Experiential trauma therapy · Franklin, TN

Therapy for women ready to heal at the root.

You've gathered the insight. You can name the patterns. And still, something underneath is asking for more. Deep, body-based trauma work — for women ready to heal where the mind alone can't reach.

Schedule a free consultation How the work actually looks →

SpecialtySomatic experiential trauma

CredentialsLMFT · EMDR · IFS · SomEx

FormatIn-person & telehealth

A woman in a white dress walking alone down an autumn forest path, soft light filtering through the trees

"Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness."
— Peter Levine

Experiential Trauma Work Nervous System Healing EMDR · IFS · Brainspotting Somatic Therapy For Highly Sensitive Women Experiential Trauma Work Nervous System Healing EMDR · IFS · Brainspotting Somatic Therapy For Highly Sensitive Women

If this sounds like you

You've tried. You're trying. And something is still asking for more.

You're introspective. You feel deeply. You've done the reading. You can name your patterns. And still — somewhere underneath all of that — something keeps you stuck in the same exhaustion, the same longing, the same quiet ache to come home to yourself.

You've done therapy — maybe a lot of it. You can name your patterns. And still, something hasn't shifted at the root.

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You hold it together so well that no one knows how tired you really are.

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You feel things deeply — and were taught early that this sensitivity was "too much."

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You carry a quiet longing to belong — to be truly known beneath the surface.

Your reactions feel automatic — and you find yourself wishing you could respond differently, or even just understand why you respond the way you do.

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You're strong and self-sufficient — and somewhere along the way lost touch with your own tenderness and need.

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You long for connection but find yourself managing how you're perceived instead of being known.

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You quietly wonder if what you're carrying is "enough" to count as trauma at all.

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You don't need more insight. You don't need more tools. You need to be witnessed, held, and companioned home to yourself.

Licensed MFT · TN

Meet your therapist

Hi, I'm Catherine — and I know what it takes to go to the deep places.

For nearly a decade I've sat with motivated, thoughtful women who knew something was still asking to be tended to — underneath the insight, underneath the surviving. My work is unhurried, body-aware, and built on this: when your story is held with compassion and your body finally feels safe enough — healing happens. Your body already knows how. It just needs someone to accompany it there.

I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist drawn to clients a lot like me — introspective, thoughtful, motivated, ready to do the deep work. The women I sit with are often the ones everyone else leans on; I want to be a place where you can finally set the holding-it-together down.

Outside of session, you'll find me on a trail somewhere with my husband, our identical twin boys, and our goldendoodle Louie — or across a coffee shop table from a good friend, deep in conversation about life and everything we're holding. I love creating a beautiful, restful space at home, and I'm endlessly curious about holistic health and healing — reading, learning, and following the research on how our bodies and nervous systems were made to heal. My own therapy has been a significant part of my journey, and it's a big reason why I do this work the way I do.

— Catherine

“Coming home to your body is coming home to yourself.” — Hilary McBride

Training & credentials

Trauma work asks for depth, and depth asks for ongoing training. The modalities I've been formed in shape how I sit with you, listen with you, and work with what your body is carrying.

Licensed Marriage & Family TherapistLMFT · TN #1779
Internal Family Systems (IFS)Level 1
EMDRLevels 1 & 2
BrainspottingLevel 1
SomEx Somatic Experiential TherapyLevels 1 & 2
Trauma Sensitive YogaTrained
Safe and Sound ProtocolCertified
MS Marriage & Family TherapyLipscomb University

A note on SomEx. SomEx — developed through the Experiential Healing Center — is a comprehensive somatic approach to trauma healing that alternates between gentle activation and deep resourcing of the nervous system. The focus is on experiential, in-session healing: noticing what is happening in the body, working with it directly, and helping the nervous system complete what has been left unfinished.

Inside the work

What sessions actually look like.

This is not primarily talk therapy. The work is experiential and somatic — a gentle turning inward, toward what the body is already trying to say.

Sessions often begin with a brief check-in — what has come up since we were last together, what feels alive or important to bring. From there, rather than spending the hour talking about the problem, I gently guide you inward: toward the parts of you carrying the struggle, toward what is happening in the body, toward what is asking to be witnessed.

The work is slow, focused, and experiential. You may leave a session having said fewer words than you expected — and felt more shifted than you thought possible. The goal is not just insight. It's integration. Not management. Healing.

I'm highly attuned and present, paying close attention to what is happening in you and in me as we work. The therapeutic relationship itself is part of the healing — a place where the old attachment wounds can be witnessed and held differently, often for the first time.

Something shifts in the room.

Understanding why you're stuck rarely sets you free. Real change happens when something is felt and released — not just named. The goal isn't insight. It's integration.

The relationship is the work.

An attuned, trusting therapeutic relationship is itself part of the healing — often the place where old attachment wounds get to be held differently for the first time. I show up as a consistent, present companion for this work, and the depth we build together over time is what makes the deeper work possible.

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Holistic by design.

Mind, body, and soul are woven together — trauma lives in all three. I enthusiastically collaborate with functional medicine providers, acupuncturists, neurofeedback clinicians, nutritionists, and other holistic providers invested in your whole-person care.

A simple path forward

Three steps to come home to yourself.

Here's what it looks like to begin.

Schedule a free call.

A 20-minute conversation, no pressure or obligation. Space to share what's bringing you in and see if we're a fit. You'll leave knowing what to expect, whatever you decide.

Begin the deep work.

We start with weekly or bi-weekly 50-minute sessions — the foundation of this work. The pace is collaborative, guided by what your nervous system and life are ready for.

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Live what's been waiting.

Old patterns soften. Your nervous system learns it's allowed to rest. Relationships deepen. You stop managing yourself and start being yourself. What becomes possible is what you have always longed for — to be truly known, to belong to yourself, to stop holding the world together from a distance and finally let yourself be held. The woman underneath the surviving has been waiting a long time. This is the work that brings her home.

Schedule your free consultation

Ways to work together

Two offerings, one steady work.

The foundation of my practice is consistent, relational, intentional work — sessions that go somewhere, built on a rhythm that fits your life and what your nervous system is ready for. Extended sessions are available when deeper, more concentrated work is needed.

Service 01

Individual Therapy

50-minute sessions — the foundation of my work. Consistent, relational, and intentional. A place to go deep, not just talk. We work together to find a rhythm and cadence that fits your life, your schedule, and what your nervous system is ready for.

Length50 minutes

CadenceWeekly or bi-weekly

Investment$175 per session

Service 02

Extended Sessions

For times when deeper, more concentrated work is needed — typically focused EMDR or Brainspotting around a specific trauma or blocker. Available in 90-minute or 3-hour formats, held inside the safety and trust we've built together.

90 minutes$350

3 hours$700

Extended sessions work best after we've built a foundation of safety and trust together — the rapport and resources from ongoing work are what make concentrated trauma processing possible.

I work collaboratively with each client to find a plan and cadence that makes sense — for your life, your schedule, and what your nervous system needs. There's no one-size-fits-all rhythm here.

Private pay only. Superbills provided for clients seeking out-of-network reimbursement. · In-person in Franklin, TN, and telehealth across Tennessee.

A cream armchair draped with a chunky knit blanket beside a sunlit window — soft morning light through sheer curtains

"You are allowed to be a person who needs things." — Aundi Kolber

What becomes possible

A life you're not holding together — you're living.

The goal of this work isn't a fixed you. It's a freer one — more yourself, more at home in your own life. Here's what clients tell me opens up on the other side of doing this work:

A nervous system that knows how to resource and regulate itself — not just survive
A new relationship with your sensitivity — seeing it as gift, not burden
The freedom to stop overfunctioning and finally receive care
A felt sense of self-compassion — not just intellectually, but in your body
Relationships where you can actually be known and feel safe
The quiet, steady sense that you are deeply okay

A gentle truth

You have been carrying this longer than you should have had to.

You are not too late. You are not too much. What you're carrying — whatever its size or shape — counts. Your sensitivity is not a flaw. Your longing to be known is not weakness. These are not things to manage or overcome. They are the places where healing begins.

What shapes this work

From my shelf to yours.

A few of the voices that have shaped how I sit with clients — and that the women I work with often find themselves deeply at home in.

The Wisdom of Your BodyHillary McBride

Try SofterAundi Kolber

The Body Keeps the ScoreBessel van der Kolk

No Bad PartsRichard Schwartz

The Highly Sensitive PersonElaine Aron

Mother HungerKelly McDaniel

Make Sense of Your StoryAdam Young

Redeeming HeartacheDan Allender

Questions, honestly answered

Before you reach out.

Reaching out is its own kind of brave. Here are some of the things women ask me most often before they take that first step.

What does a typical session actually look like?

Sessions are 50 minutes and not primarily talk-based. We begin with a brief check-in, then I gently guide you inward — toward the parts of you carrying the struggle, what's happening in the body, and what's asking to be witnessed. The work is slow, focused, and experiential. You may leave having said fewer words than expected and felt more shifted than you thought possible.

How is this different from therapy I've tried before?

That's one of the most common things I hear — that previous therapy gave insight, but didn't get to the root. If you've done the surface work and still feel stuck, it may be that what you're carrying is asking for something deeper: body-based, experiential work that helps your nervous system heal, not just your mind understand.

How long will therapy take?

I believe real healing takes time, and I'm not a quick-fix therapist. The deeper the roots of what you're carrying, the more time, safety, and relationship are needed to heal it. That said, the pace is always collaborative — we work together to find a rhythm that fits your life and what you're ready for. Many clients find that the slower, more intentional approach is what finally moves the needle after years of work that felt like it stopped short.

Do you assign homework between sessions?

Not in the traditional sense. I don't send clients home with worksheets or exercises. Occasionally I might invite a simple intention — a way to be kind to yourself this week, or something small to notice. The work itself happens in session, not between sessions. That's intentional. I'm happy to suggest books or other resources depending on what feels relevant and helpful for where you are in the work.

Is what I'm carrying "enough" to count as trauma?

Yes. Trauma isn't measured by what happened to you — it's what happened inside of you. If what you're carrying is shaping your present in ways you don't want, that counts. There is no threshold of suffering you need to cross to be welcome here.

Do you offer telehealth, or just in-person?

Both. My office is in Franklin, TN, and I see clients in person and via secure telehealth across Tennessee. Many clients move fluidly between the two depending on the season of life and the work.

What about fees and insurance?

I'm a private-pay practice. Individual sessions are $175 for 50 minutes; extended sessions (existing clients only) are $350 for 90 minutes. I don't bill insurance directly, but I provide superbills for clients seeking out-of-network reimbursement.

Your next step

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