Trauma and PTSD Therapy in Brandon, Mississippi
Evidence-Based Trauma Therapy in Mississippi: Reclaim Your Story
How Trauma and PTSD Impact Your Present Life
Trauma is an event or series of events that were overwhelming in a way that changed how you view yourself and the world forever. These events made you feel powerless in a way that you never want to feel again. Sometimes your reaction to these events in your present life shows up in the form of intrusive memories, feeling very upset when something reminds you of the trauma, and feeling like you are re-experiencing the trauma. For some people, your reaction looks like repeating destructive patterns, toxic dynamics, or risky behaviors. All of these symptoms, even though they look very different on the outside, could be your attempt to feel safe and in control again. You are likely safe now, but the trauma could still be exerting a lot of control over your life.
What Does Trauma Integration Mean?
Healing from trauma comes via integrating your trauma story into your story. Integration means looking at the entire story, accepting that the event is over, and realizing those old defense mechanisms are no longer required to keep you safe. It means no longer reacting against the trauma via avoidance of anything that reminds you of it and no longer re-enacting the trauma by staging it over and over again in your life but looking for a different ending.
“We either know, understand, and accept our stories, or our stories live us.”
— Byron Kehler
The Power of Writing to Heal Trauma
The beginning of healing happens when you can face the details of your story, put it in its proper place and context, share it without shame, and honestly and intelligently consider its impact on your life. Telling your story out loud to another person is one great way to do this, but your brain processes things in a different way when you write things down on paper. This is a practice that has been lost in our digital world. By externalizing the story onto paper, you fully face and analyze the trauma in a more structured, orderly, and complete way than you can achieve by telling your story out loud. Extensive research shows that there is power in repeatedly using pen and paper to tell your story.
“People who wrote about traumatic experiences talked more with others, laughed more easily and often, and used more positive emotion words in the weeks afterward. Writing seemed to make people more socially comfortable—better listeners, talkers, and indeed better friends and partners.”
— Expressive Writing: Words That Heal by James W. Pennebaker
Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a rigorously developed evidence-based trauma therapy that doesn’t involve homework, only requires a handful of sessions, and has very similar positive outcomes as other evidence-based treatments like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), EMDR, and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). This treatment, combined with working out of what you learned by going through the process, can help you take the pen away from the trauma, put that part of your story where it belongs, and start writing your own story. You can break the cycle of being trapped in a compulsory loop of reacting against or re-enacting the past looking for a sense of safety and validation, but you must know your wounds and your story in order to make this decision.
Randomized Controlled Trials Comparing Written Exposure Therapy to Prolonged Exposure and Prolonged Exposure to EMDR:
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/articles/article-pdf/id1624550.pdf
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25607833/
Ready to Get Started?
Are you ready to make a positive change via working with one of our therapists using evidence-based treatment for trauma and PTSD? Use the button below to reach out to us or call or text us at 601-790-0250. We look forward to hearing from you.
The Problem
Isn't You.
It's the Anxiety.
We provide the relatable, evidence-based OCD and Anxiety treatment to help you master your anxious mind.
You can move from fear and uncertainty to confidence and strength.
Be more present for the people and activities you love.
Tyler Slay, LPC founded this clinic to provide Mississippi families with more access to specialized care for Anxiety and OCD. We combine high quality evidence-based treatment with the local values.
Your Simple 3-Step Plan to Connect with a Specialist:
Tell Us About Your Needs.
Fill out our simple and confidential form below.
1
We'll Find Your Perfect Match.
We'll call you and match you with one of our clinicians.
2
Start Your Journey.
Begin therapy and put anxiety in its place.
3
Therapy For Adults, Teens, and Kids
Stress & Burnout
Social Anxiety
Perfectionism
Postpartum Anxiety
Phobias (Social phobia, Emetophobia, Fear of Flying, etc.)
Trauma and PTSD
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) - Skin Picking and Hair Pulling Disorders
Sleep Difficulties and Insomnia
We’re Here For You
When you or a loved one is struggling, you hope to find help that is Specialized, Evidence-Based, and Local.
Specialized: We focus on anxiety and OCD-related struggles. By narrowing our scope, we focus our training, reading, and clinical skills on helping you get better faster and achieving the most lasting recovery possible.
Evidence-Based: Some mental health struggles respond best to specific treatments rather than just talk therapy. We believe Mississippians deserve the same access to these gold-standard treatments as everyone else in the country.
Local Values: We raise our kids here, are members of local churches, and are invested in our community. Effective therapy requires trust and relatability, not just expertise. You’ll find both here.
Let’s Get Started. Recovery is Possible.
All information is confidential and will only be used to connect you with a provider.
**Important Notice: Email addresses, forms, or phone numbers listed on this website are Not Monitored for emergencies, crises, or urgent situations.If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, in a crisis, or require immediate mental health assistance, it is imperative that you seek help immediately.For immediate support in the United States, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Trained professionals are available 24/7 to provide confidential and compassionate assistance.In a life-threatening emergency, please call your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room without delay.Accepting These Major Insurances
Contact us for private pay rates.
We offer counseling both online and in-person via telehealth in Mississippi.
We’re Here
For You
Our Experience: We’ve Been Where You Are
We have been where you are now: searching for help with anxiety and overthinking that isn’t getting better on its own, but not knowing who to trust. Finding help in the maze of mental health directories was a confusing, stressful process.
At our clinic, we specialize in the evidence-based care you are looking for if you or a loved one is struggling with anxiety, stress, OCD, and OCD-related disorders.
Our Expertise: Specialized Treatment
Whether you know you have OCD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, or PTSD—or you just know that you are feeling stressed and burnt out and need some help understanding why—we would love to help you make sense of your struggle and give you a plan to feel more like yourself.
We believe that a right understanding of why you’re struggling, combined with the right treatment plan, can help you recover both more quickly and more fully. Our goal is for you to achieve long-term symptom relief by changing your habits and the way you relate to your mind and your story, not just receiving short-term reassurance.
Evidence-Based Clinical Approach
Anxiety, OCD-related disorders, and trauma respond well to evidence-based treatments such as:
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD
Trauma Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
Chronic stress and burnout don’t have to be the norm. You can get better if you are ready to work on the thoughts, behaviors, and past experiences that are driving these patterns and causing difficult emotions. We also integrate attachment theory research and the way our childhood family dynamics impact us later in life. We alter our approach with these treatments based on clients’ unique needs, but we stay rooted in practices that have a strong research base behind them.
Aligned With Your Values
For those who are interested, we love to integrate Christian counseling with evidence-based treatment. If that’s not you, then we are more than happy to work with you without discussing faith. We’ll meet you where you’re at because our priority is that you find relief.
Improving Healthcare Access in Mississippi
Mississippi has a lot of great mental healthcare providers, but they’re difficult to navigate. We are the first clinic in our state to focus primarily on OCD and anxiety disorders. Most states and metros have clinics dedicated to these issues specifically, and we want our citizens to have clear access to similar resources as the rest of the country.
Professional Training & Trust
We focus our time, energy, and training on helping adults, teens, and kids with anxiety and OCD find peace and re-engage with the things that these struggles have taken away from them. Our clinicians have trained through some of these well-known organizations and more:
International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
NOCD
Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA)
We’re so glad you found us, and we hope to walk the journey towards confidence and strength with you.
Our Office in Brandon, Mississippi
We are located at 100 Highpointe Dr., Suite D, Brandon, MS 39042. Our offices have their own dedicated entry, waiting area, and restroom for your comfort and convenience.
Proximity to major landmarks:
10 minutes from Jackson International Airport, Brandon High School, and Pearl High School.
15 minutes from Hartfield Academy, Northwest Rankin, River Oaks Hospital, Jackson Prep, and Pinelake Church Reservoir.
25 minutes from Mississippi College, Jackson Academy, and Madison Central.
Online Therapy via Telehealth
We work with clients all over the state of Mississippi, including Southaven, Oxford, Tupelo, Starkville, Meridian, Hattiesburg, Gulfport, and Vicksburg. Telehealth can be especially helpful for anxiety because we can work in your home where your real-life triggers occur and we can have sessions that are convenient for you.
For younger kids, we often see parents and children together because the cycle of anxiety needs to be addressed in the whole family. If you are struggling with OCD or an anxiety disorder that isn’t going away easily, we are here for you and your family.
How Much Does Therapy Cost?
We are currently accepting the following insurances:
Blue Cross Blue Shield / Anthem
Aetna
UMR / United Healthcare
Tricare
Please contact us to determine your specific out-of-pocket costs.
Sliding Scale: If you do not have insurance, please contact us for income-based sliding scale rates. As part of our commitment to bringing specialized services to Mississippi, we work to provide therapy to some clients who do not currently have the financial means. Please reach out to start a conversation.
As if going on that first half journey of establishing a life and some belief in your abilities isn’t hard and harsh enough, there’s a transition you have to make just as you’re starting to feel confident. The second half of your life comes after you’ve built something and tasted some success via adaptation to the world and realized that it couldn’t satisfy you - if you’re willing to slow down enough to feel it and admit it.