Complex Trauma Therapy for Adults
Dr. Christine Henry is a licensed psychologist with over 20 years of clinical experience. She provides online therapy for adults dealing with the lasting effects of childhood emotional neglect, emotionally immature parents, difficult family relationships, and complex trauma. Available throughout Texas and PSYPACT states.
When Your Past Is Still Affecting Your Present
Maybe you've spent years trying to understand why you:
Constantly monitor other people's moods. You notice the slightest change in someone's tone or expression and immediately wonder if you've done something wrong.
Feel everything deeply, or sometimes nothing at all. You may absorb other people's emotions but struggle to recognize your own, or feel emotionally numb.
Take rejection or criticism especially hard. An unanswered text or canceled plan can leave you replaying conversations and wondering what you did wrong.
Struggle with boundaries and your own needs. You feel guilty saying no and often put everyone else's needs ahead of yours.
Have difficulty trusting people. Letting someone get emotionally close can feel risky. Sometimes animals feel safer and easier to connect with.
Have complicated feelings about your parents. You feel hurt or angry about how you were treated but also guilty because you believe they did the best they could.
Experience physical effects of chronic stress. Headaches, digestive problems, muscle tension, fatigue, or difficulty sleeping.
Does What I Experienced Count as Trauma?
Trauma doesn't always come from one major event. Sometimes it's the accumulation of smaller experiences over many years, particularly when you didn't have the support or safety you needed.
When repeated or prolonged traumatic experiences lead to lasting difficulties with emotions, self-worth, and relationships, some people develop complex PTSD (CPTSD).
But you don't need a diagnosis, or even identify with the word trauma, to explore how your experiences have affected you.
What Did Complex Trauma Look Like Growing Up?
Maybe you've never considered your experiences traumatic. Your parents did the best they could, right? And other people had it worse.
When something is all you've ever known, it's easy to assume it was normal. Looking back, you might recognize:
Emotional neglect or emotionally immature parents. Your parents' feelings and needs came first. When you were upset, there was no one to comfort you. Your family pet may have been one of the few sources of stability and unconditional love.
Being the emotional support for a parent. A parent treated you like a friend or therapist, sharing problems that weren't appropriate for a child to carry.
Constant criticism or controlling parenting. Nothing you did seemed good enough. There were strict expectations, little room for individuality, or more concern about appearances than your feelings.
An unpredictable or unstable home. Frequent arguments, financial insecurity, substance use, mental health struggles, or inconsistent caregiving. You never quite knew what to expect.
Lack of boundaries or guidance. Your privacy, emotions, or physical boundaries weren't respected. Or you were left to take care of yourself with little supervision.
Growing up neurodivergent without support. Your sensory needs, emotional reactions, communication differences, or executive functioning struggles were misunderstood or criticized.
How Can Complex Trauma Therapy Help?
TUnderstanding your past is important, but what do you do with that understanding?
In our work together, we can explore how to:
Work through shame and self-blame. Begin questioning the negative beliefs you've carried about yourself for years.
Recognize and express your emotions. Understand what you're feeling without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down.
Understand your relationship patterns. Explore why certain dynamics feel familiar and what you want to change.
Set boundaries without so much guilt. Learn to recognize your needs and make choices that work for you.
Reconnect with who you are. Figure out what you actually want, value, and need outside of other people's expectations.
Build more trusting relationships. Develop connections where you can feel accepted and be yourself.
What is it like to sit with me?
My style is conversational, curious, and collaborative. I'll tell you how it is, but always with kindness. I'll ask questions, share observations, and help you connect dots you might not have noticed, including how past experiences may still be affecting you today.
Trauma can be heavy, but not every moment has to be serious. If dark humor helps you cope, I'm comfortable with that. Movie quotes, TV references, and tangents are welcome, too.
You don't have to share anything before you're ready or have your thoughts organized. Feel free to fidget, move around, dim the lights, or eat during sessions. And if your pets want to join us, they're welcome too.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The length of trauma therapy really depends on you, your needs, your pace, and your goals. There isn’t a set timeline for healing. Some people come in for short-term support around a specific event, while others stay longer to work through deeper patterns or ongoing stress. I’ve had clients who found what they needed in six months, and others who chose to stay for a couple of years. Together, we’ll figure out what kind of support feels right and create a plan that works for you.
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Yes. Two things can be true: your caregivers may have been doing their best and you may still have been impacted in ways that created trauma responses. Therapy isn’t about villainizing—it’s about understanding what happened and how it shaped you.
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That’s common. We can still work effectively with what you do notice now such as triggers, body responses, relationship patterns, and the beliefs you carry (like “it’s my fault” or “I don’t matter”).
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I don’t provide EMDR, IFS, or Brainspotting specifically. However, there are elements of these approaches that overlap with the way I work. I draw from polyvagal theory, attachment-based therapy, narrative therapy, psychodynamic ideas, and interpersonal neurobiology to create a trauma-informed approach tailored to you.
Everything I do is through a neurodivergent-affirming lens, which means I won’t pathologize the way your brain works. Here, your wiring isn’t the problem, we work together to understand how your nervous system responds and find strategies that actually fit you.
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Fill out the contact form and I’ll email you to set up a free 20-minute video consultation (no phone call required). We’ll do a quick fit check and talk through next steps.
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Yes. ADHD, autism, and complex PTSD can coexist and share some overlapping experiences. Growing up neurodivergent without support can also contribute to trauma. In therapy, we can explore how your neurodivergence and past experiences have shaped you.
Visit our Neurodivergence Resources to learn more about trauma, mental health, and how neurodivergence changes how you experience trauma. Explore additional resources for Neurodivergence & Trauma to understand trauma further.
When Another Type of Support May Be More Helpful
Specialized trauma treatments such as EMDR, Brainspotting, or formal IFS therapy.
Intensive trauma treatment for frequent, disruptive flashbacks that significantly interfere with daily life.
Specialized treatment for dissociative disorders, such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), or severe, persistent depersonalization or derealization.
Crisis intervention or a higher level of care, including significant or ongoing self-harm, frequent suicidal crises, or needing after hours crisis support.
Highly structured therapy with worksheets, step by step treatment protocols, or a set number of sessions.
If you're looking for any of these services or need a higher level of care, I encourage you to find a provider who specializes in those areas and can offer the support you're looking for.
Ready to Make Some Changes?
You may not be able to change what happened in the past, but you can start changing how it affects your life today.
Therapy can help you understand old patterns, work through the guilt and shame you've been carrying, and figure out what you want your life and relationships to look like moving forward.
Contact me for a Free 20-minute Consultation to see how I can help. (No phone call needed).
Online trauma therapy available in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Texas, Indianapolis, Columbus, Ohio and several other cities, states. See therapy locations.