Tracy Trefethen

Attachment Theory

My Masters in Clinician Mental Health and ongoing post-Masters intensive trainings feature a fundamental understanding of how our childhood attachment relationships profoundly shape our sense of self, others and the world. I am currently participating in an 18 month training intensive that focuses primarily on supporting clients to repair and transform their childhood attachment wounds.

Sensorimotor

I am an advanced student of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a body-centered approach to trauma and attachment repair. I am certified as Level 1 practitioner, and am currently completing Level 2. Clients report that this method mixes quite well with more traditional talk therapy approaches and works deeply to resolve long held emotional response patterns.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

I recently completed a year-long internship at the Portland Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Institute. My training includes intensive instruction from several of the most highly regarded international DBT trainers, including approaches to healing substance abuse, eating disorders, and trauma/PTSD.

Women's Issues

Midway throug midlife, I have rich, first hand experience as a woman with many of the issues women face and embrace today. From exploring identity, sexuality, body-image, consent, harassment, to self-esteem, parenthood, single parenthood, aging and menopause, and more. 11 years as a Waldorf high school teacher also give me important insight and skill for working with female youth and young adults.

Relationship / Marriage Issues

Being in close relationships often brings us the most joyful and yet challenging/hurtful experiences we may ever have. Many of us have big expectations, yet little training--high hopes yet heavy baggage from the past. Good relationships require skills that can be learned. I use Emotionally Focused Therapy combined with somatic-based approaches so couples may deepen love and connection.

PTSD

I have worked intensively for several years to identify and treat the many symptoms and effects of trauma. My training includes a year-long DBT intensive at the Portland DBT Institute, and completion of Level 1 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 2 to complete in 2019). Both are proven cutting-edge approaches for successfully treating PTSD and chronic complex childhood trauma.

Anxiety

Using tools and approaches from my special training in mindfulness and somatic-based approaches, I have supported many clients to gain the skills needed to reduce and even eliminate the overwhelming feeling of anxiety. To treat anxiety, I often draw specifically from proven techniques found in CBT, DBT, and Sensorimotor psychotherapy approaches, and will soon be learning EMDR.

Depression

Depression effects each of us differently. Using special training in mindfulness and somatic based approaches, I work first to support clients to strengthen and broaden their inner and outer resources. Many clients I see have remarked that the tools of self-compassion have been especially helpful for reducing depression. If trauma treatment is needed, healing trauma can resolve depression.