Adult Trauma Therapy · Seattle · Statewide WA Telehealth
Process trauma through EMDR, not by reliving your story over and over.
Trauma lives in the body, not just the memory. Our EMDR-trained team helps you process what happened so your nervous system can settle. Same-week appointment availability. Most major insurance plans accepted.
Trauma therapy at Counseling Services for Wellbeing helps Seattle-area adults process what happened so the nervous system can settle, with an EMDR-trained team plus Internal Family Systems and somatic work. We accept most major insurance plans, book same-week appointments and see clients at our Green Lake, Burien and Smokey Point offices or by secure video statewide.
Your body braces when nothing is wrong.
You can be sitting somewhere perfectly safe and still feel your shoulders climb, your breath go shallow, your guard come up for no reason you can point to. A door slams, a tone shifts, a smell catches you off guard, and your body reacts before your mind has a chance to weigh in.
You get through normal days under a low hum of dread. Sleep does not come, or it comes and does not stay. You wake up already on alert, as if the day is something to survive rather than live. You might have told yourself it was a long time ago, that you should be over it by now. The body does not keep that kind of schedule. It holds what happened until something helps it let go.
That is what trauma therapy is for. Not so you can describe what happened in more detail. So your nervous system can finally come down.
Trauma therapy for adults whose body still braces long after it is over.
A body that braces when nothing is wrong
Shoulders climb, breath goes shallow, the guard comes up in rooms that are perfectly safe, for no reason you can point to.
A startle that fires before you can think
You flinch at small noises or a slammed door. The reaction is there and gone before your mind gets a say in it.
Sleep that will not come or will not stay
You lie awake or wake up already on guard, the moment you wake up, as if the day is something to survive rather than live.
A low hum of dread through normal days
You keep functioning on the outside while a steady undercurrent of dread runs through the day, with no clear cause attached.
A single hard event you carry
An accident, an assault, a medical emergency. Something happened, and your body has been holding it ever since.
Complex trauma held since childhood
Developmental or complex trauma, or post-traumatic stress, and the long fatigue of being told to just move on.
First-time-therapy adults are welcome. The work here is about helping your nervous system settle, not about reliving your story on repeat.
How trauma therapy works here.
We treat trauma as something the body holds, so the work attends to your nervous system, not only the narrative. That whole-body view shapes the pace of care and the methods we use.
Reach out
A short form or a call. We hear what is going on and how trauma is showing up for you now, in the body, in sleep, in daily life. We never ask you to recount what happened to get started.
Get matched
We pair you with a therapist whose approach fits the kind of trauma you are carrying. EMDR for processing what happened so it settles. Internal Family Systems for the parts of you that hold it. Somatic and nervous-system work for the body that stays braced.
Start this week
First appointment in person at one of three Seattle-area offices or by secure video anywhere in Washington. Same therapist each session. The early sessions are about safety and stabilization, building enough steadiness and trust before any processing work begins.
Why a whole-body lens.
EMDR is one of the main approaches our team uses. In plain terms, it is a structured way to process what happened so it settles, without reliving your story over and over. The American Psychological Association recognizes EMDR as an established treatment for post-traumatic stress. You do not have to give a detailed account of the worst thing that happened to you for the work to help.
EMDR to process what happened so it settles. Internal Family Systems for the parts of you carrying it. Somatic and nervous-system work for the body that stays braced. Cognitive behavioral therapy and DBT skills where they fit. We match the approach to the kind of trauma you are carrying, not the other way around.
How we compare
Counseling Services for Wellbeing vs. typical Seattle trauma options.
| Talk-only and exposure therapists | Online-only therapy platforms | Counseling Services for Wellbeing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works with the body, not just the story |
Talk and narrative only
|
Rarely body-based
|
Somatic + nervous-system on team
|
| EMDR-trained team |
Often exposure or talk-led
|
Hit or miss by who signs on
|
Multiple EMDR-trained therapists
|
| Messaging between sessions |
Rarely offered
|
Built-in app messaging
|
No 24/7 app messaging
|
| Insurance accepted |
Most EMDR specialists are cash-pay
|
Limited carrier coverage
|
Kaiser, Premera, Regence, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna
|
| First appointment |
4 to 6 week waitlist
|
Days, but with whoever signs on
|
Same-week scheduling
|
| Same therapist each session |
Usually
|
Therapist rotation common
|
Same therapist, continuous care
|
-
Works with the body, not just the story
-
Talk-only and exposure therapistsTalk and narrative only
-
Online-only therapy platformsRarely body-based
-
Counseling Services for WellbeingSomatic + nervous-system on team
-
-
EMDR-trained team
-
Talk-only and exposure therapistsOften exposure or talk-led
-
Online-only therapy platformsHit or miss by who signs on
-
Counseling Services for WellbeingMultiple EMDR-trained therapists
-
-
Messaging between sessions
-
Talk-only and exposure therapistsRarely offered
-
Online-only therapy platformsBuilt-in app messaging
-
Counseling Services for WellbeingNo 24/7 app messaging
-
-
Insurance accepted
-
Talk-only and exposure therapistsMost EMDR specialists are cash-pay
-
Online-only therapy platformsLimited carrier coverage
-
Counseling Services for WellbeingKaiser, Premera, Regence, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna
-
-
First appointment
-
Talk-only and exposure therapists4 to 6 week waitlist
-
Online-only therapy platformsDays, but with whoever signs on
-
Counseling Services for WellbeingSame-week scheduling
-
-
Same therapist each session
-
Talk-only and exposure therapistsUsually
-
Online-only therapy platformsTherapist rotation common
-
Counseling Services for WellbeingSame therapist, continuous care
-
Most EMDR-trained trauma specialists in Seattle are cash-pay only with weeks-long waitlists. We are the option that takes your insurance, gets you in this week, and works with the nervous system through EMDR rather than asking you to relive your story over and over.
Most major insurance plans accepted
We recommend confirming your benefits with your insurer before your first session, so trauma therapy does not have to wait until you can afford cash-pay rates.
Meet some of our trauma therapists.
An EMDR-trained and trauma-specialized team, with a deeper bench than the five here. We match you with a therapist whose approach fits the kind of trauma you are carrying.
Deeper bench than the five here. Tell us how trauma is showing up for you and we will match you with the right therapist.
Three offices or secure video anywhere in Washington.
If getting to an office is hard, trauma therapy is also available by secure video anywhere in Washington, with the same therapist you would see in person.
What adults ask before starting trauma therapy.
Do you take my insurance for trauma therapy?
We accept Kaiser, Premera, Regence, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna, and that includes EMDR and other trauma work. We recommend confirming your specific benefits with your insurer before your first session, so you know what to expect rather than guessing.
How soon can I be seen?
First appointments are available the same week, not weeks out. Much of the Seattle market books four to six weeks ahead or is cash-pay only, which is a long time to wait when your body is already running on alert. Reach out and we will find the first opening that works for you, in person or by secure video.
What is EMDR and how does it work?
EMDR is a structured, well-researched approach that helps your brain reprocess a difficult experience so it settles and stops firing as if it is still happening. The American Psychological Association recognizes it as an established treatment for post-traumatic stress, and you do not have to relive your story over and over for it to help. You can read more on our EMDR therapy in Seattle page.
Will I have to relive what happened?
No. The work is about helping your nervous system settle, not about reliving your story over and over. Safety and stabilization come first, your therapist builds steadiness and trust before any processing begins, and you stay in control of the pace throughout. You will never be pushed to share more detail than you are ready to share.
Do you offer trauma therapy online or only in person?
Both. You can meet in person at our Green Lake, Burien or Smokey Point offices, or by secure video anywhere in Washington with online trauma therapy, with the same therapist either way. We will match you with a therapist whose available format fits how you want to meet.
Do you treat post-traumatic stress and complex trauma?
Yes. We work with single-incident trauma, complex and developmental trauma held since childhood, plus post-traumatic stress. Our team matches the approach to the kind of trauma you are carrying, whether that is EMDR, Internal Family Systems or somatic work. When trauma shows up as anxiety or as low mood, the same therapist can address that too. This page and our trauma care are adult-focused.
Where are your offices?
We see clients at three offices: Green Lake in Seattle, Burien and Smokey Point in Arlington, plus secure video sessions anywhere in Washington. Several of our trauma therapists see clients in Burien, and the Green Lake office serves North Seattle while the Smokey Point office serves north Snohomish County.
You do not have to keep moving through your days braced for something that is already behind you.
Trauma therapy can help your nervous system settle, and you can start this week. Counseling Services for Wellbeing accepts most major insurance plans, books first appointments the same week, and matches you with an EMDR-trained trauma therapist, in person at our Green Lake, Burien and Smokey Point offices or by secure video across Washington.
