Trauma can leave you feeling stuck in the past: on edge, numb, flooded by memories, or disconnected from the people you love. Individual trauma therapy offers a private, paced space to calm your nervous system, process the event, and reclaim your story. Dr. Najmeh Hourmanesh, a licensed psychologist in Millcreek, works with children, teens and adults recovering from single-incident and complex trauma, in English and Farsi.

Is individual trauma therapy right for you?

You don’t need a diagnosis to begin. People often come to therapy when they find themselves having difficulty coping effectively in their daily lives.  They notice:

• Flashbacks, nightmares or intrusive memories
• Feeling constantly on guard, jumpy or unable to relax
• Avoiding places, people or feelings that remind you of what happened
• Emotional numbness, disconnection, or feeling “not real” (dissociation)
• Anxiety, depression, shame or anger that seem out of proportion
• In children: changes in sleep, behavior, play, school performance or regression to earlier habits

Therapy can help after abuse, accidents, medical trauma, loss, war and migration, natural disasters, community violence, and complex PTSD that developed over many years.

What to expect

Treatment is collaborative and moves at your pace. Most clients go through these phases, though not always in a straight line:

1. Assessment. We review your history, current concerns, strengths and goals, including screening for dissociation.
2. Safety and stabilization. We build trust and a shared plan before approaching difficult memories.
3. Skills. You learn grounding, emotional regulation and coping tools you can use between sessions.
4. Processing. We work through traumatic experiences at a developmentally appropriate pace using the approaches below.
5. Integration. We strengthen self-understanding, relationships and daily functioning, review progress and plan for continued support.

Sessions are 55 minutes, in person at our Millcreek office or via telehealth. Adult sessions are $200/hr and child or teen sessions are $175.  Intensive 90 minute sessions are recommended for adults.  We are an out-of-network provider and can give you a superbill for reimbursement (→ Fees & Policies).

Approaches we use

Dr. Hourmanesh tailors treatment to each person, drawing on:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which helps the brain reprocess distressing memories so they lose their emotional charge
• Internal Family Systems (IFS), which works with the different “parts” of you that carry pain or try to protect you
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP), a body-based approach for trauma held as physical tension, numbness or reactivity
• Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), a structured approach especially effective with children and teens
• Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) for young children and their caregivers
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT-Informed), This therapy helps with management of behavioral problems especially those stemming from their traumatic experiences.
• Sand tray and play therapy for children and anyone who finds words hard to reach or inadequate to describe their experiences

Why work with Dr. Hourmanesh

Dr. Hourmanesh holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Utah and is a Licensed Psychologist in Utah (license # 6291992-2501). She is an EMDRIA Certified Consultant and Certified EMDR Therapist, a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, a Level 3 IFS Therapist, and a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and Certified Sand Tray Therapist.  Therefore, she can match the approach to the person rather than the other way around (→ About).

Frequently asked questions

How long does trauma therapy take? It depends on the history and goals. Recovery from a single event may take a few months; complex or childhood trauma usually takes longer. We review progress together regularly.

Will I have to talk about every detail of what happened? No. Approaches like EMDR, IFS and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy do not require a detailed retelling, and nothing is processed until you feel stable and ready.

Do you work with children? Yes. Dr. Hourmanesh sees children, teens, couples, and adults, and adapts therapy to each age using play, sand tray and parent involvement.

Do you take insurance? We are out of network. We provide an invoice you can submit for possible reimbursement; check your out-of-network mental health benefits before your first session.

Is therapy available in Farsi? Yes. All individual services are available in English or Farsi.

Ready to take the first step? Request an appointment online or call (801) 441-8943 to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation.