we can forge the path forward together. Trauma can cause loneliness, a damaged sense of self-worth, and mistrust. All of these things usually walk in the door with my new clients and I’m sensitive to the fact that your attachment system has likely been wounded. The first goal of therapy is simply to begin to develop safety, attachment, and trust.
Focus Areas
Trauma & Complex Trauma
Psychological trauma is the result of an event or experience that overwhelms a person’s innate system of self-defense when escape is not an option, and then adequate support and safety is not provided in the aftermath. Trauma can result from a single incident or a complex layering of relational wounds and experiences
Experiencing a traumatic event, such as a car crash, doesn’t mean you will go on to develop PTSD. If you receive immediate care and safety followed by relational support, time to heal, and have people to talk to, in time, traumatic symptoms often subside and a person can return to their baseline and carry on with life.
Compare this to a person who experiences a car accident and is then blamed by their partner for causing the crash; if the person is also isolated from social support and goes back home to a partner who tells them to get over it, that experience may get stuck in a raw, unprocessed form and lead to going flashbacks, intrusive images, and avoidance strategies.
While trauma piles up and one is layered on top of another, complex trauma results.
Dissociation
Dissociation exists on a continuum ranging from everyday, typical human experiences like daydreaming, zoning out, and fantasizing to Dissociative Identity Disorder with separate and distinct self-states that have developed to survive and protect. As you move up on the continuum everyday dissociative experiences you find things like anxiety disorders, PTSD, derealization/depersonalization, Borderline Personality Disorder, and finally, in the most extreme form, DID.
I screen all clients for dissociation because some aspects of this can block trauma therapy, which is sometimes why clients find that they don’t make the progress they had hoped with certain therapists.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
DID is a disorder which develops in childhood and often goes unrecognized and sometimes misdiagnosed in adulthood. It is a natural response to traumatic and terrifying circumstances beyond a child’s ability to cope or understand. While the literature considers this a rare disorder, it is my professional opinion that it is much more prevalent than the mental health community is ready to admit.
When overwhelms beyond capacity, the brain has the capacity to split into parts, each of whom may identify as having an individualized sense of self and separateness. The goal of a dissociative system is to keep the front part of self appearing normal while the parts operate in the background to keep the bad stuff out of the front part’s conscious awareness.
I love identifying and working with DID because there is a clear therapeutic path forward towards healing and integration (if this is chosen by the system).
Christian Counseling
Are you a Christian and want your faith integrated into counseling? I have been a believer my entire life, having been raised in a Christian home. While I consider myself a mature, strong believer I do not beat you over the head with the Bible. I am sensitive to the fact that you and I may have difference about certain aspects of Christianity so it’s common for me to ask you about your beliefs and help you explore those more while offering another perspective for you to receive and/or reject.
If you want your Christian beliefs part of counseling, I may point to a passage of the Bible as it applies to your situation or refer to Scripture to illustrate a point or challenge a negative core belief. I lean into the essence and context of the Bible as a cohesive story of God’s redemption and grace. Context matters; context matters when you share something about your life with me and context matters when sharing from God’s Word.
I don’t mind wrestling with the tough concepts like, why do bad things happen to good people, or where was God when I was being abused, or why would a good God allow people to go to hell?
I try to sense how much and to what extent it’s comfortable for you to receive faith-based counseling. If you would like me to pray with you or for you, I’m happy to ensure that happens.
And if you just like knowing we share a similar foundation of beliefs and prefer that I don’t bring too much faith-related material into counseling, that’s okay too. We’ll talk about this at the beginning of therapy so we are both on the same page.
PTSD & Complex PTSD
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the result of a person experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event and typically comes in a package of flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts/images, and avoidance of triggers that cause memories and symptoms to return. Most people think of rape and war as valid sources of PTSD so many people minimize their experiences because they “weren’t as bad” as that.
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) is distinguishable from PTSD and results from a longer duration and greater intensity of traumatic stress. It is marked by elevated disturbances in a personal self-organization, interpersonal problems, and emotional dysregulation, which is actually similar to the diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
A history of childhood abuse/neglect often fits the criteria of C-PTSD, even if you were never hit or molested. Layers of traumatic experience such as witnessing domestic violence, never being sure if there will be food in the house, and a lack of love and physical affection can create the perfect storm of C-PTSD.
Sexual Abuse
Childhood sexual abuse is layered with shame and secrecy; pain, loneliness and isolation; and betrayal and attachment wounding. It is a violating experience for the mind, body, and soul. Intertwined with sexual abuse is often messages about your self-worth and human value. Children have no choice but to believe the lies they are told by their perpetrators, lies like you deserve it, you want it, it will happen to your sibling worse if you don’t comply, you are so special that you get to be treated this way, your body is my property. Children are sometimes told that they brought this on themselves and that others are in danger if they don’t do exactly as they’re told.
I believe healing from sexual abuse is possible in the context of a safe and secure attachment relationship – sometimes this happens when you have the loving support and secure attachment of an adult partner or spouse, and sometimes it comes from the attachment and attunement of a therapist.
I would like to help you disentangle from these early messages and rediscover your intrinsic value.
Suicidality & Self-harm
founded Joshua Tree Counseling with a vision in mind – that no one should ever have to think that suicide is the only way to stop the pain. Suicidality is the result of intense psychological pain which you see no escape from. I use a relational listening approach to take in your story of pain. I won’t try to talk you out of it or shame your for it or prioritize a safety plan over true and meaningful connection. Let’s sit in the pain together – I can handle it. I will focus on helping you feel safe and validated and attached.
Self harm is the expression of psychological pain or the only way to feel anything at all. It can actually be a suicide prevention strategy. I understand self-harm on an emotional level and from a parts perspective; sometimes one part of self is inflicting harm on the body for punishment or relief.
I want to help you peel back the layers of pain and heal and sometimes the self-harm urges and behaviors no longer feel necessary.
Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol numbs, enables you avoid, and successful – albeit temporarily – solves your problem. Alcohol is not the problem, it’s the solution to the problem. This is something I learned from Colin Ross.
If you’re struggling with excessive alcohol use, or if your loved one has told you have a problem – let’s work together to figure our what problem you’re solving with alcohol.
Cult Recovery & Organized Abuse
If you were raised in a known or suspected religious cult, you may feel confused about faith, God, and the things ‘religion’ taught you. You may be wondering how to make your faith your own in spite of how you were raised. Or, you may find yourself wanting nothing to do with religion and you’re skeptical about going to a Christian therapist because what if I’m just like them…
Cults can feel overwhelmingly safe and comfortable at first and then, slowly, the heat from certain elements is slowly turned up so you don’t even know you’re slowly boiling to death. If you were raised in a cult and finally broke free, you may still feel like you suffer from the effects of religious control. If you are a survivor of satanic ritual abuse, the layers of your trauma may be much more complex, confusing, and terrifying.
Cults and organized abuse is damaging to the mind, body, and soul. It infects a person’s sense of self and their attachment relationships. Wherever you find yourself in your cult recovery, I’ll meet you on the path and we’ll walk it together – whether you want faith incorporated into counseling or not, this is your choice.
What to Expect.
Whether you’ve been to to therapy before or this is a new experience, it can sometimes feel intimidating to show up for your first session. If you’re the type of person who wants to have a roadmap for what therapy will look like, read on…
First Appointment
The initial therapy appointment is also called an intake session. It is my first opportunity to meet you and hear whatever part of your story and struggle you are ready to share. I strive to make this appointment comfortable by attuning to your need to share a little or to share a lot and then I move at your comfort level. Generally, I’m trying to get a sense of what brought you to therapy, what you hope to achieve through therapy, as well as an overall snapshot of your growing up family, your current family structure, your interests, and current coping strategies, among other things.
Sharing Your Trauma Story
If you have a trauma history, I don’t need the details just yet, just a general idea of what happened to you and around what age. Before I ever ask for trauma details, I work with you towards resourcing and stabilization so you feel strong enough and ready to share your story, if it’s a story you can even tell at all. I also have strategies to help you heal from trauma that do not involve recounting the details or constructing a trauma narrative. The secret to trauma work is you have to go slow to go fast.
Sharing Your Trauma Story
If you have a trauma history, I don’t need the details just yet, just a general idea of what happened to you and around what age. Before I ever ask for trauma details, I work with you towards resourcing and stabilization so you feel strong enough and ready to share your story, if it’s a story you can even tell at all. I also have strategies to help you heal from trauma that do not involve recounting the details or constructing a trauma narrative. The secret to trauma work is you have to go slow to go fast.
Confidentiality
I am bound by law and a code of ethics to provide you a confidential experience in therapy. There are several exceptions of which you should be aware. If you share any plans to harm yourself or others (imminent threats of suicide or homicide), I must report to the appropriate authority to act of your behalf or on someone else’s behalf. If I become aware of any harm to a child (current or past, by you or by others) I may be obligated to report this to the Department of Child Safety or the police. My job is not to investigate or probe for details. As a mandated reporter I am bound to report any reasonable suspicion of harm.
The long and short of it is this – I’m won’t be talking about you or sharing your private details unless you give me reason to do by threatening or disclosing harm to yourself or others. You should know that as an adults, if you were abused in childhood, it is your choice to pursue legal action against your perpetrator. I am only obligated to report any suspicion of abuse to a minor or if the perpetrator has know access to children.
Length of Sessions and Treatment
Sessions range from 45-55 minutes, depending on the work we’re doing and your level of participation. The remainder of the hour is reserved for documenting our session. When using EMDR, it may be necessary to book 1.5-2 hour sessions to allow for full processing and session closure. The decision to extend is made in advance and this is your choice, not my expectation. The fee for sessions is by the hour, not session.
Length of treatment depends on the extent of your trauma, your identified treatment goals, how frequently you attend therapy (once a week, once a month, etc), and what you can financially afford. We will work together to find a comfortable rhythm and frequency of sessions. It is not uncommon to start out weekly and move to bi-weekly, then monthly, then bi-monthly and so on. Session frequency is something you can count on me to talk about at the onset of therapy and as therapy progresses.
To give you an idea of the continuum of care — to work through one traumatic event that occurred in adulthood when you had a relatively safe and healthy upbringing, therapy could be accomplished in 3-5 sessions you are well resourced and supported outside of therapy. Dissociative Identity Disorder on the other hand could take many years to fully reach a place of healing and desired integration. If you were wounded as a child by abuse and/or neglect, think about how many years those wounds have been festering – they cannot be treated in a few hours with a few newly learned coping skills. It takes time and attachment system repair. Therapy is an investment in your overall well-being, your health, you future…and your children’s future.
Assessment Phase and Treatment Plan
It generally takes between one and three sessions to do a full biopsychosocial assessment (looking at all areas of your life, history, and presenting issues). The first session I listen to your story and we explore the reason(s) you sought out counseling. During the second session I will usually have a few assessments I ask you to complete (anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, dissociation). In the second or third session I work with you to complete a timeline of positive and negative life events which tends to guide some of our future work. By the third session I usually have a good sense of what’s going on, what your goals for treatment are, and how I can help which I write into a treatment plan. We will review the treatment plan as often as is appropriate, requested, and at least once a year. I will ask you to sign your treatment plan when it’s first developed and at each revision to ensure that we’re on the same page about goals.
Therapy Models and Interventions
You may or may not be familiar with the models of therapy I integrate into treatment, that’s okay – you do not need to know what type of therapy you need; it’s my job to tailor the therapy experience to meet your needs, personality, and your desired goals/outcomes. You can expect the interventions I use to be helpful moving your towards your goals listed on your treatment plan.
Sometimes clients come to therapy for a specific type of therapy because it has been recommended to them to treat their specific diagnoses or issues, like EMDR, CBT, or DBT. I am clear with clients from the onset that I do not provide therapy in a vacuum and while I may borrow ideas and interventions from those particular therapy models, I don’t put every client through the same course of treatment. If this is what you really desire, I can help you understand why that may not be the most beneficial to you or connect you with the theory-specific therapist.
Cancellation Policy
Life happens and so do cancellations. The policy at Joshua Tree Counseling is that cancellations must be made at least 24 hours prior to your therapy appointment to avoid the cancellation fee which is your full session fee. When you no-show or cancel last minute it means lost income and lost time I could have given to others. I ask that you be conscious of my time and cancel as soon as you know you cannot make your appointment. The portal makes it easy to cancel unless it is less 24 hours before your appointment. To cancel after the 24 hour clock starts you will need to contact me.
In Closing
In closing what I want you to know is that therapy is both hard and rewarding. My promise to you is to climb in the muck and help you sort it out until you no longer need me. If you are ready to schedule an intake, email me, call or text me, schedule online, or use the contact form.
Schedule, Location & Fees.
The cost of counseling is a very important part of the decision about which therapist is right for you. It’s important to know that counseling fees vary by therapist, region, time, and specialty. It is true therapy costs money but it also takes time and requires a high level of commitment from both you and me. Therapy as an investment in your future. It can literally change the course of your your future and your relationships, and bring you to a place of healing. It could even save your life.
Schedule
Monday 9:30-5:30
Tuesday 9:30-5:30
Wednesday 9:30-5:30
Thursday 9:30-5:30
Friday 9:30-5:30
Location
Joshua Tree Counseling
7522 N La Cholla Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85741
(520) 308-4999 call
(520) 314-1994 text
(520) 844-8136 fax
[email protected]
Fees
Standard Rate: $120/hr
I provide counseling on a private pay basis and do not accept insurance. A credit or debit card (including HSA cards) must be on file prior to your first appointment and is automatically charged at the time of each session. While I do not accept insurance, I can provide a superbill which you can submit to your insurance as part of your out-of-network benefits and possibly get your fees reimbursed.Superbills for Out-of-Network Insurance Benefits
It is important to know that I do not accept insurance. I do offer superbills that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. A superbill is an itemized statement of services that includes all the information an insurance company would need to set me up as an out-of-network provider as well as the type of service you were provided (psychotherapy), fees paid, and your diagnosis. Essentially you pay for therapy at the time of service, submit an itemized statement of fees paid, and if you are eligible, your insurance company reimburses you after deductibles are met.
Good Faith Estimates
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your therapeutic services will cost. Under the recently enacted No Surprises Act, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. You are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.
Contact.
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