9 Highly Recommended Atlanta Trauma Therapists
Have you tried therapy before and it left you feeling exposed, raw, and without real healing. At Steady Hope Counseling, we offer trauma-based therapy in Atlanta using an individual-focused, evidence-based approach to help you process trauma safely, without retraumatization. Start with your free consultation today.
Located in Atlanta in the Decatur neighborhood and Online Throughout Georgia
Meet the therapists
Jump to a therapist
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Recommended for multicultural trauma and Third Culture Kids: Amanda Peters
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Recommended for grief-related trauma in young adults: Fern Lima
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Recommended for EMDR trauma therapy: Kim DeRamus Lareau
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Recommended for mind-body trauma recovery: Phylicia Clemons
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Recommended for maternal trauma & perinatal mental health: Sam Merrill
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Recommended for teen trauma therapy: Lauren Jarrell
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Recommended for trauma therapy for women: Jenny Romano
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Recommended for religious trauma therapy: Angie Hartley
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Recommended for play-based trauma therapy for children: McCayla Berry
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Amanda Peters, M.A.
Recommended for multicultural trauma and Third Culture Kids
Amanda specializes in working with adolescents and adults who have lived between cultures, helping them process trauma related to identity, belonging, and displacement. With an attachment-based perspective, she understands how cultural transitions and ministry burnout can create deep wounds that need culturally sensitive care.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Master Level Clinician
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Clientele: Adolescents, college students, & young adults
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Location: Decatur, GA 30030
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Virtual therapy: Yes (GA)
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Fern Lima, M.S.W.
Recommended for grief-related trauma in young adults
Fern brings a gentle, person-centered approach to working with young people navigating trauma intertwined with grief and loss. She's passionate about creating a soft place to land where clients can process difficult experiences without outside expectations or pressure.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Master Level Social Worker
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Clientele: Adolescents & young adults (ages 8-30)
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Location: Decatur, GA 30030
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Virtual therapy: Yes (GA)
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Kim DeRamus Lareau, LPC, CPCS, PMH-C, NCC
Recommended for EMDR trauma therapy
As Steady Hope's founder with over 14 years of experience, Kim is trained in EMDR and brings a wealth of expertise in trauma recovery. She has worked extensively in residential programs for traumatized women and integrates somatic principles to help clients process trauma stored in the body.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor, Perinatal Mental Health-Certified, National Certified Counselor
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Clientele: Adults & couples
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Location: Decatur, GA 30030
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Virtual therapy: Yes (GA, FL, & SC)
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Phylicia Clemons, MBA
Recommended for mind-body trauma recovery
Phylicia is especially passionate about helping clients shift out of survival mode—fight, flight, or freeze—into a place of calm and safety. With training in EMDR and TF-CBT, she focuses on helping you feel at home in your body again through nervous system regulation and mind-body integration.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Master's Level Clinician
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Clientele: Children (ages 8+), adolescents, & young adults
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Location: Decatur, GA 30030
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Virtual therapy: Yes (GA, FL, & SC)
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Sam Merrill, MA, APC, NCC
Recommended for maternal trauma & perinatal mental health
Sam specializes in working with mothers navigating trauma within the context of pregnancy, postpartum, or parenting. She understands how past trauma can resurface during the perinatal period and uses EMDR and IFS to help women move from surviving to thriving.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Licensed Associate Professional Counselor
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Clientele: Adolescents, adults, & couples
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Location: Decatur, GA 30030
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Virtual therapy: Yes (GA)
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Lauren Jarrell, M.A., LAPC
Recommended for teen trauma therapy
Lauren uses an attachment theory lens to help teens and young people identify past wounds that have challenged their core needs for safety and love. With experience in psychiatric residential treatment, she's skilled at working with trauma alongside suicidality and self-harm.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Licensed Associate Professional Counselor
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Clientele: Adolescents & young adults
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Location: Decatur, GA 30030
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Virtual therapy: Yes (GA)
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Jenny Romano, MA, LPC, NCC
Recommended for trauma therapy for women
Jenny’s experience in higher levels of care (including inpatient, residential, and partial hospitalization programs) for trauma treatment lends her a deep understanding of trauma recovery. She is passionate about creating a safe haven for women to process their stories with warmth and compassion.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Licensed Professional Counselor
Clientele: Adults
Location: Decatur, GA 30030
Virtual therapy: Yes (GA)
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Angie Hartley, M.A., APC
Recommended for religious trauma therapy
Angie has direct experience working with survivors of spiritual and religious abuse, as well as missionaries navigating re-entry care. She creates a compassionate space for those healing from harm done in the name of faith, as well as those who are looking to relate to their faith in a new way.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Associate Professional Counselor
Clientele: Adolescents, adults, couples, & families -
Location: Decatur, GA 30030
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Virtual therapy: Yes (GA)
McCayla Berry, MA, LPC
Recommended for play-based trauma therapy for children
McCayla is both EMDR-trained and Play Therapy-trained, making her uniquely equipped to work with younger children (starting at age 5) who process trauma differently than adults. She uses creative, expressive modalities, including art, writing, and sand tray, to help kids and teens heal from complex trauma and PTSD in developmentally appropriate ways.
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Offers trauma therapy: ✓
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Credentials: Licensed Professional Counselor
Clientele: Children, teens, young adults -
Location: Decatur, GA 30030
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Virtual therapy: Yes (GA & TX)
How trauma therapy can help
Process painful memories without retraumatization
Trauma therapy uses research-based approaches like EMDR and IFS to help you process difficult memories at a pace that feels safe for you. Rather than forcing you to relive traumatic experiences, these methods allow your brain and body to integrate what happened so the memories lose their emotional charge and no longer control your present.
Calm your nervous system & reduce anxiety
When you've experienced trauma, your nervous system can get stuck in survival mode—constantly scanning for danger even when you're safe. Trauma therapy teaches you how to regulate your nervous system, helping you shift from fight, flight, or freeze responses into a state of calm and connection. You'll learn practical tools to manage anxiety and feel more grounded in your daily life.
Rebuild trust & feel safe in relationships
Trauma often impacts our ability to trust others and form secure attachments. Through trauma counseling—especially an attachment-based approach—you can begin to understand how past experiences shaped your relationship patterns. From here, you'll learn to recognize safe people, set healthy boundaries, and open yourself to the connection and intimacy you deserve without fear of being hurt again.
Reconnect with your body & emotions
Many trauma survivors cope by disconnecting from their bodies or numbing difficult emotions. Trauma therapy helps you befriend your body again. You'll develop emotional vocabulary, learn to listen to what your body is telling you, and reclaim the full range of human experience—including joy, peace, and authentic presence in your own life.
What You Can Expect from Trauma Therapy with Us
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Sessions designed to build trust and safety first
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A balanced focus on tools, processing, and real-life integration
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No retraumatization – we always work within your window of tolerance
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Skilled trauma specialists who guide you through each phase with compassion
Our role is not to "fix" you—but to walk with you as you reconnect with your resilience and inner wisdom.
“Before therapy, I felt like I was constantly reliving my trauma. Now, I finally have the tools to feel safe, present, and in control.”
How to choose the right trauma therapist for you
Now that you've met our team, you might be wondering which therapist is the best fit for your specific needs. Here are a few things to consider as you look back through the profiles above:
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Your type of trauma: What specific challenges are you facing? While all trauma therapists can support you in processing past experiences, it can be especially helpful to work with someone with specialized knowledge in a particular area.
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Your life stage: We have therapists who specialize in working with teens and young adults, others who focus on women and maternal mental health, and clinicians who work across the lifespan.
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Your preferred approach: Our team uses a wide range of approaches, including EMDR, IFS, and somatic approaches. There’s not just one “best” type of trauma therapy, so pay attention to which methods speak to you.
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Practical considerations: Check each therapist's availability for in-person versus virtual sessions, and consider the session rates that fit your budget. Our graduate interns offer more affordable options while still providing quality, supervised care.
Still not sure? That's completely normal. Book a free consultation call and we'll help you find the right match based on your unique situation and what you're hoping to heal.
FAQs about trauma & PTSD treatment
Start trauma counseling in Atlanta today
Give yourself permission to heal. Therapy should empower, not retraumatize. If you’ve felt stuck, hopeless, or unheard in past therapy experiences, there is a better way forward. Healing is about learning to embrace who you are and step into a life that feels true to you.