Trauma and PTSD Therapy in Alexandria VA
Trauma is not defined by how severe an event looks from the outside. It is defined by what it did to your nervous system — and by whether, months or years later, part of you is still bracing.
Life Enrichment Counseling Center provides trauma and PTSD therapy in Alexandria, VA, including EMDR. We work with adults processing recent events, long-standing childhood trauma, grief and loss, and the accumulated strain of high-stress work.
How unresolved trauma shows up
- Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares
- Feeling constantly on alert, or startling easily
- Avoiding places, people, or conversations that bring the event closer
- Emotional numbness, or a sense of watching your life from outside it
- Sleep that never fully restores
- Irritability, anger, or reactions that feel out of proportion afterwards
- Difficulty trusting people, including people who have earned it
- Guilt or shame about what happened, or about how you responded
Our approach to trauma treatment
Trauma work moves at the pace of your nervous system. We begin with stabilization — sleep, grounding, and the skills to manage what surfaces — before processing anything. Approaches available at our Alexandria office include:
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) — a structured, well-researched trauma treatment that reduces the emotional charge of a memory without requiring you to narrate it in detail.
- Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) — a related approach using guided eye movements to change how distressing images are stored.
- Trauma-informed CBT — addressing the beliefs trauma leaves behind about safety, blame, and control.
- DBT skills — distress tolerance and emotion regulation for trauma that brings overwhelming emotional swings.
- Mindfulness and hypnosis — for the physical, held-in-the-body side of trauma.
Your therapists in Alexandria
Trauma work is specialised, and we will be straightforward with you about who is the right match at this office.
- Carole Thomas, MSW, LCSW — specializes in adults experiencing trauma, depression, anxiety, and life transitions. Trained in trauma-informed approaches including EMDR, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, hypnosis, and mindfulness, alongside CBT, DBT, and ACT. She is the Alexandria office's EMDR-trained clinician.
- Jaimon Jefferson, MSW, Social Work Supervisee — supports adults navigating PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and has extensive experience with crisis management and intervention, including working with individuals experiencing suicidal ideation.
- Mark A. Boothe, LICSW, LCSW — brings extensive inpatient and outpatient experience with adolescents and adults across a wide range of mental health concerns, using a person-centered approach informed by CBT.
You can read every clinician's full background on our therapists page, or see the whole Alexandria office.
Insurance and fees
Life Enrichment Counseling Center is a participating provider with all Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and HMO plans, including Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem, and CareFirst. Cigna, Aetna, and Optum are accepted by select therapists, so coverage can depend on which clinician you see — tell us your plan when you reach out and we will match you with someone in network.
Verifying benefits is ultimately the client’s responsibility, but our office staff will check them for you as a courtesy. Without insurance, sessions are $160 per hour and we provide a superbill you can submit to your carrier yourself. Sessions run 35 to 60 minutes.
Full details are on our costs and payments page.
Visit our Alexandria office
Our Alexandria office is located at 3307 Duke St, Alexandria, VA 22314, a short drive from Old Town Alexandria, with parking on site. We also see clients from Falls Church, Springfield, Annandale, Arlington, Fairfax, and Washington, D.C.
Every clinician listed on this page also offers secure video sessions, so you can begin with telehealth and move to in-person visits later — or stay online entirely.
Phone: (703) 879-6947
Request an appointment online or send us a message and we will help you find the right therapist for what you are dealing with.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to talk about what happened in detail?
Not before you are ready, and not in every approach. EMDR in particular can reduce the charge of a traumatic memory without requiring a detailed verbal account. Pacing is set with you, and a good trauma therapist will slow down rather than push.
Who provides EMDR at the Alexandria office?
Carole Thomas, LCSW is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, along with Accelerated Resolution Therapy, hypnosis, and mindfulness modalities. Because EMDR availability at this office is limited to one clinician, please mention it when you reach out so we can check her schedule.
Does trauma therapy work if the event happened a long time ago?
Yes. Trauma held for years or decades still responds to treatment — untreated trauma tends to persist rather than fade, and childhood trauma is among the most common reasons adults come to us.
What is the difference between trauma and PTSD?
Trauma describes the experience; PTSD is a specific diagnosis with defined criteria including intrusive memories, avoidance, changes in mood and thinking, and heightened arousal lasting more than a month. You do not need a PTSD diagnosis to benefit from trauma-informed therapy.
Can trauma therapy be done online?
Much of it can, and our trauma clinicians offer secure video sessions. Some trauma work benefits from being in the room together, and your therapist will give you a straight recommendation after the initial sessions.
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