Compassionate, Evidence-Based Trauma Therapy to Help You Heal
Whether you’re struggling with PTSD, childhood trauma, or recent traumatic events, Candace Peterson, LCSW, offers specialized trauma therapy in Salt Lake City. With over 20 years of experience, she provides expert, trauma-informed care to help you process difficult memories and reclaim your sense of safety and peace.
“I’ve been seeing Ed for over two years and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made for my mental and emotional well-being. He’s helped me navigate tough seasons with clarity and compassion. Our work hasn’t just been about getting through hard moments—it’s been about building tools I can use anytime. I feel more grounded, self aware and better prepared for whatever comes next.”
– Ashley D.
What is Trauma Therapy?
Trauma therapy is a specialized form of mental health treatment designed to help individuals process and heal from traumatic experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, trauma therapists use evidence-based techniques specifically developed to address how trauma affects the brain, body, and nervous system.
At Peterson Family Therapy, we understand that trauma isn’t just about what happened to you—it’s about how those experiences continue to impact your life today. Trauma therapy helps you make sense of fragmented memories, reduce distressing symptoms, and ultimately reclaim your sense of safety and control.
Trauma-informed therapy recognizes that the healing process itself can be triggering. That’s why our approach always begins with building your toolkit of coping strategies before diving into deeper therapeutic work. This ensures you have the resources to stay grounded and calm as we work through difficult memories together.
What Trauma Therapy Addresses
Trauma affects every aspect of your being—emotional, psychological, physical, and relational. Our trauma therapy in Salt Lake City addresses:
Emotional & Psychological Symptoms
Anxiety, depression, fear, guilt, shame, anger, hopelessness, panic attacks, and flashbacks are all common responses to trauma. These aren’t signs of weakness—they’re your brain’s attempt to protect you from overwhelming pain.
Behavioral Issues
Trauma often leads to coping mechanisms that provided short-term relief but create long-term problems: self-harm, addiction, avoidance of people or places, relationship difficulties, and self-destructive patterns. In therapy, we work to understand these behaviors and develop healthier alternatives.
Cognitive Distortions
Trauma can shatter your beliefs about yourself, others, and the world. Thoughts like “I am worthless,” “I should have prevented it,” or “The world isn’t safe” are stuck points that keep you trapped in the trauma cycle. We help you identify and challenge these distorted beliefs.
Physical Manifestations
Your body remembers trauma even when your conscious mind tries to forget. Nervous system dysregulation can show up as shaking, heart palpitations, hyperarousal, chronic tension, digestive issues, or dissociation. Trauma therapy helps regulate your nervous system and reduce these physical symptoms.
Core Sense of Self
Trauma can damage your self-esteem, disrupt your sense of identity, make it difficult to trust others, and shatter your fundamental sense of safety in the world. Through therapy, you can rebuild a stronger, more resilient sense of who you are.
Traumatic Memories
The goal isn’t to erase traumatic memories—that’s not possible. Instead, we work to reprocess these memories so they become less intrusive, less overwhelming, and more manageable. The memories remain, but they lose their power over you.
Meet Your Therapist
Candace Peterson, LCSW
Candace brings over 20 years of mental health experience and specialized trauma therapy training from her five years working with veterans at the VA. Her compassionate yet direct approach creates safety while guiding clients toward meaningful growth. Candace specializes in trauma treatment, religious trauma, PTSD therapy, crisis intervention, and helping individuals navigate complex identity and faith issues.
“Every person has an incredible capacity for healing and growth. I’m honored to walk alongside my clients as they uncover their authentic selves and learn to navigate life’s challenges with greater confidence and peace.”
Types of Trauma Therapy
At Peterson Family Therapy, Candace Peterson specializes in several evidence-based trauma therapy approaches:
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
CPT is one of the most effective treatments for PTSD, with extensive research supporting its use. During Candace’s five years working with veterans at the VA, she received specialized training in CPT. This makes her one of the most experienced PTSD therapists in Salt Lake City. This structured approach helps you understand how trauma has affected your beliefs about yourself and the world, identify and challenge stuck points, process traumatic memories in a safe environment, and develop healthier ways of thinking about what happened.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps you develop psychological flexibility—the ability to stay present with difficult thoughts and feelings without being controlled by them. Rather than fighting against painful memories, you learn to accept them while committing to actions aligned with your values.
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)
EFIT applies the principles of attachment science to individual healing. This approach helps you understand and process the emotions underlying your trauma responses, work through attachment injuries, and develop more secure ways of relating to yourself and others.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you identify and change negative thought patterns that developed as a result of trauma. By examining the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, you can develop healthier ways of responding to trauma triggers and reduce distressing symptoms.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT provides concrete skills for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress, and improving relationships. For trauma survivors who struggle with emotional regulation, DBT offers practical tools for staying grounded in difficult moments.
Mind Body Bridging (MBB)
This approach recognizes the connection between your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, helping you reduce the physical manifestations of trauma and calm your nervous system.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS helps you understand the different “parts” of yourself that developed in response to trauma. By working with these parts compassionately, you can heal internal conflicts and move toward wholeness.
Trauma-Informed Mindfulness
Mindfulness practices adapted specifically for trauma survivors help you stay grounded in the present moment rather than being pulled back into traumatic memories. These techniques build your capacity to observe thoughts and feelings without being overwhelmed by them.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
MI helps you explore and resolve ambivalence about change. For trauma survivors who feel stuck between wanting to heal and fearing the process, MI provides a supportive framework for moving forward at your own pace.
Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention
Early in her career, Candace worked as a coordinator of volunteers at a suicide and crisis hotline. This experience, combined with her extensive trauma training, means she’s equipped to provide support during acute crisis situations while working toward long-term healing.
Spirituality-Informed Approaches
For clients who find meaning and support in their spiritual beliefs, Candace can integrate spiritually-informed approaches into trauma therapy. This honors the whole person and recognizes that healing can occur on multiple levels.
Our approach is integrative—we draw from multiple modalities to create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and healing journey. Not every approach works for every person, and that’s okay. Together, we’ll find what works best for you.
How Trauma Therapy Helps
Many people struggle with trauma for years because traumatic memories are stored differently in the brain than regular memories. These memories are often fragmented, overwhelming, and difficult to process consciously. You don’t always have control over how you feel about the experience, making it difficult to cope with emotions and progress in healing.
Integration and Understanding
Trauma therapy helps you integrate traumatic events and understand them, enabling you to begin the healing process. Think of trauma as broken glass scattered everywhere—your brain desperately tries to make sense of the pieces through flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance. Therapy helps you put those pieces back together into a coherent narrative.
Changing Thoughts and Responses
PTSD therapy and other trauma-focused approaches help you change your thoughts and responses to emotions, teaching you how to manage feelings and progress effectively on your healing journey. The memories don’t disappear, but they have less power over you and your emotions.
Building Your Coping Toolkit
The first step in trauma therapy is always providing you with tools: education about trauma and its effects, mindfulness techniques, grounding exercises, connection strategies, and resources for self-care. These tools help you stay calm and grounded during the therapeutic process and in daily life.
Processing Stuck Points
We work to understand the “stuck points”—those persistent thoughts and feelings like “what if,” “should have,” and “if only” that keep you up at night and prevent you from moving forward. These aren’t just negative thinking patterns; they’re your brain’s attempt to solve an unsolvable puzzle.
Reducing Shame and Guilt
Shame and guilt often accompany trauma, feeding the cycle of distress. When you believe you’re somehow responsible for what happened, it creates additional emotional wounds. Therapy helps you understand that your brain’s response to trauma is normal and adaptive—it was trying to protect you.
No One-Size-Fits-All Approach
There’s no single “right way” to heal from trauma. Each intervention has its strengths, and we’ll work together to find what works best for you. The goal is helping you learn to think more effectively about your emotions and experiences.
When to Seek Trauma Therapy
Many people struggle with trauma for years because traumatic memories are stored differently in the brain than regular memories. These memories are often fragmented, overwhelming, and difficult to process consciously. You don’t always have control over how you feel about the experience, making it difficult to cope with emotions and progress in healing.
Integration and Understanding
Trauma therapy helps you integrate traumatic events and understand them, enabling you to begin the healing process. Think of trauma as broken glass scattered everywhere—your brain desperately tries to make sense of the pieces through flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance. Therapy helps you put those pieces back together into a coherent narrative.
Changing Thoughts and Responses
PTSD therapy and other trauma-focused approaches help you change your thoughts and responses to emotions, teaching you how to manage feelings and progress effectively on your healing journey. The memories don’t disappear, but they have less power over you and your emotions.
Building Your Coping Toolkit
The first step in trauma therapy is always providing you with tools: education about trauma and its effects, mindfulness techniques, grounding exercises, connection strategies, and resources for self-care. These tools help you stay calm and grounded during the therapeutic process and in daily life.
Processing Stuck Points
We work to understand the “stuck points”—those persistent thoughts and feelings like “what if,” “should have,” and “if only” that keep you up at night and prevent you from moving forward. These aren’t just negative thinking patterns; they’re your brain’s attempt to solve an unsolvable puzzle.
Reducing Shame and Guilt
Shame and guilt often accompany trauma, feeding the cycle of distress. When you believe you’re somehow responsible for what happened, it creates additional emotional wounds. Therapy helps you understand that your brain’s response to trauma is normal and adaptive—it was trying to protect you.
No One-Size-Fits-All Approach
There’s no single “right way” to heal from trauma. Each intervention has its strengths, and we’ll work together to find what works best for you. The goal is helping you learn to think more effectively about your emotions and experiences.
Ready to Begin Your Healing Journey?
If you’re struggling with trauma or PTSD, you don’t have to face it alone. Candace Peterson, LCSW, brings over 20 years of mental health experience and specialized training in trauma therapy to help you move from surviving to truly living.
Fill out the form below, or call (801) 528-7719 to schedule a consultation and learn how trauma therapy can support your healing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between trauma therapy and regular therapy?
Trauma therapy and PTSD treatment use specialized techniques designed specifically to address how trauma affects the brain, body, and nervous system. Trauma-informed therapists understand that the healing process itself can be triggering and take extra care to ensure you feel safe and grounded throughout treatment. We start by building coping skills before processing difficult memories.
How long does trauma therapy take?
The timeline varies based on the nature of your trauma, your symptoms, and your personal healing journey. Some evidence-based trauma therapies like CPT follow a structured 12-session format, while other approaches are more open-ended. We’ll discuss your specific situation and goals during your initial consultation.
Will I have to talk about every detail of what happened?
Not necessarily. While processing traumatic memories is often part of healing, you’re always in control of what you share and when. Some trauma therapy approaches focus more on changing how you respond to memories rather than recounting every detail. We move at your pace and only when you feel ready.
Can trauma therapy help with childhood trauma?
Absolutely. Many people seek trauma therapy decades after their traumatic experiences. It’s never too late to heal. Whether your trauma occurred in childhood, during military service, or more recently, trauma-informed therapy can help you process these experiences and reduce their impact on your current life.
What if I’m not sure I have PTSD?
You don’t need a PTSD diagnosis to benefit from trauma therapy. If you’ve experienced traumatic events that continue to affect your life, trauma therapy can help regardless of whether you meet full diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
Will trauma therapy make me relive the trauma?
Trauma therapy is designed to help you process memories safely, not to traumatize you further. Before working with difficult memories, we build your toolkit of grounding and coping strategies. If you become overwhelmed during a session, we’ll use these tools to help you regulate your nervous system and feel safe again.
How do I know if Candace Peterson is the right trauma therapist for me?
The therapeutic relationship is crucial for healing. During your first session, we’ll discuss your experiences, your goals for therapy, and my approach to treatment. This gives you a chance to see if we’re a good fit. You should feel heard, respected, and safe with your therapist.
Does Peterson Family Therapy accept insurance for trauma therapy?
We are currently out-of-network providers but can provide documentation for insurance reimbursement if your plan covers out-of-network mental health services. We also accept HSA and FSA payments. Contact us for specific questions about costs and payment options.
What areas of Salt Lake City does Peterson Family Therapy serve?
Peterson Family Therapy welcomes clients from throughout the Salt Lake Valley and surrounding areas. Our office is conveniently located at 4505 Wasatch Blvd, #260, Salt Lake City, UT 84124. We regularly work with clients from Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Sandy, Millcreek, Cottonwood Heights, Magna, Herriman, and surrounding communities. Whether you’re located close to our office or traveling from elsewhere in the valley, we’re here to provide the trauma therapy and PTSD treatment you need. Contact us to schedule an appointment regardless of where you’re located in the greater Salt Lake area.
About Peterson Family Therapy
Peterson Family Therapy is a family-owned counseling practice in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s operated by Ed and Candace Peterson, life partners with the desire and skill needed to help couples in crisis, individuals suffering from addiction issues, and anyone dealing with depression and anxiety. Peterson Family Therapy is a member of The International Centre For Excellence In Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
Peterson Family Therapy
4505 Wasatch Blvd, #260
Salt Lake City, UT, 84124
(801) 809-7990
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