Trauma Therapy & PTSD Treatment in Missouri
Columbia • Lee's Summit • Online Across Missouri
You don't have to keep reliving the past. Evidence-based trauma therapy can help you feel safe, grounded, and in control again.
You're functioning. Maybe even high-functioning. But underneath, your body feels like it's on high alert—scanning for danger, bracing for the next thing to go wrong.
Some days you don't feel "traumatized" in the way you imagine you should. You just feel numb. Irritable. Exhausted in a way sleep doesn't fix. Or maybe you're fine for weeks, and then something small—a smell, a sound, a certain tone of voice—sends you right back.
If any of this sounds familiar, you're not imagining it. And you're not weak.
What trauma can look like day-to-day:
Replaying conversations and moments over and over
Feeling on edge, even when nothing is "wrong"
Avoiding places, people, or situations that remind you of what happened
Difficulty sleeping, nightmares, or waking up exhausted
Snapping at people you love, then feeling guilty about it
Feeling disconnected from your own life—like you're watching from behind glass
Shame, self-blame, or the quiet belief that what happened was somehow your fault
Panic that seems to come out of nowhere
Difficulty trusting people, even people you want to trust
Maybe you've told yourself it could have been worse. Maybe you've tried to "just move on." Maybe you've even been to therapy before, and it helped a little—but something still feels stuck.
That's not a personal failing. It's often a sign that your nervous system needs a different kind of support.
You Deserve Trauma Therapy that Works.
Trauma therapy is what we do.
At Aspire Counseling, we don't treat trauma as a side specialty. It's central to who we are. Every therapist on our team is trained in at least one evidence-based trauma treatment—and many are trained in several.
That means when you work with us, you're not getting a therapist who took one weekend workshop. You're getting someone who has spent years learning how to help people like you—and who does this work every single day.
Our trauma therapists are trained in:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) — helps your brain process traumatic memories so they lose their emotional charge
CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) — works through the "stuck points" and beliefs that keep you trapped in the past
Prolonged Exposure (PE) — gradually reduces the power of avoided memories and situations
TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) — specialized treatment for children and teens
IFS (Internal Family Systems) — helps you understand and work with the parts of you that developed to survive
We also offer trauma therapy intensives—concentrated treatment over 1-2 weeks for clients who want faster progress or can't commit to weekly sessions long-term. Learn more about our trauma intensive program →
We've worked with:
Survivors of sexual assault and rape
Adults healing from childhood trauma and neglect
People recovering from accidents, injuries, or medical trauma
First responders, healthcare workers, and those with occupational trauma
Individuals with complex PTSD from prolonged or repeated trauma
People whose trauma was so severe they had to stop working or leave school
Clients who've tried therapy before and felt like it didn't go deep enough
Trauma doesn't always look like what you see in movies. Sometimes it's loud and obvious. Sometimes it's quiet—showing up as anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, or a sense that something is "off" that you can't quite name.
Either way, we know how to help.
Trauma Therapy CAN Help
We know, because we track whether therapy is actually working.
One thing that sets Aspire Counseling apart: we don't just assume therapy is helping. We measure it.
Every client at Aspire completes periodic assessments so we can track real progress over time—not just how you feel in the moment, but whether symptoms are actually improving. If something isn't working, we adjust. If it is working, we can show you the data.
Here's what our outcome data shows for trauma clients:
PTSD Symptoms (PCL-5) Clients who started treatment with clinically significant PTSD symptoms (baseline score of 25+) saw dramatic improvement:
Average starting score: 41.6 (well above the clinical threshold)
Average score at discharge: 19.8 (below the clinical cutoff)
Effect size: 1.21 — considered a large clinical effect
To put that in perspective: most of our trauma clients move from "clinically significant PTSD" to "no longer meeting criteria" by the time they finish treatment.
Sleep Problems Trauma often disrupts sleep. For clients who started with significant sleep difficulties:
Average starting score: 30.7
Average score at discharge: 23.6
Effect size: 1.09
Anxiety (GAD-7) Many trauma survivors also struggle with anxiety. For those with elevated anxiety at intake:
Average score at discharge: 7.8 (below the clinical threshold for moderate anxiety)
Effect size: 1.11
Self-Esteem Trauma can erode how you see yourself. For clients who started with low self-esteem:
Average starting score: 16.2
Average score at 20 weeks: 21.3
Effect size: 0.84
These aren't cherry-picked success stories. This is aggregate data from real clients at Aspire Counseling—people who walked in feeling stuck and walked out measurably better.We believe you deserve trauma therapy that really truly works.
Trauma is one of those things where you really want to see a therapist who specializes in treating trauma. Trauma therapy typically involves a little bit more than just talking about how your week went. So, trauma therapy might begin with relationship building with a few sessions of just talking about what’s currently stressing you and some coping skills. But then, your therapist will pull from one of the proven methods of treating trauma and PTSD that we’ve been trained in. Why? Because we believe you deserve healing. We don’t want to just put a bandaid on the pain you are experiencing. We want to help you find true freedom from what happened to you.
Aspire Counseling has therapists are trained in evidence-based trauma therapies such as Prolonged Exposure (PE), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). We will work with you to find the treatment that will take you from fear to confidence; from dread to hope and from broken to whole.
You deserve to find relief from your PTSD symptoms like difficulty sleeping, intrusive memories, self-doubt, feeling depressed and anxious. Regardless of where you are in the healing process, healing starts here.
We use standardized tools (like the PCL-5 and GAD-7) because trauma therapy should be measurable. You deserve to know if this is actually helping.
If scores aren’t improving we simply adjust the plan, because every single client is a little bit different.
Was what happened to me even a traumatic event?
This is a really, really common question when someone is starting therapy. It’s easy to convince yourself “it could have been worse.” Whatever you’ve been through, you may find yourself thinking of all the things that you haven’t experienced and try to convince yourself that your experience doesn’t even count as trauma.
A serious car accident. Seeing someone you love die unexpectedly. A debilitating injury. A natural disaster. A rape. A sexual assault. Domestic violence. A trauma is any event that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. If something bad happened where your normal coping mechanisms didn’t work, you’ve been through a traumatic experience.
Now there are many different types of traumatic experiences. Maybe you experienced an acute traumatic event that happened once and was really intense. Or, maybe your trauma history included complex trauma such as abuse that happens over and over again. There are shared trauma such as 9-11 or Covid-19 that happens to many people at once. Or vicarious trauma where you’re traumatized (i.e. overwhelmed beyond your normal ability to cope) by hearing about and working with others who have experienced trauma. All of these count as trauma.
When you’ve been through something overwhelming (i.e. a traumatic experience), you may recover on your own after a few weeks or months. On the other hand, you may have PTSD symptoms (nightmares, anxiety, depression, avoiding things, fear) that seem to hold you back. In this case, counseling can help you find yourself again.
Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Signs that you might be developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) include feeling jumpy, avoiding things that remind you of traumatic events in your past, difficulty sleeping/nightmares, having moments where it feels like you are reliving the trauma, difficulty concentrating, withdrawing from others or feeling depressed. You don’t have to live with these symptoms of PTSD. Trauma treatment can help you recover from PTSD symptoms.
Symptoms of PTSD fall into four categories and may look different depending on your unique personality, support system, and traumatic experience. When you book an initial assessment with a trauma counselor in our clinic, we’ll take a closer look at your symptoms and see if you qualify for a PTSD diagnosis. The four ways trauma can impact a person causing PTSD includes:
Intrusive, Unwanted, Negative Thoughts
Intrusive thoughts can take many forms: involuntary memories, nightmares, and flashbacks are commonly experienced by those with PTSD. These intrusive thoughts and memories of your trauma often come up at the worst possible times. You want to move forward with your life but it feels like this negative memory is holding you back.
Avoiding Situations
As human beings, it’s normal for us to want to avoid things that don’t feel good. For this reason, people that have experienced a really stressful event may find themselves avoiding anything that reminds them of that bad memory. You may initially feel better when you push away memories of the assault/rape/accident/fire/injury. You may even feel normal for a moment. However, avoiding maintains PTSD. So as time goes on, you’ll find yourself avoiding more and more situations, people, things and thoughts.
Distorted Ideas & Negative Self Talk
It is common for those with PTSD to have distorted thoughts and beliefs about themselves or others, ongoing fear, anger, guilt, or shame. These thoughts can look like, “I am a bad person,” “I can’t trust anyone,” or “I should have died, not her.” As a result of these cognitive distortions, you may have less interest in activities you once enjoyed and also begin to feel detached or estranged from loved ones.
Risky or Out-of-Character Behavior
Reactive behavior associated with PTSD can include having angry outbursts, becoming easily irritable, behaving recklessly or in a self-destructive way, being easily startled, or having problems concentrating or sleeping.
Many people who experience a traumatic event may experience symptoms like these in the days following the event. However, people with PTSD will experience these symptoms for months and even years. It’s also common for someone with PTSD to have what we call co-occurring problems. This may mean that you use substances such as alcohol or drugs to feel better. You may feel depressed or anxious.
WHAT TO EXPECT — "What Trauma Therapy Actually Feels Like"
We know the idea of trauma therapy can feel scary. You might be wondering: Will I have to relive everything? Will it make things worse before it gets better? What if I can't handle it?
Here's what we want you to know:
You set the pace.
We don't rip the bandaid off. We don't push you to share details you're not ready to share. Trauma therapy at Aspire is collaborative—you and your therapist work together to decide what to focus on and how fast to move.
Stabilization comes first.
Before we ask you to process anything difficult, we make sure you have the tools to stay grounded. That might mean practicing breathing techniques, working on sleep, or learning how to calm your nervous system when it gets activated.
You don't have to tell us everything.
Some trauma therapies (like EMDR) don't require you to describe your experience in graphic detail. You can process what happened without narrating it moment by moment.
It's okay to feel worse before you feel better—but it shouldn't feel unmanageable.
Trauma therapy can bring up difficult emotions. That's part of the process. But your therapist will help you stay within what's called your "window of tolerance"—the zone where you can process hard things without shutting down or becoming overwhelmed.
Most clients see significant improvement in a matter of months.
Trauma therapy doesn't have to take years. With evidence-based treatment, many of our clients feel noticeably better within 8-16 sessions. Some choose to continue longer for deeper work; others feel ready to move on.
WHO WE HELP
Trauma doesn't always look the way you expect.
We work with people whose trauma is loud and obvious—and people whose trauma is quieter, showing up as anxiety, depression, relationship problems, or just a persistent sense that something is wrong.
We help people who have experienced:
Sexual assault, rape, or sexual abuse
Childhood abuse, neglect, or emotional trauma
Domestic violence or intimate partner abuse
Car accidents, injuries, or medical trauma
Witnessing violence or the sudden death of a loved one
First responder trauma, healthcare worker burnout, or military service
Religious trauma or spiritual abuse
Workplace harassment or bullying
Complex PTSD from prolonged or repeated trauma
Grief and loss that feels "stuck"
We also help people whose symptoms don't fit neatly into a PTSD diagnosis:
Chronic anxiety or panic attacks
Depression that doesn't respond to typical treatment
Difficulty trusting people or maintaining relationships
People-pleasing, fawning, or difficulty setting boundaries
Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected from life
Anger, irritability, or being easily startled
Intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares
OCD-like checking or hypervigilance after trauma
If you're not sure whether what you experienced "counts" as trauma, that's okay. If something overwhelmed your ability to cope—and you're still feeling the effects—it counts.
WHY CHOOSE ASPIRE COUNSELING
This is what our counselors & therapists do.
There are a lot of therapists who say they treat trauma. At Aspire Counseling, trauma therapy is our specialty—not an afterthought.
What makes us different:
Every therapist is trained in evidence-based trauma treatment. EMDR, CPT, TF-CBT, Prolonged Exposure—we use approaches that research shows actually work.
We track outcomes. You'll complete periodic assessments so we can measure whether therapy is helping—and adjust if it's not.
We consult with each other. Our therapists meet regularly to discuss cases, troubleshoot stuck points, and make sure every client gets the best possible care.
We don't rush you—but we don't keep you in therapy forever, either. The goal is to help you heal and get back to your life, not to create dependency.
We offer intensive options. For clients who want faster progress or can't do weekly therapy long-term, our trauma therapy intensives provide concentrated treatment over 1-2 weeks.
We're real people who live here, too. Our Columbia therapists grab Sparky's ice cream downtown and cheer on Mizzou at Faurot Field. Our Lee's Summit team wears red on Fridays for the Chiefs, grab coffee at Whistle Stop downtown, and catch Royals games in the summer. We're not a faceless corporate practice. We're your neighbors.
Trauma Therapy in Columbia & Lee's Summit, Missouri
We know it’s hard to ask for help. Often, just making it to your first appointment to meet your therapist is a HUGE step. We try to make the process of beginning trauma therapy as easy as possible!
1.
Reach out to Aspire Counseling
First, you’ll speak to a member of our Client Care team who will ask you a few questions about who you are looking for and take the time to match you with a therapist we think will be a great fit.
2.
Meet with a Trauma Therapist
Because we know how important it is to find someone you feel comfortable with, all of our therapists offer a free 30-minute consultation where you can ask as many questions as you’d like.
3.
Begin Healing
You abd your therapist will come up with a plan forward based on your needs, you’re therapist’s experience and the counseling methods they’re been trained in. Together, you’ll walk this journey so you can start feeling better.
FAQs About Trauma Therapy & PTSD Treatment At Aspire Counseling
-
Regular talk therapy can be helpful for many concerns, but trauma often needs more specialized treatment. Trauma therapy uses specific, research-backed techniques (like EMDR or CPT) designed to help your brain and nervous system actually process traumatic memories—not just talk about them. At Aspire, all of our trauma therapists are trained in these evidence-based methods.
-
If you're experiencing symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, emotional numbness, avoidance, or anxiety that feels connected to something that happened in your past, trauma therapy may help. You don't need a formal PTSD diagnosis to benefit. If past experiences are still affecting your daily life, relationships, or sense of safety, that's worth exploring.
-
A trauma is any event that overwhelmed your ability to cope. It doesn't have to be what you see in movies. Childhood neglect, emotional abuse, medical procedures, accidents, betrayal, and chronic stress can all be traumatic. If something happened and you're still affected by it, that's enough.
-
No. Some trauma therapies (like EMDR) don't require you to describe your experience in graphic detail. You can process traumatic memories without narrating every moment. Your therapist will work with you to find an approach that feels manageable.
-
We have EMDR-trained therapists at both our Columbia and Lee's Summit offices, as well as online throughout Missouri.
-
Aspire Counseling is a private-pay practice, which means we don't bill insurance directly. However, many clients use their out-of-network benefits to get reimbursed for a portion of session costs. We provide superbills to make this easy. Learn more about rates and insurance →
-
That's common—trauma rarely shows up alone. Our therapists are trained to treat co-occurring concerns. We'll create a treatment plan that addresses the full picture, not just one piece.
-
That's actually common. Many people come to us after doing therapy that felt supportive but didn't fully address their trauma. If your previous therapy mostly involved talking about your week rather than using specific trauma treatment methods, you likely haven't had true trauma-focused therapy yet. Our approach is different.
-
It varies, but many clients see significant improvement within 12-16 sessions of active trauma processing. Some people need longer, especially for complex trauma. We track your progress throughout treatment so we can see what's working and adjust as needed.
-
Processing trauma can bring up difficult emotions—that's part of the work. However, we prioritize stabilization first and help you stay within your "window of tolerance" so you're never more overwhelmed than you can handle. You won't be pushed faster than you're ready.
-
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (like eye movements) to help your brain reprocess traumatic memories. It's particularly helpful for single-incident trauma and doesn't require extensive talking.
CPT focuses on identifying and changing the unhelpful beliefs (called "stuck points") that developed after trauma. It involves more structured discussion and written exercises.
Prolonged Exposure gradually helps you face avoided memories and situations to reduce their power.
TF-CBT is specifically designed for children and teens.
-
Absolutely. Many clients find online therapy works very well for trauma treatment. You can be in your own comfortable, private space during sessions, which some people actually prefer for difficult work. We offer online trauma therapy to anyone in Missouri.
-
For clients who want faster progress or can't commit to weekly sessions long-term, we offer trauma therapy intensives. This is concentrated treatment delivered over 1-2 weeks, with sessions twice daily. It's particularly effective for motivated clients who want to make significant progress in a short time. Learn more about our trauma intensive program →
-
That's completely normal—and it won't prevent you from healing. Traumatic memories are often fragmented, especially if the trauma happened in childhood or involved dissociation. Your brain stores trauma differently than regular memories. You don't need a complete, detailed narrative to do effective trauma therapy. We work with what your mind and body remember, even if that's just feelings, images, or physical sensations rather than a clear story.
If your body is still reacting like it’s in danger, that’s a sign your system is doing its job—just a little too loudly….our trauma therapists can help.
Not ready for trauma therapy yet? Browse these blog posts related to Trauma & PTSD.
Because trauma therapy is one of our specialties as Aspire Counseling, we frequently write blog posts related to PTSD, trauma or extreme stress. Here are just a few blog posts from our trauma therapists!
Sexual Harassment v. Assault v. Rape: What’s the Difference?
Empowering Young Women to Avoid and Seek Help After Sexual Violence
Learning to cope with traumatic memories and re-engage fully in your own life can be difficult. Continue to watch our mental health blog for new posts from about post traumatic stress disorder, trauma treatment and tips for moving forward with your life. Our trauma therapists believe in the power of the human spirit to not only survive traumatic experiences but to grow and thrive. We want to continue to provide you with helpful resources for your healing journey. Please let us know if you have specific questions or topics that you would like to see us address in a blog post!
Other Mental Health Services: Columbia, Lee’s Summit & Throughout Missouri
We know life is complicated and you may be struggling with more than one issue. Or perhaps more than one member of your family needs some support right now. Because each therapists at Aspire Counseling specializes in something slightly different, we’re able to offer a wide range of mental health services at our office in Columbia, Lee’s Summit or online anywhere in Missouri. Some of our specialties include depression counseling, trauma therapy/PTSD treatment, counseling for caregiver stress, anxiety treatment, teen counseling, support during chronic illness and more! We’re here to help.