TRAUMA-FOCUSED CARE

Online Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Trauma often doesn't stay in the past. It can keep surfacing throughout your life, disrupting your sleep, your relationships, and your peace. When past trauma continuously disrupts your life and well-being, it may be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But you don't have to face the disruptive symptoms of PTSD alone. Allswell is a virtual practice offering LGBTQ+ affirming, trauma-focused therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder to clients across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

Book a Free Consult

A yellow origami bird standing under a glass display dome

CONTEXT

What Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after you live through something scary, dangerous, or deeply distressing. That could mean a single event like an assault, or something that stretched over years, like growing up hiding who you are or an abusive relationship. It's your mind and body staying on high alert long after the danger has passed, in a way that starts to interfere with daily life.

Trauma and PTSD are more common in the LGBTQ+ community than the general population. Discrimination, rejection, violence, and the daily weight of minority stress all leave their mark on how you perceive yourself and the world around you. Affirming therapy is designed to identify and heal those wounds, rather than add to the burden you're already carrying. That's why affirming care is so central to what we do at Allswell, whether you identify as LGBTQ+ or not.

Signs You Might Be Dealing With PTSD

Trauma shows up differently for everyone, but you might notice some of these symptoms affecting you:

You relive a difficult experience through flashbacks, intrusive memories, or nightmares.
Certain people, places, or situations make you feel unsafe, so you go out of your way to avoid them.
You feel on edge or easily startled, like you're always bracing for something.
Sleep is hard, whether that's falling asleep, staying asleep, or rest that actually feels restful.
You feel numb, disconnected, or far away from the people and things you care about.
Your mood has shifted toward irritability, guilt, or a sense that the world isn't safe.
You've been avoiding thinking or talking about what happened, even with people you trust.

If some of this feels familiar, it doesn't necessarily mean you have PTSD, but it may be worth talking through it with a therapist.

How PTSD Shows Up in the LGBTQ+ Community

LGBTQ+ people experience PTSD at higher rates than the general population. Studies by the National Center for PTSD found that as many as 48% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and 42% of transgender and gender diverse people meet the criteria for PTSD, compared to roughly 5% of the general population.

Part of what drives this is minority stress, or the ongoing strain of navigating a world that isn't always built with you in mind. That can include identity-based experiences like discrimination, harassment, family rejection, violence, and the exhausting work of deciding when it's safe to be yourself. These experiences are traumatic on their own, and they can compound trauma from other sources.

This is why affirming care matters so much for PTSD. When your therapist already understands minority stress, all of your energy can go toward the actual work of healing.

48%

lesbian, gay & bisexual people meet PTSD criteria

42%

transgender & gender-diverse people meet PTSD criteria

TREATMENT

How Allswell's Online Therapy Can Help Treat PTSD

Allswell offers two types of therapy that can support PTSD recovery: individual therapy and support groups.

Individual therapy gives you one-on-one time with a licensed therapist over secure video.

Support groups connect you with others working through similar experiences, which can ease the isolation that often comes with trauma. Support groups run in 6-week cycles with the same small group each time, building practical skills for managing anxiety, depression, and minority stress.

Trauma care at Allswell goes past trauma-informed to trauma-focused, using structured, evidence-based treatments:

WET

Written Exposure Therapy

WET consists of short, structured writing sessions, where you write through traumatic memories at your own pace. Written exposure therapy may deliver strong results in less time than other trauma treatments, with fewer people dropping out, than longer trauma treatments. This is Allswell's primary approach to PTSD.

CPT

Cognitive Processing Therapy

CPT may help you examine and shift the beliefs trauma can leave behind, like self-blame or the sense that nowhere is safe.

Prolonged Exposure

Prolonged exposure may help you gradually and safely face the memories and situations you've been avoiding, so they lose their power over time.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

In EMDR, you recall a traumatic memory in small doses while your therapist guides you through side-to-side eye movements or other back-and-forth attention cues. Over sessions, this evidence-based approach may help the traumatic memories lose their rawness, so recalling it stops feeling like reliving it.

Your therapist will tailor their approach to you, always within an LGBTQ+ affirming framework.

OUR APPROACH

Allswell's clinical model for PTSD

Affirming care is the ground Allswell works from, but treating PTSD takes more than a safe space. It takes structured, proven methods applied with real skill. Here's how we approach it:

Icon of two hands reaching towards each other on a blue circular background, symbolizing support and connection.

Affirming care is a clinical standard, not a courtesy

The American Psychological Association and WPATH hold affirming care as the professional standard, and Allswell holds every therapist to it. For trauma work, that matters even more than usual. You can't process what happened with someone you don't feel safe with.

Icon of a medical clipboard with a brain illustration and checkboxes, representing mental health assessment and planning.

We go past trauma-informed to trauma-focused

Plenty of practices are careful around trauma. Allswell actually treats it, using structured, evidence-based protocols built to reduce PTSD symptoms rather than just avoid making them worse.

Icon showing a split image of a heart and a brain joined together, symbolizing the balance between emotional support and clinical expertise.

Written Exposure Therapy leads our trauma care

WET is Allswell's primary PTSD protocol. It's a brief, structured approach with stronger results than longer treatments. When it's a better fit, therapists also use other proven trauma methods like Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure.

Icon of a computer screen displaying a video conference with multiple participants, representing group therapy or team collaboration.

We treat what the trauma taught you, not just the event

Trauma tied to your identity can leave you believing that being visible is dangerous or that you're never really safe. Your therapist helps you separate what actually happened from the broader conclusions it pushed you toward. That means you can hold on to the real lessons while loosening the grip of those things that are keeping you stuck.

Icon of a mobile phone showing a person in a video call, representing accessible one-on-one telehealth services.

Trauma work is paced, and it starts only when you're steady

Diving into trauma before you're ready can do real harm. Your therapist builds grounding and regulation skills first and watches for signs of overwhelm throughout. If deeper work destabilizes you, the plan pauses and adjusts.

Progress is measured, and the plan follows the data

You'll complete a brief trauma check-in at intake and at regular points after, and your therapist will review it with you. If your symptoms aren't getting better, that's our signal to change course, not to keep pushing the same approach.

Why Allswell Is Different

Every Allswell therapist is carefully vetted for thorough clinical experience with LGBTQ+ clients and trauma. We look for therapists who are trained in evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches, and who have real experience supporting LGBTQ+ people, including transgender and non-binary clients.

We also believe healing happens in community, not just one-on-one. That's why we offer support groups alongside individual therapy, so you can connect with people who understand what you're navigating.

Paying For Allswell's PTSD Therapy

Allswell accepts both Medicaid and commercial insurance in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Before your first session, our team will verify your benefits and give you a clear estimate of your cost per session.

MEDICAID

Sessions typically fully covered, with no out-of-pocket cost.

COMMERCIAL INSURANCE

$10–25

Most clients pay this per session, depending on their plan.

SELF-PAY

$125–175

$175 for your first session, $125 for ongoing sessions.

If Allswell is out-of-network with your plan, we can provide a superbill that you can submit for possible reimbursement. We accept Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) card payments as well.

Getting Started With Allswell

Book a free consult

Schedule a 15-to-20-minute call with one of our Care Coordinators to talk through what you're looking for and get matched with the right therapist.

Meet your therapist and build your care plan

Your first session is a 60-minute Welcome Session, where you and your therapist get to know each other and shape a plan that fits your goals.

Begin ongoing sessions

From there, you'll meet for 45-minute sessions, usually weekly, and can join a support group if that feels right for you.

Allswell's Reviews and Success Stories

Allswell is a refuge for queer minds, where being understood isn't a privilege but the start.

Since my transition, every talk with family was tense and stressful. At Allswell, I felt heard.

Allswell Client, 26

When I was considering opening a relationship, Allswell was where I felt safe to talk.

Allswell Client, 39

I lost my job and was at a low. Allswell found me a great therapist covered by Medicaid.

Allswell Client, 32

I loved my Allswell experience. I found the community grounding and encouraging.

Allswell Client, 22

I felt safe, connected, and understood. We were dealing with dark, difficult topics.

Allswell Client, 41

I loved having supportive people to talk to who resonated with my struggles.

Allswell Client, 35

Meet Your Therapists Who Specialize in PTSD

When you start with Allswell, you'll be matched with a licensed therapist who has experience treating PTSD and trauma within an affirming framework. You can get to know a few of them below.

Jessye Heyrana

LGPC

•

she/her

•

Maryland, DC

♾️ Neurodiversity

💔 Trauma & PTSD

😰 Anxiety

🏠 Family Relationships

🏢 Career & Work Stress

📱 Dating

🌎 Life Transitions

👐🏾 Racial Identity

🫂 Relationships

Linsey Megrue

LMSW

•

she/they

•

Maryland, Virginia, DC

♾️ Neurodiversity

⚧️ Gender Identity

😔 Depression

😰 Anxiety

🫂 Relationships

💔 Trauma & PTSD

🏳️‍⚧️ Transgender

😌 Self-Esteem

💜 Chronic Illness & Disability

✊ BIPOC

Joi Francis-Johnson

LCPC

•

She/Her

•

Maryland

😰 Anxiety

✊ BIPOC

💔 Trauma & PTSD

👐🏾 Racial Identity

🌎 Life Transitions

🌱 Grief

⚧️ Gender Identity

🏢 Career & Work Stress

😌 Self-Esteem

🏠 Family Relationships

Sakura Pate

MSW, BSW

•

She/ Her

•

Virginia

😰 Anxiety

🫂 Relationships

💔 Trauma & PTSD

🏢 Career & Work Stress

🏠 Family Relationships

🌱 Grief

🌎 Life Transitions

😌 Self-Esteem

😔 Depression

📱 Dating

Book a Free Consult

If you're located in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, you can get started with Allswell today. Book a free consultation with one of our Care Coordinators, and we'll help match you with a therapist who fits your needs, your preferences, and your schedule.

Book Now