If trauma is affecting your daily life and you want evidence based treatment, Arkansas Counseling and Wellness offers trauma therapy through licensed clinicians trained in EMDR, Brainspotting, parts work, and trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy. We treat PTSD, complex trauma, childhood trauma, accident and assault trauma, and trauma related to first responder and military service. Sessions are available in person at our Fayetteville, Bentonville, and North Little Rock offices, or via HIPAA compliant telehealth across Arkansas and Missouri. Your first session establishes your goals and matches you with the modality most suited to your history and preferences.
Last reviewed
Trauma is not just what happened to you. It is what is still happening inside you because of what happened. The panic response that gets triggered by something small. The relationships that keep reenacting the same dynamic. The memory that wakes you at 3 AM. The sense that you are surviving, not living. Trauma therapy gives you structured, evidence-based tools to reprocess those experiences so they stop running the show.
How do you work with trauma?
Our trauma clinicians are trained in multiple evidence-based modalities because one size does not fit one person, let alone everyone. Depending on what fits, you may work with:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). A structured protocol that uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess stuck traumatic memories. Especially effective for single-incident trauma and PTSD.
Brainspotting. Developed from EMDR, Brainspotting uses eye positioning to access and process trauma held in the body. Useful for complex trauma, attachment wounds, and body-stored memory.
Trauma-focused CBT. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy adapted for trauma, with gradual exposure, narrative work, and cognitive restructuring.
Parts work. Drawing from Internal Family Systems, parts work helps clients understand and integrate the different internal voices that trauma often fragments.
Somatic approaches. Trauma is stored in the body. Our clinicians integrate grounding, breathwork, and body-based interventions where appropriate.
Who do you help?
Survivors of childhood abuse, neglect, and attachment wounds
Survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence
Veterans and first responders with PTSD
Adults processing grief, loss, and complicated mourning
People navigating medical trauma and chronic illness
Clients with complex (C-PTSD) or developmental trauma
Adolescents and teens processing difficult experiences
What does trauma therapy look like?
A careful, paced intake. We do not ask you to relive everything in session one. We establish safety and stability first.
Stabilization and resourcing. Before processing, we make sure you have internal and external resources to do the work safely.
Trauma processing with the modality (or combination) that fits your specific situation.
Integration. Helping you live in the life you are building now, not the one trauma wrote for you.
Coordination with other providers (psychiatrist, medical team) if relevant.
How do I get started?
If you are dealing with trauma and ready to do the work, call 501-464-2926 or request an appointment through the patient portal. Tell our scheduling team you are looking for trauma therapy and we will match you with a clinician trained in the modality that fits your situation.
Take the next step
You don't have to figure this out alone.
Request an appointment through our secure portal, or reach out to our scheduling team.
Published: 2025-09-15 ·
Last updated: 2026-04-29 ·
Last clinically reviewed: 2026-04-29 by Dr. Kristy Burton, PhD, LPC-S, LADAC, AADC, MAC, CS, SAP, NCC
Related Questions
Which trauma therapy is right for me?
Your first session establishes treatment goals and matches you with the modality most suited to your history, current symptoms, and personal preferences. Some clients benefit from a combination of modalities. Your clinician explains options and trade offs at intake.
Can trauma therapy be done by telehealth?
Yes. EMDR, Brainspotting, and trauma focused CBT can all be delivered via HIPAA compliant video conferencing. Telehealth trauma therapy meets the same evidence based standards as in person treatment.
How long does trauma therapy take?
Length depends on the type and complexity of your trauma. Single incident trauma may resolve within 6 to 12 sessions. Complex trauma or developmental trauma typically takes longer. Your clinician discusses expected timeline after the initial assessment.
Do I have to talk through everything in detail?
No. EMDR and Brainspotting are processing modalities that do not require detailed verbal narration of traumatic events. Your clinician explains what each modality requires and adapts pacing to what feels safe for you.
Will trauma therapy make symptoms worse before better?
Some clients experience temporary increases in distress as memories are processed. Modern trauma therapy is paced to keep this manageable. Phased treatment establishes safety and stabilization tools before any active processing.
Do you treat first responders and military veterans?
Yes. Several of our clinicians have specific training and experience with first responder and military trauma. Call 501 464 2926 and tell scheduling about your service background so we can match you appropriately.
What progress looks like
Mental health work moves in cycles, not lines. Two clients with the same diagnosis can have very different paths, and that is by design. Here is what we typically see when treatment is going well.
You leave sessions with something concrete. A skill to try, a question to sit with, a small plan for the week.
The acute distress softens before the underlying pattern changes. First the panic eases, then the trigger loosens, then the pattern reshapes. The order matters.
You start noticing the pattern in real time, not after. Catching a thought as it arrives is the work. Catching it before it becomes a behavior is the goal.
The work bleeds out of session. You hear yourself using the language with your spouse. You apply a skill at work without thinking about it.
You and your clinician name when the work is done. Termination is a real conversation, not a fade out.
We do not promise specific outcomes. Mental health is not a guarantee business. We do promise to do the work alongside you and to be honest with you about what we are seeing.
If you or someone you know is in crisis
988 — Suicide and Crisis Lifeline · call or text · 24/7 free
Text HOME to 741741 — Crisis Text Line · 24/7 free
988 then press 1 — Veterans Crisis Line
877-565-8860 — Trans Lifeline
1-800-662-4357 — SAMHSA National Helpline · substance use · 24/7 free
Sources retrieved April 2026. External resources reviewed for relevance to the topics on this page; Arkansas Counseling and Wellness Services is independent of the listed organizations except where directly noted.
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