Childhood Trauma

Some of the experiences that shape us most happen early in life, often before there are words for them. Childhood trauma does not always come from a single event. For many people, it reflects ongoing experiences of stress, loss, or instability that were lived through over time.

When care or safety were inconsistent, the body learned ways to adapt. Those adaptations may have helped at the time, but their effects can continue into adolescence or adulthood, often quietly and without being clearly named.

You may notice:

• Difficulty feeling safe or at ease in relationships

• Strong emotional reactions that feel hard to understand or manage

• Feeling constantly on edge, or emotionally shut down

• Shame, self-blame, or a sense of being “too much” or “not enough”

• Patterns of people-pleasing, withdrawal, or avoidance

• Feeling disconnected from yourself or others

These are not signs of weakness. They are signs of survival.

At Little River Psychological Services, therapy for childhood trauma is careful, relational, and paced with respect. The work is not about reliving the past or assigning blame. It is about understanding what your system learned to carry and creating space for steadier ways of being in the present.

Therapy may gently draw from trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), narrative therapy, interpersonal therapy (IPT), and psychodynamic techniques. These approaches are woven together thoughtfully to support emotional safety, insight, and connection—without forcing disclosure or moving faster than feels right.

You do not need to know which approach you need or how to tell your story “correctly.” The work begins with being met where you are.

If these experiences feel familiar, support is available. We invite you to reach out to schedule a consultation and learn more about childhood trauma therapy at Little River Psychological Services.