(she/her)
Something brought you here today. Maybe it's the exhaustion of always being on edge, or a sense that your body hasn't felt safe in a very long time. Whatever it was, I'm glad you followed it. I'm a trauma-informed Licensed Clinical Social Worker licensed in Indiana and Montana. I've spent my career walking alongside people through some of life's most complicated terrain: trauma, identity, nervous system overwhelm, and the quiet grief that comes from feeling like you've never quite fit. My work is rooted in somatic and relational approaches, which means we pay attention not just to your thoughts and story, but to what your body has been carrying. Healing isn't only a cognitive process. It lives in the nervous system, and I'll help you learn to work with yours. I specialize in trauma, particularly the kind rooted in childhood, relationships, and the experience of moving through the world in a brain that works differently. I work with neurodivergent adults who are discovering and exploring later in life that there's always been a name for the way their mind works. For many, this realization brings both relief and grief. And parents of neurodivergent children who are stretched thin and searching for steadier ground. Starting therapy can feel like a big step, and I don't take lightly the courage it takes to reach out. My goal is simple: to create a space where you feel genuinely understood. Not managed, not diagnosed, just met. I'm so glad you're here.
The first few sessions are about one thing above all else: getting to know you. There's no pressure to have your story perfectly organized or to know exactly what you need. Many people come to therapy with a general sense that something isn't working, and that's more than enough to start. We'll go at a pace that feels manageable for your nervous system, not one that pushes you to share more than you're ready for. In our first session, we'll talk about what's bringing you in, your history, what your life looks like right now, and what you're hoping therapy might offer you. I'll ask questions, but I'll also leave space for you to lead. You know yourself better than anyone, and my job in those early conversations is to listen carefully and begin to understand the full picture of who you are and what you've been carrying. From there, we'll start to build a plan together. This isn't a one-size-fits-all process. Some people come with a specific goal in mind. Others are still figuring out what they're working toward. Both are completely welcome here. We'll identify what matters most to you and let that guide us.
I show up to sessions as a real person. I have genuine reactions, real warmth, and an authentic curiosity about the people I work with. I'm not here to observe from a distance. I'm here to be present with you. Clients often say they felt at ease sooner than they expected. I think that's because the relationship feels real. There's room here to be unfiltered, messy, and honest without worrying about being judged or managed. My work is grounded in trauma-informed care and somatic experiencing, which means we pay attention to both your story and your nervous system. We look beyond just cognitive approaches. Healing lives in the body and learning to work with your body rather than against it is often where the most meaningful shifts happen. I weave in mindfulness and person-centered approaches to keep the work feeling collaborative and grounded in what you actually need. You are always the expert on your own experience. I just help you learn to trust that expertise again.
My ideal client is someone who has been carrying something heavy for a long time and is finally ready to set some of it down. They may not have all the words for what they're experiencing yet, but they have a sense that something needs to change. They are often people who have spent much of their lives feeling like they exist just slightly outside of how things are supposed to work. Maybe they've always been told they're too sensitive, too intense, or too much. Maybe they're only now beginning to understand why certain things have always felt harder for them than they seemed to for others. They may be navigating the aftermath of childhood trauma, struggling with relationships, or sitting with a late diagnosis that is reframing their entire life story. They might be a parent of a neurodivergent child, doing their best while quietly running on empty. What they have in common is a genuine desire to understand themselves more deeply and a willingness to show up honestly, even when it's uncomfortable. They don't need to have it together. They just need to be ready to begin. If any of this sounds like you, I'd love to connect.
Autism
Parenting
Trauma and PTSD
Coping Skills
Women's Issues
White
Woman
Adults (18 to 64)
Elders (65 and above)
Indiana
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness in therapy isn't about clearing your mind or achieving calm. It's about learning to notice what's happening inside you without immediately reacting to it. I use mindfulness to help clients develop a gentler relationship with their own thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, creating a little more space between experience and response.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma-informed care isn't a specific technique so much as a lens that shapes everything I do. It means I understand that many of the ways people struggle, whether that's anxiety, disconnection, relationship patterns, or a persistent sense that something is wrong, are often responses to past experiences rather than personal failures. Every part of our work together is built on safety, transparency, and a deep respect for your pace and boundaries. In practice, this might look like me checking in about what feels okay to explore on a given day, never pushing you to revisit something before you're ready, or simply naming that a reaction you're having makes complete sense given what you've been through.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Person-centered therapy is built on a simple but powerful belief: that you are the expert on your own life. My role isn't to direct or diagnose, but to create the conditions where your own insight and capacity for growth can emerge. That means genuine warmth, honest presence, and following your lead.
Somatic
Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach to healing trauma developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It works from the understanding that trauma gets stored in the nervous system, not just in memory or thought. I have trained in Somatic Experiencing and bring it into sessions to help clients gently reconnect with their bodies, release stored stress responses, and build a greater sense of safety from the inside out. It's slow, careful work, and it can be quietly transformative. In a session, this might look like pausing to notice where you feel tension in your body, tracking a sensation as it shifts, or slowing down when something activates your nervous system so we can work with it rather than through it. We may also use gentle techniques like tapping, intentional movement, or physical releasing exercises to help the body process and discharge what it's been holding.
1 rating with written reviews
April 7, 2026
Kayla was easy to talk to right away. She’s an active listener who wanted to work with me on my preferred treatment plan route. I especially like that she has a focus on working with people who have trauma from domestic relationships.