What We Treat
Evidence-based, individualized treatment for complex PTSD from licensed clinicians, in person in San Pedro or online.
Complex PTSD develops after trauma that was prolonged or repeated rather than a single event. It often begins in childhood or within close relationships, where leaving was not possible and the harm went on for a long time. That is the main way it differs from single-incident PTSD, which usually follows one frightening event. C-PTSD includes the core PTSD symptoms and adds patterns that touch how you feel about yourself and how you relate to other people.
Feelings that come on fast and hard, or shut down completely.
Persistent shame or the sense of being damaged or not enough.
Difficulty trusting people and feeling safe, especially in close relationships.
Trouble setting boundaries, or fear of being controlled or abandoned.
Numbness or feeling disconnected from yourself or your surroundings.
Complex trauma rarely stands alone, and our clinicians treat the whole picture rather than a single label. Each area below has a page that explains how we approach it.
Single-incident post-traumatic stress, treated with the same trauma-focused, paced approach.
The broader effects of frightening or overwhelming experiences, held with trauma-informed care.
Persistent worry and a nervous system stuck on high alert, which complex trauma often drives.
Low mood, numbness, and shame that frequently accompany long-term trauma.
Difficulty trusting, setting boundaries, and feeling safe with others, common when trauma happened in relationships.
The layered grief that can come with long-term trauma, supported at a pace you set.
Complex PTSD asks for a paced, safety-first, relational approach. We do not rush into the hardest memories. Early on, the work is about feeling steadier and building a trusting connection with your therapist, because for many people the trauma happened inside relationships and trust takes time to rebuild. Your therapist works at a pace you set, so the deeper processing only happens once you have the footing to handle it.
Helps your brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their grip, used once you have the footing to handle deeper work.
Works with the way trauma is held in the body, releasing stored stress responses.
Builds skills for emotion regulation and tolerating distress, often a focus of the early, stabilizing phase of care.
| Approach | Best suited for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| DBT | Emotional dysregulation and the stabilizing early phase | Builds skills for regulating intense emotion and tolerating distress. |
| Somatic Experiencing | Trauma held in the body and dissociation | Works with stored stress responses to settle the nervous system. |
| EMDR | Traumatic memories, once you have steady footing | Uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess memories so they lose their charge. |
Starting therapy should feel clear, not overwhelming. Here is how it works at Coastwise.
We start with a short, private conversation to understand what you are dealing with and what you want from therapy.
We pair you with a licensed clinician who treats complex trauma and fits what you are working through, not whoever happens to be free.
Your clinician builds a plan with you and works at a pace you set, so the deeper processing only happens once you feel steady enough to handle it.
We work with adults and teens carrying the effects of long-term or relational trauma, whether it traces back to childhood, an abusive relationship, or years of ongoing stress and harm. Because complex PTSD so often travels with anxiety, depression, and trouble in relationships, our clinicians treat the whole picture rather than a single label.
See us in person at our San Pedro office or work with a clinician securely online anywhere in California. Trauma-focused work translates well to telehealth, and being in your own space can help you feel grounded and in control of the pace.
PTSD usually follows a single traumatic event, while complex PTSD develops after prolonged or repeated trauma, often in childhood or within ongoing relationships. C-PTSD includes the core PTSD symptoms along with lasting difficulties such as emotional dysregulation, a negative sense of self, deep shame, and trouble trusting people and feeling safe in relationships.
We take a paced, safety-first, relational approach. Early work focuses on stabilization and building skills to manage overwhelming emotions, often with DBT. From there we use EMDR and Somatic Experiencing to process traumatic memories and the way trauma is held in the body. Your therapist moves at a pace you can manage and never pushes you into memories before you are ready.
When the trauma happened within relationships, especially early in life, the nervous system learns to treat closeness as a source of danger. That can show up as difficulty trusting people, fear of being abandoned or controlled, emotional swings, and sometimes dissociation or feeling numb. These are protective responses, and therapy helps the nervous system learn that safety and connection are possible.
Complex PTSD usually takes longer than single-incident PTSD because there is more to stabilize and process and because trust is built gradually. Many people notice steadier emotions and more self-compassion within the first months, while deeper trauma processing unfolds over a longer course. Your therapist will set a pace with you rather than rushing the work.
We work with insurance, and many clients use their benefits toward therapy with us. Call (424) 536-3002 to learn how your insurance can help cover the cost of therapy.
Complex PTSD responds to steady, paced, trauma-focused care. Call us for a free, confidential consultation and we will match you to a clinician who treats it and meet you at a pace that feels safe.
Call (424) 536-3002 Get Started