Trauma Therapy in West Hills
Trauma Therapy in West Hills with Julie Klamon, LMFT
Trauma does not always come from one obvious event. Sometimes it does: a car accident, an assault, the sudden loss of someone you love. Other times it builds quietly over years until you realize you have been bracing for something for as long as you can remember. Either way, the body keeps the score. You may be sleeping poorly, snapping at people you love, avoiding places that remind you of what happened, or feeling oddly disconnected from your own life. Trauma therapy in West Hills helps you address what is still living in your nervous system long after the danger has passed.
Two decades of clinical work have brought me face to face with trauma in many forms. I spent more than 10 years at a Los Angeles agency supporting children recovering from sexual trauma, and I am a certified counselor through the UCLA Rape Treatment Center. That depth of experience means I am not going to flinch at what you tell me. Whatever you have been through, we can work with it.
My office is in Agoura Hills, about 25 minutes from West Hills on the 101 West. I also offer virtual sessions for anyone in California.
Trauma Therapy for the West Hills Community
Trauma reaches every kind of neighborhood, including quiet, settled ones like West Hills. The people I see from this part of the Valley are processing car accidents, sudden losses, assault, childhood experiences that surfaced years later, and the kind of harm that stays hidden behind a tidy front door. In a community where people know their neighbors and value their privacy, it can feel risky to seek help close to home. My Agoura Hills office sits outside the West Hills neighborhood, which gives my clients from the area the distance and discretion they want.
Trauma also has a way of narrowing your world. You start avoiding the freeway, the place where it happened, the situations that set your heart racing. Bit by bit your life gets smaller, and the avoidance starts to feel like safety even though it keeps you stuck. Therapy helps you process what happened so you can stop organizing your days around it and start feeling like yourself again.
My Approach to Trauma Therapy
Trauma changes how your brain and body respond to the world. After an overwhelming experience, your nervous system can get stuck in a mode that constantly scans for danger. That shows up as hypervigilance, trouble sleeping, flashbacks, emotional numbness, irritability, and a sense of being disconnected from the life you are living. My work focuses on helping your nervous system come back to a baseline where you can think clearly, feel present, and stop reacting to threats that are no longer there. I draw on trauma-focused CBT, mindfulness, somatic work, and grounding techniques. You can read more about my general approach on my trauma therapy page.
We go at your pace. Trauma work is not about reliving the worst moments of your life. It is about reducing the power those moments have over you right now. Some clients need to talk through what happened in detail. Others need to focus more on their physical responses and daily coping. I follow your lead and adjust as we go.
Who I Work With
Children (8+)
Teens
Adults
Seniors
Frequently Asked Questions About Trauma Therapy in West Hills
I work with people who have experienced a wide range of traumatic events, including accidents, assault, childhood abuse, domestic violence, the sudden loss of a loved one, witnessing violence, and other overwhelming experiences. I treat both single-event trauma and trauma that built up over time. Sessions are shaped around what you are actually dealing with.
It is never too late. Trauma does not follow a timeline. Many people push through the immediate aftermath and only realize later that they are still carrying the effects. Nightmares, hypervigilance, difficulty feeling safe, and emotional numbness can all be signs that unresolved trauma is still active. Therapy can help even years after the original event.
Trauma therapy is designed to address the way overwhelming experiences get stored in the brain and body. After a traumatic event, your nervous system can get stuck in a state of high alert that affects everything from your sleep to your relationships. The work I do with trauma clients addresses those responses directly, not just the story of what happened. The goal is to loosen the grip the experience has on you so you can function and feel like yourself again.
Yes. I work with children ages 8 and up, as well as teens, who have experienced trauma. Children process trauma differently than adults, and their distress often shows up as behavioral changes, regression, clinginess, or trouble at school. I use age-appropriate methods to help them make sense of what happened and rebuild their sense of safety.
Yes. I offer secure video sessions to anyone located in California. Many people prefer virtual sessions for trauma work because it lets them stay in a familiar, comfortable space during what can be intense conversations. We can decide together whether in-person or virtual feels safer for you.
In-Person and Virtual Trauma Therapy Near West Hills
My office in Agoura Hills, CA 91301 is an easy drive for in-person trauma therapy near West Hills. I also see clients from neighboring communities, including Woodland Hills, CA, Calabasas, CA, and Canoga Park, CA. Virtual sessions are available to anyone located anywhere in California.
You do not have to keep carrying this alone. Schedule a complimentary phone consultation and we can talk about what you are dealing with and what the next step might look like.