Trauma therapy in Denver,
by therapists who actually specialize in it
There’s a difference between a therapist who is trauma-informed and one who is trauma-trained. At My Denver Therapy, we’ve built our practice around that difference — with more EMDR-certified therapists than nearly any practice in the Denver metro area, across four convenient locations.
The thing most people don't know to ask
Most therapy practices describe themselves as “trauma-informed.” It’s become a standard phrase — and it doesn’t mean much. Trauma-informed means a therapist understands that trauma exists and tries not to make it worse. That’s a low bar.
Trauma-trained means your therapist has completed specialized post-graduate training in evidence-based trauma modalities — EMDR, Brainspotting, Somatic Experiencing, IFS parts work — and has spent years applying those tools with clients carrying real trauma histories.
We started My Denver Therapy with trauma specialization as the foundation, not an afterthought. When clients come to us after months or years of “trauma-informed” care that didn’t move the needle, we understand why. And we know what to do instead.
What Does Trauma Actually Look Like?
Trauma rarely announces itself clearly. More often, it shows up as:
- A nervous system stuck in “high alert” — always scanning, always waiting for something to go wrong
- Emotional numbness or disconnection from the people and things you used to care about
- Intrusive memories, images, or loops that surface at night or in quiet moments
- Exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix, because your body never fully powers down
- Outsized reactions to things that “shouldn’t” bother you — and then shame about those reactions
- A persistent sense that something is wrong with you, even when life looks fine from the outside
If any of this is familiar, you’re not broken. Your nervous system learned to protect you. It just hasn’t gotten the message that the threat is over. That’s what trauma therapy is for.
How we work — our approach to trauma treatment
Trauma lives in the body as much as the mind, which is why talking about it alone often isn’t enough. Our therapists use specialized, evidence-based modalities that work directly with the nervous system:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) The gold standard for trauma treatment, recognized by the WHO and the American Psychiatric Association. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they stop hijacking your present. Studies show 77–90% of people experience significant symptom reduction. We have more EMDR-certified and EMDR-trained therapists than nearly any independent practice in Denver.
Brainspotting A newer, highly effective modality that uses eye position to locate and process trauma stored deep in the subcortical brain — areas that talk therapy can’t easily reach. Particularly effective for complex trauma and when EMDR hasn’t been enough.
Somatic Therapy Trauma is stored in the body. Somatic approaches work with breath, sensation, and physical awareness to release the tension patterns trauma leaves behind — helping your nervous system finally complete the stress response it got stuck in.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Trauma often leaves us fragmented — parts of us that protect, parts that carry pain, parts that shut down to cope. IFS helps you understand and work with those parts, building internal trust and reducing the internal conflict that trauma creates.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy For clients where other modalities haven’t moved the needle, ketamine-assisted therapy can create a window of neuroplasticity that allows deeper trauma processing. Available with many therapists at My Denver Therapy.
What to expect — the arc of trauma treatment
Starting trauma therapy can feel daunting, especially if you’re worried about being pushed to relive painful experiences before you’re ready. That’s not how we work.
First session: Assessment and connection We want to understand your history, your goals, and what you’ve already tried. This session is also about fit — you should leave feeling like your therapist gets you, not like you just filled out a form.
Early sessions: Building your foundation Before we do any processing work, we build what clinicians call “resourcing” — grounding techniques, nervous system regulation skills, and a strong enough sense of safety in the therapeutic relationship that you have something to return to when sessions get hard. We don’t rush this. Clients who skip this stage often feel worse, not better.
Processing: Working with the material Once you’re resourced, we begin working directly with the traumatic memories or patterns using whichever modality fits your situation. This doesn’t mean re-living everything in graphic detail. EMDR and Brainspotting, for example, allow your brain to process without requiring a full verbal narrative.
Integration: Building your new baseline Healing isn’t a single breakthrough — it’s a gradual shift in how you experience yourself and the world. Later sessions focus on consolidating gains, building new patterns, and helping you trust the changes you’re experiencing.
Most clients begin noticing meaningful shifts within 8–12 sessions, though complex trauma histories often benefit from longer work. We’ll be honest with you about what’s realistic for your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to relive everything to heal from trauma? No — and we’d push back on any approach that requires it. Jumping into traumatic material without adequate preparation can actually re-traumatize rather than heal. We spend the early part of treatment building resourcing and safety first. Modalities like EMDR and Brainspotting also allow the brain to process without requiring a full verbal narrative of what happened.
What’s the difference between trauma-informed and trauma-trained? Trauma-informed means a therapist is aware of trauma and tries to avoid re-traumatizing you. It’s a baseline, not a specialization. Trauma-trained means your therapist has completed post-graduate training in specific trauma modalities — EMDR, Brainspotting, Somatic Experiencing — and has supervised practice hours applying them. The clinical outcomes are meaningfully different.
Does what happened to me “count” as trauma? Trauma isn’t defined by the severity of the event — it’s defined by how your nervous system responded to it. “Big T” trauma (accidents, assault, abuse) and “little t” trauma (chronic stress, emotional neglect, relationship wounds) can both dysregulate the nervous system and benefit from specialized treatment. If it’s affecting your daily life, it counts.
How long does trauma therapy take? It depends on the nature and complexity of your trauma history. Many clients notice meaningful shifts within 8–12 sessions. Complex or developmental trauma — especially trauma that began in childhood or repeated over many years — typically benefits from longer work. We’ll give you an honest assessment in our first few sessions.
Do you offer online trauma therapy? Yes. All of our therapists offer telehealth for clients anywhere in Colorado. EMDR and Brainspotting can be effectively delivered online. Some clients prefer starting online for the sense of safety it provides before transitioning to in-person.
How much does trauma therapy cost? Our rates follow our standard therapy pricing. We are private pay (out-of-network with insurance) and provide superbills for potential reimbursement. See our full pricing information
Do you work with children and teens who have experienced trauma? Yes. Several of our therapists have specific training in trauma treatment for children and adolescents. See our teen therapy page or contact us to be matched with the right therapist for your child’s age and needs.
What if I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t help? This is one of the most common things we hear — and it usually points to a mismatch between treatment approach and the nature of the trauma, not a problem with the client. Trauma often doesn’t respond to general talk therapy. If you’ve been in therapy without meaningful progress, we’d encourage you to try working with a therapist who has specific trauma training and tools.
Types of trauma we treat
Our team has experience working with a wide range of trauma presentations:
- Childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — including abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, and growing up with a parent with a personality disorder
- Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) — from prolonged or repeated trauma, often beginning in childhood
- Single-incident trauma — accidents, medical events, assaults, sudden loss
- Betrayal trauma — infidelity, breach of trust by a partner, family member, or institution
- Religious trauma — harm caused by religious environments, practices, or communities (see our religious trauma therapy page)
- Domestic violence and abuse
- Sexual abuse and assault
- Workplace trauma and burnout
- First responder and medical professional trauma
- Perinatal trauma — pregnancy loss, birth trauma, NICU experiences
Meet our trauma therapists
Our team includes therapists across all four of our Denver-area locations — all with specialized trauma training, and many with EMDR certification through EMDRIA.
Denver
Anne Giles Anne draws from EMDR, somatic therapy, psychodynamic theory, and parts-based work to help clients move beyond self-criticism and emotional overwhelm toward inner balance and self-trust. Her style is grounded, compassionate, and relational.
Nicole Hunka Nicole uses evidence-based techniques including Brainspotting, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help clients explore what’s beneath the surface and uncover the deeper roots of their struggles.
Lindsey Kayne Lindsey has extensive experience working with survivors of childhood trauma, domestic violence, and complex PTSD. She works across a range of modalities including CBT, EMDR, and Emotionally Focused Therapy.
Lance Hill Lance’s primary training is in EMDR, which he uses to help clients reprocess unresolved feelings causing distress in daily life. He also integrates Internal Family Systems to honor and work with each part of a person’s experience.
John Hague John is EMDR-trained through an EMDRIA-approved facility and has extensive counseling experience with survivors of domestic violence.
Aria Kirby Aria is trained in EMDR and Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, specializing in healing from trauma, addiction, and depression.
Nicole Wolf Nicole has helped clients of all ages work through grief and loss, identity issues, life transitions, anxiety, depression, addiction, emotional regulation, and relationship distress.
Greenwood Village
Amy Au Amy specializes in supporting adults who have survived childhood abuse, neglect, and incest, as well as adult children of parents with personality disorders — some of the most complex and under-served trauma presentations in our practice.
Dawn Schmidli Dawn specializes in grief, loss, life transitions, and personal growth. She works with CBT, EMDR, and Experiential Therapy, bringing a deeply compassionate and supportive presence to each session.
Leigh Anne Hague (EMDR Certified Therapist — EMDRIA) Leigh Anne is an EMDR Certified Therapist through EMDRIA and provides EMDR consultation to other clinicians seeking certification. She has worked with children, adolescents, adults, and families facing sexual abuse, grief, life transitions, anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges.
Lone Tree
MacKenzie King MacKenzie specializes in betrayal trauma — the particular devastation that follows infidelity and affair discovery. She is trained in Motivational Interviewing, EMDR, and Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Kelly Albers Kelly is trained in EMDR, including advanced training in EMDR for Complex PTSD (C-PTSD). She specializes in anxiety, depression, complex trauma, grief, and major life transitions, with a particular focus on individuals navigating infertility, pregnancy and child loss, and the foster care system.
Brian Thomas (Certified Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Technician — PRL Institute) Brian integrates EMDR, ketamine-assisted therapy, and DBT in his practice. As a Certified Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Technician through the PRL Institute, he uses a structured, evidence-based framework specifically designed for recovery from pathological relationships.
Telehealth (Colorado-wide)
Courtneyrose Chung (LPC, LMFT, LAC) Courtneyrose is one of the most requested trauma therapists at MDT — and one of the only therapists in Colorado who holds all three of these licenses simultaneously: Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Licensed Addiction Counselor. She works with IFS, EMDR, Ketamine-assisted therapy, DBT, CBT, Gottman Method, and EFT.
Hillary Naef Hillary is trained in EMDR for trauma, Gottman Method couples therapy, and EFT for couples. She brings experience from inpatient, residential, and group private practice settings, working with anxiety, depression, grief, personality disorders, substance use, trauma, and perinatal mental health.
You don't have to keep managing this alone
Many of the clients who find us have already tried therapy. They’ve done the work of showing up, week after week, and still felt stuck. What they needed wasn’t more effort — it was a different approach, with therapists who were actually trained for it.
If that’s where you are, we’d like to help.
We have therapists available across Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada — and online for anyone in Colorado. First appointments are often available within the week.
Other Specialties
Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectations, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are.
Rachel Naomi Remen
Meet our therapists
As a therapist-owned practice, we care about helping you heal, grow, and thrive. We take a client-focused approach to counseling and approach each session with a commitment to your progress and growth.
Availability
We’re always accepting new clients at our conveniently located offices in Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada. All of our therapists can meet with clients online.
We specialize in you
You are welcome here. Because we have a large team with a wide range of specialties and trainings, we work with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and life stages.
We can match you with a male or female therapist who matches your goals, location, and schedule. If you have a preference for gender, age, religious background, or a person with a specific type of training or life experience, we can match you with a therapist you feel comfortable with.
Trained in effective therapy modalities
To support your mental health journey, our team is trained in some of the most effective forms of therapy available today, including EMDR, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Brainspotting, CBT, DBT, and IFS.
Whether you’re looking for help with anxiety, depression, trauma, or want to better understand your relationship and attachment styles, we can help.
Insurance information
We’re out of network with insurance and Tricare and are unable to take Medicaid or Medicare.
Unlike many Denver therapy practices, we don’t charge separate intake or administration fees or charge more for your first session or specialized therapy methods like EMDR.
Get matched with a therapist
Contact us today, and one of our therapists will reach out to you directly, usually the same day.