For the people who run toward it
Trauma therapy for veterans, first responders, and healthcare workers, in online sessions across Arizona.
Who this is for
Veterans and First Responders
This page is for veterans, first responders, and healthcare professionals who have spent their lives showing up for others, often in moments of crisis, uncertainty, and trauma. Your work may have required you to stay focused, manage intense situations, and keep moving forward when others were counting on you. But what you experience doesn't always stay at work. The stress, memories, and responsibility can follow you home, affecting your sleep, relationships, sense of safety, and ability to truly relax.
You may find yourself thinking, "I can't get my mind and body to calm down." Maybe you feel constantly on alert, emotionally exhausted, disconnected from the people you care about, or unsure how to leave work behind. Sometimes it is a personal decision to reach out. Other times, someone who cares about you notices what you have been carrying. Both are meaningful places to begin.
What we work on
What clients bring to sessions
- Calls, deployments, or shifts that replay at night
- Staying on alert in restaurants, traffic, or crowds
- Anger that shows up faster than it used to
- Drinking or working more to keep things quiet
- Moral injury: what you did, saw, or could not stop
How We Work With Trauma & High-Stress Experiences
At a Pace That Meets You Where You Are
We understand that asking for support can feel unfamiliar, especially when you are accustomed to being the person others depend on. You don't have to explain everything you've experienced or have the right words to begin. We start by understanding what life looks like for you now and identifying what would help you feel more grounded, rested, and connected in your everyday life.
Together, we build practical tools to help regulate your nervous system, manage overwhelming emotions, improve sleep, and navigate the impact of stress and trauma on your relationships and daily life. DBT skills, somatic therapy, and mindfulness-based practices can help you recognize your body's responses and develop ways to find greater stability, even within the demands of shift work and unpredictable schedules.
When you feel ready, approaches such as EMDR and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) may help you process the impact of difficult calls, critical incidents, and experiences that continue to stay with you. You never have to share more than you are ready to, and healing does not require you to revisit everything all at once.
Our goal is to help you reconnect with yourself and the people who matter to you, while building tools for a life that feels more manageable, meaningful, and your own.
Sessions
55 Minutes, Online Sessions
Shift work makes a set time hard. We look for a schedule you can keep, and video means no commute after a long shift.
Sessions are typically scheduled once or twice weekly, with timing agreed together. Sessions are held as online sessions anywhere in Arizona, in English or Swahili.
What can shift
Clients in these roles often notice small changes first: falling asleep without the TV on, sitting in a restaurant without tracking every exit, being present at a kid's game. The skills that got you through the job stay with you, with less of the cost at home.
Community Partner: After Watch Foundation
Smiles Trauma Recovery is proud to partner with After Watch Foundation, an Arizona nonprofit built by first responders, for first responders, supporting those living with PTSD and their families.
Visit After Watch FoundationConsult and insurance
Start with a free 15 minute call
If you are unsure, a free 15 minute phone consultation lets you ask direct questions first. Send the request form and Lisa confirms a time.
- In network with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, and UnitedHealthcare.
- Superbills for out of network plans.
- Intake / assessment session: $220. Ongoing sessions (55 minutes): $160.
- Sliding scale is available for those who qualify. Ask us about our sliding scale when you reach out.
- Please give 24 hour notice to cancel, or the full session fee applies.
Questions
Common questions
Do I have to talk about specific calls?
Not at first, and not in full detail unless you want to. Therapy begins with safety and connection, then moves toward the memories when you choose.
Which insurance do you take?
We are in network with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, and UnitedHealthcare, and we provide superbills for out of network plans.
My spouse thinks I should come. I am not sure.
The free 15 minute consultation is a low pressure way to ask questions. You can decide afterward.
