Unconventional Healing for Unconventional Minds
Complex Trauma Therapy for Adults In Pennsylvania
When You’ve Been Holding It Together for Too Long
Trauma therapy for adults who look “fine” on the outside and feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or exhausted on the inside.
You don’t need to have all the words or know exactly what’s wrong. If life feels too heavy to carry alone, this may be the right place to begin.
You may not call it trauma. You may just know you’re exhausted from holding it all together.
Trauma Therapy for Adults
I provide complex trauma therapy for adults across Pennsylvania navigating complex PTSD, dissociation, neurodivergence, and long-term nervous system overwhelm. Many of my clients have spent years adapting, overperforming, or masking while feeling internally exhausted or disconnected.
• Complex PTSD & developmental trauma
• Dissociation & survival responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn)
• Neurodivergence (ADHD, Autism, AuDHD)
• Chronic overwhelm & nervous system dysregulation
• Long-term exhaustion from masking or overfunctioning
My work integrates somatic (body-based) therapy and EMDR within ongoing, relational treatment. Sessions are held for adults throughout Pennsylvania.
Who I Work With
You’re not too much. You’re not alone. You’re not broken.
Many people I work with have spent years adapting, overperforming, and caring for everyone around them, while feeling overwhelmed, disconnected or exhausted inside. You might struggle to rest, feel chronically on edge, emotionally numb, or unsure why certain situations hit harder than they “should.” You may have learned to hide, mask, push through, or caretake others while neglecting yourself.
Many adults I work with identify with complex PTSD, dissociation, ADHD, autism, or AuDHD. Others don’t use diagnostic labels at all. You don’t need a diagnosis or a perfectly told story to belong here.
You may:
- feel chronically overwhelmed or on edge
- shut down, dissociate, or overthink under stress
- struggle with shame or people-pleasing
- masks your needs to appear “fine”
- have tried therapy before and felt unseen
Healing doesn’t have to be conventional. It just has to work for you.
How Trauma Therapy Can Help
If you’ve lived in survival mode for a long time, trauma therapy can help your nervous system move toward greater steadiness and safety. This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about creating enough safety for your system to soften and for your experience to be met with respect.
I work relationally and collaboratively, with care for consent, pacing, and what feels tolerable in the moment. You’re not expected to perform healing or move in a prescribed order.
Over time, trauma therapy can reduce overwhelm, support regulation, and increase your internal and relational capacity throughout daily life.
Let’s find your way home to you, together. You’re not meant to heal alone.
My Approach to Trauma Therapy
More about being you than fixing you.
Trauma-Informed Care
Grounded in safety, pacing, and respect for your nervous system.
Somatic and EMDR Informed
Integrating body-based therapy and EMDR within ongoing treatment, never as a stand-alone protocol.
Neurodivergent-Affirming
Support that honors difference rather than pathologizing it.
Relational & Attachment-Focused
Healing happens in relationship, not isolation.
Space for Complexity
Including dissociation, grief, shame, and long-term exhaustion.
What Therapy Is Like With Michelle
Therapy with me is paced, collaborative, and grounded in safety. We pay attention to what’s happening in your body and your relationships, not to force change, but to understand what’s been carrying you. You don’t have to perform healing here.
Meet Michelle
Someone who believes healing happens in relationship.
I’m a therapist providing complex trauma therapy for adults throughout Pennsylvania.
I work with adults navigating long-term stress, complex trauma, neurodivergence, and nervous system overwhelm. My approach is affirmative, relational, body-aware, and shaped by a belief that people are not broken. They have adapted to survive. I value consent, pacing, and meeting people where they are.
What You May Want To Know
What can I expect from therapy with you?
Expect warmth, honesty, and a space where you don’t have to edit yourself. I bring presence, clinical training, and deep respect for your story. Our work is collaborative, creative, and grounded in empowerment rather than perfection.
Do you accept insurance?
I am a cash-pay-only provider. This means I do not bill insurance. Choosing to stay outside of insurance allows me to co-create your care rather than your care being dictated by insurance.
Do you offer a sliding scale?
I reserve a limited number of sliding-scale spots for those with financial need, prioritizing folks who are historically marginalized or under-resourced. Reach out if you need this. Let’s talk about what’s accessible.
Do I need to have a diagnosis or big trauma to work with you?
Nope, and Self-Diagnosis is valid here. You don’t need to be in crisis or have a diagnosis to deserve care. You might come with anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, identity shifts, chronic illness, neurodivergence, or just a deep desire to reconnect to your inner voice. All parts of you are welcome here.
Do you only work with people from marginalized communities?
I welcome all identities and backgrounds, but my practice especially holds space for those who have felt unseen, stigmatized, or out of place in traditional therapy settings.
What if I’ve had a bad experience with therapy before?
That’s okay. That makes sense. I get that. I’m not here to fix you or mold you into something palatable. I’m here to witness, support, and help you reconnect to yourself and others. Your pace, your voice, your knowing are always honored. You are the expert of you.
Writing For People Who Have Been Holding it Together
Gentle reflections on trauma, nervous systems, and what it means to heal in a complicated world.
Understanding Complex Trauma, PTSD, and cPTSD: Why the Difference Matters for Your Healing
If you’ve been struggling to understand what happened to you and why you’re experiencing certain symptoms, you’re not alone. Today I want to break down three important concepts: complex trauma, PTSD, and complex PTSD (cPTSD). More importantly, I want you to understand something crucial: your responses are not disordered. They are brilliant adaptations that kept you alive. Learn why traditional PTSD treatments might not feel like the right fit, and discover healing approaches that honor your resilience rather than pathologize your survival strategies.
Redefining Strength: The Courage to Seek Help as a Trauma Survivor
Seeking help as a trauma survivor isn’t weakness; it’s one of the bravest acts you can take. Here’s why choosing support is an empowering step in your healing journey.
Prioritize You: Breaking Free from Self-Abandonment After Trauma
Self-abandonment after trauma can leave survivors disconnected, depleted, and unsure how to care for themselves. This guide explores the roots of self-abandonment, its emotional cost, and practical ways to reclaim your needs, set boundaries, and prioritize healing without guilt.
“Trauma doesn’t just live in our mind. Our body remembers. Healing is a mind, body & spirit journey, to move from a place of pain and survival into truly living & connecting. We can finally breathe & come home to ourselves.”
Mission
Creative Living Alliance offers trauma therapy grounded in relationship, care, and nervous system awareness.
This work is for adults who have adapted to survive for a long time and are ready for a space where they don’t have to perform, explain, or heal in a prescribed way or on anyone else’s timeline.
Schedule A Free Consultation
If you’re looking for complex trauma therapy for adults in Pennsylvania and want to explore whether this feels like a fit, I invite you to schedule a brief consultation.