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686,000 people sought help with Thriveworks in the last year

Discover how starting therapy with a trauma can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

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Aetna, Cigna | Evernorth, United Healthcare | Optum, +3 more
Anger, Behavioral Issues, Coping Skills, Self Esteem, Stress, +9 more

My purpose is to support and guide you on your counseling journey and help you achieve your mental health goals.

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia | BCBS PPO, Cigna | Evernorth, +3 more
Anger, Coping Skills, Infidelity, Self Esteem, Stress, +7 more

As a woman who has overcome multiple life challenges, I want to assist you with resiliency. I'm going to meet you wherever you are currently and help ... As a woman who has overcome multiple life challenges, I want to assist you with resiliency. I'm going to meet you wherever you are currently and help you thrive Read more

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

Aetna, Cigna | Evernorth, United Healthcare | Optum, +3 more
Coping Skills, Self Esteem, Stress, ADHD, Postpartum / Pregnancy, +6 more

It is my honor to listen and guide you as you embark on your journey of self-discovery, change, and gaining new skills and perspectives to thrive in y... It is my honor to listen and guide you as you embark on your journey of self-discovery, change, and gaining new skills and perspectives to thrive in your life. Read more

Alexandra Cromer

Hear from Alexandra Cromer, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

View Alexandra Cromer's profile

What is your go-to approach for PTSD/trauma therapy?

My go-to approach for helping people in PTSD/trauma therapy is to ensure client safety, make sure that I foster a relationship built on trust, provide education for my clients on what they can expect, and make sure that I'm constantly assessing for safety and that we are progressing at a pace that is safely within their boundaries. I find the best benefit in this approach because it significantly decreases any chance of re-traumatization of the client and also helps restore trust and autonomy to the client; things that are often lost in trauma survivors. I find that clients are more successful in treatment when they are with a provider that they can trust and who they know will not “surprise” them.

What tools do you teach in PTSD/trauma therapy?

I teach the following tools in PTSD/trauma therapy:

  • Mindfulness training: Mindfulness training involves the use of mindfulness and grounding skills to help clients remain in the present moment, not in the past or the future. These skills are critically important in a client's healing journey as they promote healthy emotion recognition and coping skill use and raise overall levels of resiliency and distress tolerance. In mindfulness therapy, clients will also learn distress tolerance skills. These skills focus on the use of physical coping skills such as deep breathing and vagus nerve stimulation to provide psychophysiological calming and regulation.
  • Psychoeducation: Providing a thorough education to clients on grief, the brain, loss, and other aspects associated with the grieving process is another important component of healthy processing because it provides clients with a context and a “why” for their thoughts and behaviors, and when we understand context, it can sometimes help us get to the root cause and prevent problems from continuing into perpetuity due to ignorance. Further, providing psychoeducation to clients is critical in helping them gain insight and understand their treatment plan and helps provide a path forward through the pain.
  • Cognitive challenging/reframing: Cognitive challenging and reframing skills help clients be able to identify, recognize, and replace negative automatic thoughts about self and others that cause impairments and disruptions to their healing journey as well as daily life. Cognitive challenging skills teach clients to put their thoughts “on trial;” that is, to ask if they are rooted in evidence-based fact or in a simple worry that is not factual. If our worries are not rooted in fact, they are not rooted in reality and are therefore causing us an impairment. Then, we can reframe them to something that is more adaptive to reality. This equips clients to not second-guess themselves but provides them with rational, logical problem-solving skills that are not rooted in shame or self-criticism.
  • Cognitive processing therapy: Cognitive processing therapy combines cognitive challenging and other CBT skills with mindfulness skills used to help clients gain insight into the trauma event, the impact it had on them, and how it changed their view of themselves and the world around them. CPT helps clients gain further insight into the level and depth of the trauma and multiple ways that it has impacted their lives.

How do you know when a client is making meaningful progress in PTSD/trauma therapy?

I know a client is making meaningful progress in PTSD/trauma therapy when they are demonstrating more willingness to face their stressors/triggers and are utilizing coping and distress tolerance skills with more regularity and with less clinician prompting. I also know when clients are making progress when they are reporting a significant decrease in the frequency and intensity of symptoms that are causing daily distress and disruption to their schedules and routines. Clients are continuing to make progress when they are visibly more comfortable identifying and healthily processing experienced emotions and have regularly incorporated healthy coping and emotion regulation skills into their daily routines and engage in them with minimal clinician prompting. I also look for increases in self-esteem and self-confidence as well as self-efficacy.

What can clients do in their personal time to supplement PTSD/trauma therapy?

Clients can supplement their time in PTSD/trauma therapy by making sure that they are engaging in activities that are nourishing and are not isolating themselves. PTSD/trauma support groups are a great supplement to PTSD/trauma counseling as well as regularly engaging within your social support system. Making sure you're regularly engaging in your hobbies and other value-congruent behaviors can also significantly contribute to progress made in therapy.

What should someone do to prepare for starting PTSD/trauma therapy?

To prepare for their first PTSD/trauma therapy session, someone can make sure that they are sleeping and eating well and also have time before and after sessions to decompress, as processing PTSD/trauma can be emotionally intense. Also, take time to identify and explore your personal boundaries, areas of your trauma, and any symptoms that you might not feel ready or able to discuss yet. This will help you identify treatment goals as well as any boundaries you might have for therapy.

Starting Trauma therapy

What is trauma therapy?

Trauma therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on treating the psychological impact of traumatic events on individuals. Trauma therapy helps people process and heal from their trauma by guiding them through their trauma in a compassionate and supportive way, allowing clients to feel the full scope of what happened to them and eventually move on from the event(s). This process helps people who have experienced trauma find ways to feel safe in their lives.

How does trauma therapy work?

Trauma therapy will often require individuals to walk through their experiences in a controlled and compassionate setting (unless the client has a dissociative disorder) so that they can fully process the event, an activity that will allow them to move on from what happened and feel safe again. Thriveworks Richmond therapists will also help clients learn healthy coping mechanisms to deal with their symptoms outside of therapy.

Is trauma therapy conducted in person or online?

Thriveworks trauma counseling in Richmond, VA is conducted both in person and online through online therapy. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.

How long does trauma therapy last?

If an individual is working through a single event that occurred during adulthood, they may only need a few months of treatment. However, in instances of childhood trauma or repeated traumatic events, therapy may continue over the course of years. Trauma therapy usually ends when the client believes they have met their therapeutic goals, however long that takes to occur. Thriveworks therapists in Richmond, VA will continue to provide care for as long as necessary to help clients meet their therapeutic needs.

Need more help deciding?

Trauma Therapy in Richmond, VA (Shockoe Bottom)—PTSD Therapists

Are you a victim of physical or mental abuse? Have you survived a natural disaster like a hurricane or a fire? Did you get bullied as a child or teen? These experiences are all considered traumatic, and they can have long-term or lasting effects on your life. Trauma is debilitating and is accompanied by harmful symptoms that make day to day activities challenging.

If you answered yes to any of the above questions or have experienced another form of trauma, it is important that you get the help and support that you need. Consider working with a trauma therapist or PTSD therapist at Thriveworks Richmond, VA (Shockoe Bottom). These professionals specialize in helping victims of trauma, as they come equipped with knowledge, skills, and experience in working with people who have experienced trauma. Give us a call today at (804) 980-7242 to schedule a trauma therapy appointment.

Do I Have PTSD? What Are the Symptoms?

Trauma is a distressing event or experience, such as physical assault, mental abuse, a natural disaster, bullying, and the loss of a loved one. Victims of trauma struggle to function normally on a day to day basis—for example, they cannot focus at work or feel paranoid about their relationships—and suffer with other harmful symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed when an individual presents a given set up symptoms for a month or longer after their trauma. The primary PTSD symptoms include:

  • The individual experiences flashbacks or nightmares, or relives their trauma in another medium, which causes them significant distress.
  • He or she feels numb and avoids places, people, and things that could trigger bad memories of their trauma.
  • The individual suffers from sleep disturbances, has trouble concentrating, and/or becomes irritable.

In addition, victims of trauma might feel detached from life, exhibit a reduced interest in the things and people they love, engage in reckless behavior, and experience feelings of guilt, fear, or anger. These symptoms can vary between individuals.

How Does Trauma or PTSD Therapy Work?

Trauma and PTSD therapy are designed to help victims of trauma process their experience and work through the psychological harm it has caused them. Their ultimate mission is to help their clients move forward with their life and function normally again.

As with the symptoms of trauma, treatment for trauma can vary too. This mostly depends on the specific individual’s needs. That being said, there are several common approaches to trauma and PTSD therapy, including:

  • Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TFCBT): This approach focuses on helping people process all of their thoughts and emotions related to their trauma.
  • Psychodynamic therapy: This approach helps people who have experienced trauma by digging into the individual’s subconscious. Trust between the client and therapist is vital to the success of psychodynamic therapy.
  • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is a newer approach to trauma therapy and aims simply at helping people better process their trauma. The overall goal is to guide the individual in removing any roadblocks to one’s mental health.

If you’ve experienced trauma, remember: It is vital that you process the event and all of the emotions that accompany it. You don’t have to do this alone. A trauma therapist at Thriveworks Richmond, VA (Shockoe Bottom) can help.

Work with a Trauma or PTSD Therapist at Thriveworks Richmond, VA (Shockoe Bottom)

The trauma and PTSD therapists and psychologists at Thriveworks Richmond, VA (Shockoe Bottom) want to help victims of trauma to process the event, feel their emotions, and heal. If you have experienced a traumatic event, consider working with one of our trauma therapists and give us a call today at (804) 980-7242 to schedule an appointment. We offer evening and weekend sessions, and we accept most major insurances.

Pricing & insurance

Our therapists accept most major insurances. We accept 585+ insurance plans, and offer self-pay options, too.
Learn more about pricing for therapy and counseling services at Thriveworks.

Our Richmond therapists and counselors accept 30 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia Medicare Advantage

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia | BCBS HMO

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia | BCBS PPO

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia | Exchange

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card)

  • CareFirst Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia | BCBS PPO

  • Carelon

  • Cigna | Evernorth

  • Cigna | Evernorth EAP

  • Cigna | Evernorth Medicare Advantage

  • Compsych

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Self-pay costs at Richmond
Talk therapy

Talk therapy

Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Talk therapy

Psychiatry

Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Hear from our clients

5.0 Learn about verified reviews
★★★★★
I had reached out to several therapists to find one that would fit. My therapist Noel, reached out and explained on what methods she uses to help with certain issues. She is a great fit for me and I am looking forward with working with her.
Read more I had reached out to several therapists to find one that would fit. My therapist Noel, reached out and explained on what methods she uses to help with certain issues. She is a great fit for me and I am looking forward with working with her.
Lynn Feb 2024
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
She is absolutely the best and she makes my life so much better thank you very much!
Robert Jan 2024
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
Ms Gooden is an excellent clinician, always very helpful and punctual. The office staff are always helpful and professional. I will recommend them to my family and friends
Read more Ms Gooden is an excellent clinician, always very helpful and punctual. The office staff are always helpful and professional. I will recommend them to my family and friends
Maria Jan 2024
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
My husband and I are very pleased with our therapist, and she's not only Christian, but she is also knowledgeable, honest, direct, and committed to assist us in any way she possible can. She's introduced us to written and verbal exercises that have helped us better understand each other and ourselves. I whole Heartly recommend her and Thrivesworks.
Read more My husband and I are very pleased with our therapist, and she's not only Christian, but she is also knowledgeable, honest, direct, and committed to assist us in any way she possible can. She's introduced us to written and verbal exercises that have helped us better understand each other and ourselves. I whole Heartly recommend her and Thrivesworks.
Maria Dec 2023
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
Natalie is an incredibly compassionate therapist who really takes the time and effort to help you towards healing and recovery. The help and guidance that she has provided for me has changed my life. She is truly great at what she does.
Read more Natalie is an incredibly compassionate therapist who really takes the time and effort to help you towards healing and recovery. The help and guidance that she has provided for me has changed my life. She is truly great at what she does.
Richmond Feb 2022
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Natalie makes me feel comfortable and is easy to talk to. She has helped me work through multiple triggers and highly recommend her if you need a trustworthy therapist.
Read more Natalie makes me feel comfortable and is easy to talk to. She has helped me work through multiple triggers and highly recommend her if you need a trustworthy therapist.
Richmond Feb 2022
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Ms. Shamika Pender has a great love for people and is full of knowledge and wisdom. She has assisted me on many occasions with locating resources for church and family members in need. She is a strong advocate for the community.
Read more Ms. Shamika Pender has a great love for people and is full of knowledge and wisdom. She has assisted me on many occasions with locating resources for church and family members in need. She is a strong advocate for the community.
Richmond Sep 2021
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Shamika Pender is an experienced Clinician who administers services with empathy and professionalism. There is no doubt that she will be an incredible asset to your agency.
Read more Shamika Pender is an experienced Clinician who administers services with empathy and professionalism. There is no doubt that she will be an incredible asset to your agency.
Richmond Sep 2021
Review left on Thriveworks.com

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Richmond is conveniently located in Shockoe Bottom at the intersection of N. 19th St. and E. Franklin. We share a building with The Superior Production Exchange and Uni Shippers. Across from us, on the other side of E. Franklin is Shockoe Center.

Phone number

(804) 331-2570

Languages spoken by VA providers

  • English
  • Spanish
Thursday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Friday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Monday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Tuesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Wednesday 8:00am - 9:00pm

Shown in ET

Thursday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Friday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Saturday 7:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Monday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Tuesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 7:00am - 9:30pm

Shown in ET

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