Trauma-Informed Individual Therapy
Trauma Therapy in VIRGINIA
Throughout my work as a therapist, I have always noticed the connection between the past, present, and future. This is one of the reasons I use a trauma-informed approach with all my clients.
Supporting Therapy Clients by Building Resilience
I utilize an integrative, relational approach to help clients explore how these experiences shape the way they show up in the present and what they want their lives to look like in the future.
I support clients in building resilience, confidence, and compassion for the parts of themselves that are still affected by past pain.
Trauma therapy does not inherently mean a traumatic event has happened or that the hurt is plain and on the surface.
And therapy should certainly not be sought out only during a crisis!
Therapy is also a space to process daily stressors, build skills to help you cope with your emotions, and increase your confidence in setting boundaries and expressing your needs. Therapy is a place where you can strengthen your relationships with yourself, your friends, family, or romantic partner, let go of past people pleasing patterns, or even process a difficult break up.
Therapy can help you personally: by connecting your mind and body, gaining clarity around your values, identifying what you want your life to look like, and exploring the experiences that have shaped who you are.
How does trauma happen?
Trauma happens when the body and nervous system become overwhelmed — by too much, too fast, too soon, or too often. It can stem from major events like accidents or abuse, or from painful losses like a breakup, the death of a loved one, or losing a pet.
Trauma can also have roots in early attachment experiences—growing up with emotionally unavailable caregivers, inconsistent love or affection, being parentified young, or feeling unseen, unheard, or unsafe in relationships that should have felt secure.
These experiences can shape how we relate to ourselves and others and can lead to patterns of anxiety, avoidance, or difficulty trusting and connecting deeply.
Who does trauma therapy benefit?
Everyone! There is no experience too small to explore in therapy. Trauma therapy can help you rebuild your sense of safety and connect with your true self.
VIRGINIA ADHD Therapy
Therapy for Women with ADHD
As a woman with ADHD myself, I understand firsthand how challenging it can be to navigate daily life as a neurodivergent person. Struggling to start or complete tasks, having endless ideas without being able to execute them, difficulty focusing, or feeling compelled to constantly move from one thing to the next—these are real, exhausting experiences that trauma therapy can help ease.
I work with women with ADHD to uncover the strengths that exist within these challenges and build sustainable systems that support executive functioning, emotional regulation, maintaining focus, and more.
vIRGINIA young adult Therapy
Therapy for Young Adults
The transition from structured life stages like high school or college into adulthood is anything but simple. Young adults are navigating a lot at once—academics, friendships, dating, first jobs, and the pressure to have it all figured out.
As a therapist for young adults, my mission is to be someone who truly gets it — because I've been there. I know what it's like to look successful on the outside while feeling lost on the inside. I help clients understand their emotions, clarify their values, and explore the dynamics of their relationships and family connections, building the tools they need to live the lives they actually want.
Anxiety Therapy AND COUNSELING
Therapy for Anxiety
Anxiety is one of my core specialties as a therapist. It can show up as racing thoughts, negative thinking patterns, and catastrophic thinking that feels impossible to turn off. Having struggled with anxiety myself, I know how exhausting it is to try to stop ruminating and feel like you simply can't.
I use a mind-body approach that blends somatic and cognitive techniques to help you understand the role your anxious parts play, develop tools to soothe your nervous system when anxiety arises, and reclaim a sense of agency when anxious thoughts take over.
I work with individuals who feel trapped by worry and worst-case-scenario thinking, helping them find a path toward confidence, peace, and joy.
virginia relationship Anxiety Therapy
Therapy for Relationship Anxiety
I support my clients in coming back to themselves in their relationships. Many of the people I work with struggle with relationship anxiety, the constant worry about being liked, accepted, or good enough, and have found safety in always being available for others. They show up, give endlessly, and make sure everyone else is okay, often leaving themselves behind in the process.
I help my clients rewrite the scripts that keep them stuck in patterns of relationship anxiety and self-abandonment. Together, we explore new ways of being in relationships that rebuild self-trust, prioritize their own needs, build confidence in one’s ability to set boundaries, and create a sense of safety that comes from within, not just from others.
I believe that safety doesn’t always have to come from another person. It can be found within ourselves. Using IFS, EMDR, and other evidence-based, attachment-focused approaches, I support my clients in reconnecting with themselves and realizing that they are the ones they’ve been looking for all along.
Modalities I Use in Therapy
My work extends beyond IFS and EMDR to include a holistic, integrative approach: I draw from a strengths-based foundation shaped by ACT, DBT, Polyvagal Theory, and Attachment Theory. We'll work together during our sessions to select the approaches that are the right fit for you.
Counseling in virginia
Therapy with Jessica
Jessica Attas is a therapist serving Virginia residents who specializes in trauma therapy with adults and young adults, using an EMDR and IFS lens. Additionally, she works with couples at any stage of their relationship.
Get started with your Virginia therapy journey by reaching out.
We’re ready to meet you where you are.