Trauma-Focused Counseling
At Thrive Mental Health in Swansea, IL, Dr. Jamie Benson provides trauma-focused counseling to help clients heal from painful experiences and restore a sense of safety and wholeness. She believes that recovery begins when you feel truly seen, understood, and supported. In a calm, compassionate setting, you’ll have space to process your story, rebuild trust in yourself, and begin moving toward emotional well-being.
Dr. Benson specializes in helping clients address the lingering effects of trauma, including anxiety, grief, shame, and disconnection. Her approach integrates evidence-based, trauma-informed methods—including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)—to gently explore how past experiences influence present thoughts, emotions, and relationships.
Each session is paced to your comfort level and designed to foster resilience and self-understanding. Therapy is not about revisiting pain for its own sake, but about transforming it into growth, confidence, and renewed connection.
Healing from trauma takes courage, but you don’t have to face it alone. We are here to help you reclaim your voice, rediscover balance, and move forward with strength and clarity—one step at a time.
Click the button below to begin your healing journey.
Learn About Our Modalities
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR Therapy is a trauma-focused approach that helps the brain process and heal from distressing memories. Using guided eye movements or bilateral stimulation, EMDR allows painful experiences to be safely reprocessed so they no longer feel as overwhelming or intrusive. This evidence-based therapy helps reduce symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and emotional distress—empowering clients to feel calmer, more grounded, and in control of their lives.
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Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT)
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy helps partners understand the emotional patterns that create distance and conflict. By identifying underlying needs for connection and security, couples learn to communicate more openly and respond to one another with empathy rather than defensiveness. EFCT strengthens trust and emotional intimacy, helping partners build a secure, lasting bond.
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Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is designed to help children, teens, and families process and heal from traumatic experiences. Through a supportive, structured approach, TF-CBT combines coping skills, gradual exposure, and family involvement to reduce trauma-related stress and restore a sense of safety and confidence.
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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy focuses on how trauma can affect the way we see ourselves, others, and the world. By identifying and challenging unhelpful thoughts that keep people feeling stuck, CPT helps clients reframe painful experiences, reduce symptoms of PTSD, and regain a sense of control and self-compassion.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps individuals understand how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are connected. By identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and learning practical coping strategies, CBT empowers clients to manage anxiety, depression, and stress more effectively while building healthier habits and perspectives.
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Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)
Pain Reprocessing Therapy is a powerful, science-backed approach that helps you change the way your brain interprets chronic pain. Instead of treating pain as a threat, PRT teaches your brain to recognize safety—allowing the pain signals to calm down and lose intensity over time.