San Diego Trauma Therapy
Maybe you feel constantly on edge, lose patience faster than you want to, or notice old experiences shaping how you respond today. You may understand where it comes from and still feel unable to change it. At Dr. Cassidy and Co., our team offers trauma therapy in San Diego to help you process what happened and feel more grounded in the present.
When the past won’t stay there
Trauma can be hard to name when you're still showing up for work, your family, and everyone who depends on you. But inside, you may feel like you're holding your breath, waiting for the next thing to go wrong. Trauma treatment can help if:
You lose your patience and hate how you feel afterward.
You know your childhood shaped you, but you’re scared to open that door.
Your birth experience changed you, and you don’t feel like anyone understands.
You can’t relax, even when everything is technically “fine.”
You’ve done so much work on yourself and wonder why you’re still stuck.
You're not failing at healing. Trauma often lives deeper than insight alone can reach. Our San Diego therapists can help you process what happened with care, so you can feel safer, steadier, and more like yourself again.
Jump to a therapist
Tessa Ritchie: Good fit for people with a personal or family history of addiction
Reilley Valenzona: Good fit for pregnancy loss, including termination for medical reasons
Dr. Alex Shrake: Good fit for birth trauma and childhood wounds resurfacing in parenthood
Dr. Cassidy Freitas: Good fit for in-person EMDR intensives in San Diego
If you’re unsure which provider is right for you, please contact us so we can thoughtfully match you.
Meet our San Diego trauma counselors
Tessa Ritchie
Good fit for people with a personal or family history of addiction
Hi, I’m Tessa. I specialize in trauma therapy, particularly for first-time parents and those carrying the impact of addiction in their own lives or families.
My background supporting survivors of complex trauma, combined with advanced training in EMDR and perinatal mental health, helps me address both what happened in the past and how it is showing up in parenthood now.
Clients often choose me for this specific blend of trauma, addiction, and parenting expertise, as well as evening and weekend availability that makes consistent care more realistic.
Credentials: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor #6250
Specialty Areas: Complex trauma, perinatal mental health, addiction history, couples, first-time parents
Reilley Valenzona
Good fit for pregnancy loss, including termination for medical reasons
Hi, I’m Reilley. I specialize in trauma therapy for pregnancy loss, including termination for medical reasons (TFMR), difficult births, and the anxiety that can follow into pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood.
Clients choose me because I bring together lived experience, advanced perinatal mental health training, and EMDR within a calm, deeply validating approach.
I understand how isolating these experiences can feel, and I offer a space where you can process what happened at your own pace without having to explain why it still hurts.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Social Worker #72905
Specialty Areas: Pregnancy loss and TFMR, birth trauma, prenatal and postpartum anxiety, identity shifts
Dr. Alex Shrake
Good fit for birth trauma and childhood wounds
Hi, I’m Dr. Alex. I specialize in trauma therapy for parents whose own childhood wounds or difficult birth experiences have resurfaced during pregnancy, postpartum, or parenthood.
Clients choose me for my distinctive combination of doctoral research in birth trauma, attachment, and adverse childhood experiences, along with EMDR training and practical parenting support.
Together, we’ll explore how your past is shaping the present so you can heal old patterns and parent with greater confidence and intention.
Credentials: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor #9425
Specialty Areas: Birth trauma, childhood trauma, attachment and reparenting, perinatal mood and anxiety
Dr. Cassidy Freitas
Good fit for in-person EMDR intensives in San Diego
Hi, I’m Dr. Cassidy. I specialize in trauma therapy for those who want to understand what is underneath their anxiety, perfectionism, reactivity, or sense of disconnection.
As a Ph.D.-level therapist, EMDR provider, author, and mother of three, I bring both clinical depth and lived experience to birth trauma, postpartum wounds, and generational patterns.
Clients choose me for in-person EMDR intensives in San Diego, which offer focused space for deeper healing beyond the traditional weekly therapy model.
Credentials: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #91256
Specialty Areas: EMDR intensives, postpartum trauma, anxiety, perfectionism, parenting, breaking generational cycles
What sets our practice apart from other San Diego trauma therapy providers
A practice built from lived experience. Dr. Cassidy founded the practice after navigating her own postpartum challenges, so our work is grounded in both clinical expertise and a genuine understanding of how vulnerable this season can feel.
In-person EMDR intensives in San Diego. For clients who want more focused trauma treatment in San Diego, our extended EMDR sessions provide dedicated time to go deeper than the traditional weekly model.
Evening and weekend availability. Because finding a trauma therapist in San Diego shouldn’t require rearranging your entire workday, childcare schedule, or family routine.
A highly experienced, recognized team. Our clinicians include published authors, a TEDx speaker, a podcast host, and a contributor to Dr. Becky Kennedy’s Good Inside community.
Specialized trauma training. Our team brings advanced training in EMDR, ERP, perinatal mental health, birth trauma, attachment, and other evidence-based approaches.
Support with out-of-network benefits. We provide superbills, accept HSA and FSA cards, and partner with Mentaya to make reimbursement easier to navigate.
FAQs about trauma therapy
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There is no single approach that works best for everyone, and we would be cautious of anyone who claims otherwise. EMDR is one of the most researched forms of trauma treatment and can help the brain process painful memories so they feel less immediate and overwhelming. Our therapists may also draw from ACT, IFS-informed parts work, attachment-based therapy, and somatic practices based on your history, needs, and goals.
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The length of trauma therapy depends on what you have experienced, what you hope to work through, and the pace that feels safe for you. Some clients notice meaningful changes within a few months, while complex or long-standing trauma may need more time. We will not rush the process. For clients seeking focused trauma treatment in San Diego, Dr. Cassidy also offers extended, in-person EMDR intensives.
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Many clients begin with weekly appointments because consistency can help build trust and momentum. As you feel more grounded, you and your therapist may decide that meeting every other week makes sense. EMDR intensives are another option for clients who prefer longer, concentrated sessions. Your therapist will help you find a schedule that supports your healing and fits realistically into your life.
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We’re an out-of-network practice, meaning we don’t work with insurance providers. But we try to make reimbursement and payment as manageable as possible by providing superbills, accepting HSA and FSA cards, and partnering with Mentaya, which can help determine whether you qualify for out-of-network reimbursement and submit claims on your behalf.
Start working with a San Diego trauma therapist today
