What We Treat
Evidence-based, individualized treatment for PTSD from licensed clinicians, in person in San Pedro or online.
PTSD is a mental health condition with symptoms that fall into four main categories. For a diagnosis, symptoms must persist for more than one month and cause significant distress or impairment in daily functioning. Common triggers include combat exposure, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents, natural disasters, childhood abuse, and witnessing death or violence.
Unwanted memories of the event, flashbacks that make it feel like the trauma is happening again, and nightmares.
Steering clear of the places, people, or situations that remind you of the trauma, and avoiding thinking or talking about it.
Persistent negative beliefs, detachment from others, emotional numbness, and loss of interest in things you once enjoyed.
Being easily startled, feeling tense or on edge, trouble sleeping, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
With the right therapeutic approach, PTSD symptoms can be significantly reduced or resolved. With effective, evidence-based treatment, recovery is the expected outcome.
PTSD takes different shapes and often overlaps with related conditions, and our clinicians treat the whole picture rather than a single label. Each area below has a page that explains how we approach it.
The broader effects of frightening or overwhelming events, held with trauma-informed care.
The effects of prolonged or repeated trauma, often from childhood or within relationships.
Persistent worry and a nervous system stuck on high alert that frequently accompany PTSD.
Low mood, numbness, and loss of interest that often travel alongside post-traumatic stress.
Sudden surges of intense fear and physical symptoms that trauma reminders can set off.
The heavy aftermath of sudden or traumatic loss, supported with the same trauma-informed care.
At Coastwise Health, we draw on multiple proven modalities to create a treatment plan tailored to your specific experience and needs. Your clinician will match the approach to your presentation and work at a pace you can tolerate safely.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing uses bilateral stimulation to help your brain reprocess stuck traumatic memories, so you can recall events without being overwhelmed by them.
Uses visual brain stimulation to access and transform the emotional distress tied to traumatic memories, often producing relief in fewer sessions than talk therapy alone.
Helps you identify and change the distorted thought patterns that perpetuate PTSD, challenge negative beliefs, and gradually reduce avoidance.
Works with the body's stored trauma responses within a framework grounded in safety, trust, collaboration, and empowerment.
For treatment-resistant PTSD, ketamine's rapid-acting properties can ease severe symptoms and open a window for deeper therapeutic work.
| Approach | Best suited for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| EMDR | Stuck traumatic memories and intrusive recall | Uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess memories so they lose their charge. |
| ETT | Strong emotional distress tied to specific memories | Uses visual brain stimulation to shift the emotion held with the memory, often quickly. |
| CBT | Negative beliefs, avoidance, and distorted thinking | Identifies and reworks the thought and behavior patterns that perpetuate PTSD. |
| Somatic & Trauma-Informed Therapy | Hyperarousal and trauma held in the body | Works with stored stress responses within a safety-first framework. |
| Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy | Treatment-resistant or severe PTSD symptoms | Eases severe symptoms and opens a window for deeper therapeutic work. |
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 PTSD 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 can manage, so progress feels steady and sustainable.
We work with adults and teens across the full range of PTSD, including combat-related, first-responder, survivor, and developmental PTSD, whether the trauma was recent or years ago. Because PTSD so often travels with anxiety, depression, and complex trauma, 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.
Coastwise offers multiple evidence-based PTSD treatments: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) including trauma-focused CBT and prolonged exposure, Emotional Transformation Therapy (ETT), and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) for treatment-resistant cases. Your clinician will match the modality to your specific presentation.
Length of treatment varies. Protocol-based EMDR and CBT for PTSD often produce significant improvement in 8 to 16 sessions. Complex or long-standing PTSD may require longer-term work. Your therapist will discuss expected pacing during your initial consultation and adjust as you progress.
Yes. Modern trauma treatment does not require narrative exposure. EMDR and ETT both reduce PTSD symptoms without extensive verbal re-telling. Your clinician will explain options and pace treatment to what you can tolerate safely.
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.
PTSD does not have to control your life. Call us for a free, confidential consultation.
Call (424) 536-3002 Contact Us