LP, 4 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi there, I'm Sanela! I'm a Michigan-based licensed clinical psychologist who offers virtual trauma therapy. I specialize in trauma and PTSD, including complex trauma, sexual trauma, assault recovery, military/Veterans trauma, medical or birth trauma, relationship trauma, and childhood abuse or neglect. With experience in the VA, community settings, and private practice, I have gained extensive training and experience with evidence-based treatments and have worked with diverse populations.
In our first session, we'll explore your goals and create a plan to reduce PTSD symptoms, process trauma safely, and build resilience. We'll take time to get to know one another and talk about what brought you to therapy. As part of the initial assessment, I will ask questions about your background, symptoms, and current life circumstances. I also like to check in on how you are doing with different areas of functioning like sleep, work or school, social relationships, physical health, and any substance use. This will assist me to get a better idea of what your presenting needs are, so that we can assure working together will be a good fit and that I have a clear understanding of your goals.
My therapy style is compassionate, collaborative, and direct. I want you to feel safe, validated, and truly understood in our work together. I also aim to be a steady guide -- helping you process difficult experiences, make sense of your emotions, and move forward with clarity and strength. I use evidence-based approaches like EMDR, CPT, PE, CBT, ACT, IFS, and somatic therapy to help clients heal safely and effectively. My goal is to tailor treatments to each client's needs, while keeping our sessions grounded in compassion and practical tools for growth.
I specialize in trauma and PTSD, including complex trauma, sexual trauma, assault recovery, military trauma, medical or birth trauma, relationship trauma, and childhood abuse or neglect. I have unique experience with first responders, healthcare workers, and Veterans. Treatment often includes grounding skills, processing difficult memories, reducing anxiety and stress, and rebuilding confidence, stability, and emotional well-being.
I have significant experience in guiding clients through CBT based therapy techniques. I use this approach t conceptualize my cases, build a treatment plan, and teach skills for cognitions, emotions, and behaviors.
I have extensive training in CPT, a trauma-focused approach that helps clients reframe unhelpful beliefs connected to traumatic experiences, reduce feelings of guilt or shame, and find new ways of understanding what happened.
I use PE to guide clients in safely processing traumatic memories to reduce avoidance and regain control over their lives. I also teach coping skills to help clients respond differently to their emotional memories.
One of my true passions in working with clients is incorporating mindfulness. Working with guiding you on how to experience the present moment can help instill a greater sense on control in your life. I try to incorporate mindfulness skills into most of my therapies to help bring clients back to the here and now.
I aim to create a safe space for therapy, which includes building trust and using collaboration to approach distressing and traumatic experiences. My primary goal in using a trauma informed approach is to empower clients to take control of their recovery process, recognize and respect the cultural and individual differences of those experiencing trauma, and to focus on strength and resilience rather than deficits.