What Trauma-Focused Therapy Means
It means a treatment that works directly on the traumatic memory and what it has done to how you think and react, rather than working around it. The VA and Department of Defense clinical practice guideline recommends three of them by name as individual manualized trauma-focused psychotherapies: cognitive processing therapy, EMDR and prolonged exposure. That recommendation carries the guideline’s strongest strength rating, “Strong for”.1 Sol delivers EMDR across three levels of care in Riverside.
Manualized means the therapy follows a defined protocol rather than being assembled session by session. That structure is a big part of why these three have been studied so well.
Trauma-informed Is Not the Same as Trauma Therapy
These two phrases sound alike, and it helps to know the difference when you are choosing a program.
Trauma-informed describes how a service is run. Staff who understand what trauma does, a building and a set of procedures that do not re-create it, not being asked to repeat your history to five different people. It is a standard of care rather than a treatment.
Trauma-focused therapy is a treatment with a protocol, a course length and research behind it.
A program can be trauma-informed without offering trauma-focused therapy, and many good services work that way. At Sol, we offer both: a trauma-informed setting and EMDR as a trauma-focused therapy.
The Protocols With the Strongest Backing, and What Runs Here
From the VA and Department of Defense 2023 clinical practice guideline for PTSD, which rates treatments on a five-point scale: Strong for, Weak for, Neither for nor against, Weak against, Strong against.1
| Protocol | Guideline rating | Available at Sol |
|---|---|---|
| EMDR | Strong for1 | Yes, delivered by an EMDRIA Certified Therapist |
| Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) | Strong for1 | No |
| Prolonged exposure (PE) | Strong for1 | No |
| Somatic experiencing | Neither for nor against, on insufficient evidence2 | Offered as supporting work, not as the treatment |
| DBT | Neither for nor against1 | Skills groups run here, and not as a PTSD treatment |
Sol offers EMDR, one of the three top-rated protocols. If cognitive processing therapy or prolonged exposure is specifically what you want, our admissions team will let you know on your first call. For context, the VA states that cognitive processing therapy usually takes 12 weekly sessions, so treatment lasts about 3 months, and that most of these therapies run about that long.3
What Sits Around the Trauma Work
The trauma-focused therapy is the heart of the work. The rest of the week offers support and steadiness around it.
Somatic work is offered here for women who find body-based sessions easier to use than talking ones. The VA and Department of Defense guideline places somatic experiencing in its “neither for nor against” category on insufficient evidence, and research on it is still limited.2 We offer it because there is no demonstrated harm, because some women prefer it, and because it can be a gentle way into treatment, which is close to the VA’s own reasoning.4 It supports the trauma work rather than replacing it.
DBT skills groups give you something to do when the week gets loud. The same guideline is neither for nor against DBT for PTSD, so the skills are offered for what they are rather than as trauma treatment.
CBT runs throughout the program, and every therapist here is trained in it.
Medication management is included for every client, with weekly psychiatry visits.
When Trauma Work Starts, and When It Does Not
Trauma work does not always begin in the first week, and that is a thoughtful choice rather than a delay.
Trauma-focused protocols ask a lot of a person. Where someone is very early in stabilizing, or where substance use is active enough that the week is unpredictable, a clinician will often build other work first and start the protocol when it can actually be completed. It is usually gentler to start a trauma therapy a little later than to start and stop.
If that happens, it is a decision about timing, never a refusal or a judgment about you. You are always welcome to ask what needs to be in place before it begins.
Why This Sits in a Women-Only Program
The Office on Women’s Health reports that women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD in their lifetimes, that about one woman in ten will develop it at some point, and that women with PTSD are more likely than men with PTSD to have been physically or sexually attacked. Among women who are raped, about half develop PTSD.5
The VA’s prevalence figures put lifetime PTSD at 8.0% for women and 4.1% for men.6
These figures are why we designed a program around women. They do not mean therapy works better in women. The VA notes one meta-analysis suggesting women may experience greater short-term reductions in PTSD symptoms after trauma-focused treatment, and treats that finding with caution.6
Beyond the statistics, for a woman whose trauma involved men, doing this work in a women-only setting can feel very different, and often safer.
Where to Go Next
| If you are looking for | Go to |
|---|---|
| The protocol itself | EMDR |
| What PTSD is and how it is treated | PTSD |
| Trauma that started in childhood | Childhood trauma |
| A program built around trauma | Trauma-targeted program |
| Trauma alongside substance use | Co-occurring disorders |
| Everything else we use | Therapies |
Starting Treatment
1
Call or Send Your Insurance Details
Admissions answers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
2
Assessment
A clinician works out which level of care fits and when trauma-focused work should begin.
3
Verify Your Insurance
We contact your plan and walk you through your benefits.
4
Start Date
Set around what your week can hold.
On your first call, any questions about trauma are simple yes or no questions, and you will not be asked for details. Your clinical assessment afterward is with a female clinician.
In crisis right now? Call or text 988.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our admissions line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (951) 972-5085.
What Is the Most Effective Trauma Therapy?
The VA and Department of Defense guideline gives its strongest rating to three, together rather than ranked: cognitive processing therapy, EMDR and prolonged exposure, delivered individually and following a manual. Sol delivers EMDR. It does not offer cognitive processing therapy or prolonged exposure.
What Is the Difference Between Trauma-Informed and Trauma Therapy?
Trauma-informed describes how a service is run, with staff and procedures that understand trauma and do not re-create it. Trauma-focused therapy is an actual treatment with a protocol and research behind it. A program can be one without the other. Sol offers both.
Do You Offer CPT or Prolonged Exposure?
Not at this time. Sol’s therapists are trained in CBT and run CBT groups, and EMDR is delivered by Fabiola Pacheco, MSW, LCSW, an EMDRIA Certified Therapist. Cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure are not offered here, and our admissions team will let you know on your first call if one of them is what you need.
How Long Does Trauma Therapy Take?
The VA states cognitive processing therapy usually takes 12 weekly sessions, so about three months, and that most of these therapies last about that long. EMDR is typically delivered in weekly sessions of up to 90 minutes over approximately three months.
Is Somatic Therapy a Trauma Treatment?
Not a first-line one. The VA and Department of Defense guideline places somatic experiencing in its “neither for nor against” category on insufficient evidence, and research on it is still limited. It is offered here as supporting work alongside the trauma treatment, because there is no demonstrated harm and some women find it helpful.
Will I Have to Describe What Happened?
It depends which therapy. In EMDR the VA states that in most cases you will not be asked to talk about the details, though you do bring the memory to mind. On your first call, you will not be asked to describe anything.
What If I Am Not Ready for Trauma Work Yet?
It can wait, and that is a normal clinical decision rather than a problem. Trauma therapies ask a lot, so your clinician may build other support first. You are always welcome to ask what needs to be in place before it begins.
Does Insurance Cover Trauma Therapy?
It is delivered as part of your program rather than billed separately, so what matters is how your plan covers your level of care. Sol accepts most major insurance plans, including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, CareFirst, Cigna, UC SHIP and UnitedHealthcare. Sol can often work with HMO policies through a single case agreement. Sol does not accept Medi-Cal, Medicaid, Medicare, Molina, IEHP, Kaiser, TRICARE or TriWest. Every plan is different, so the quickest way to know is to verify your insurance. Our admissions team responds within 24 hours.
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Ask Us Which Trauma Therapies We Offer
It is a welcome question, and we are always glad to answer it.
4175 Brockton Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501
Confidential. You will not be asked for your history on the phone.
Sources6
- 1.US Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder, 2023, Recommendations 8, 10 and 27. https://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/MH/ptsd/
- 2.US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) for PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/complementary_alternative_for_ptsd.asp
- 3.US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD and Talk Therapy. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/cognitive_processing.asp and https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/talk_therapy.asp
- 4.US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) for PTSD, on applying these practices for people who prefer them. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/complementary_alternative_for_ptsd.asp
- 5.Office on Women’s Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. Post-traumatic stress disorder. https://womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder
- 6.US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Research on Women, Trauma, and PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/specific/ptsd_research_women.asp
Medical Disclaimer
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Whether trauma-focused therapy is appropriate for any individual, and when it should begin, is a clinical judgment made at assessment. Sol Women’s Treatment delivers EMDR and does not offer cognitive processing therapy or prolonged exposure. Sol is certified by the California Department of Health Care Services for outpatient and intensive outpatient services, certification 330246AP, and licensed by the California Department of Social Services, facility 331881576, and does not provide detox, inpatient or residential care. No two women respond identically and nothing here promises a result. In a medical emergency call 911. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.