Safety first — physical and emotional
Predictable schedules, clear expectations, private spaces, and staff trained to notice when someone is overwhelmed and respond without escalating it.
Trauma-informed care · Arlington, VA
Trauma-informed care in Arlington, Virginia
An approach that assumes trauma may be part of your history and builds the entire program around safety, choice, and predictability — so treatment doesn't recreate the conditions that harmed you.
Trauma-informed care is not a single therapy session. It's how the front desk speaks to you, how groups are structured, how staff respond when you shut down, and how much control you keep over your own care.
What it is
The principles that shape our program
Grounded in SAMHSA's six principles of a trauma-informed approach, applied to daily practice rather than kept as policy language.
Trustworthiness and transparency
You know what happens next, who sees your information, what each session involves, and what happens if you decline something. Surprises undermine recovery for trauma survivors.
Choice at every step
You choose what to disclose and when. No one is required to tell their story to a group, and declining an exercise never costs you standing in the program.
Collaboration over hierarchy
Treatment plans are built with you. Power imbalance is itself a trigger for many survivors, so we work to flatten it wherever clinically possible.
Empowerment and strengths
We start from what you've already survived and what has already worked, rather than cataloguing deficits.
Cultural, historical, and gender awareness
Trauma occurs in context. Race, immigration experience, military service, gender identity, and religious background all shape what safety means, and we account for that.
Understanding trauma and substance use together
Substances often start as a way to manage intrusive memories, hypervigilance, or sleeplessness. Treating use without addressing that pattern leaves the driver in place.
Trauma-specific therapies when you're ready
Trauma-informed care is the foundation; EMDR, trauma-focused CBT, and DBT skills are the specific treatments, introduced only once stabilization and safety are in place.
Where it fits in your program
Trauma-informed practice across every level of care
This isn't a track you enroll in — it's the standard for how every program day at our Arlington center runs.
015 days/week · ~6 hrs/day
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
Stabilization comes first: regulation skills, sleep, and safety before any processing of traumatic memories begins.
023–5 days/week
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Trauma-specific work such as EMDR is typically paced here, alongside groups that never require disclosure to participate.
03Weekly · ongoing
Outpatient therapy
Continued trauma-focused therapy at a sustainable pace once the intensive phase is complete.
04Virtual · Virginia residents
Telehealth across Virginia
For many survivors, attending from their own home lowers the barrier to starting. Available to Virginia residents statewide.
Evidence & access
A recognized standard of behavioral health care
SAMHSA formally defines the trauma-informed approach, and it is now considered a baseline expectation in behavioral health rather than a specialty. Within that framework, EMDR and trauma-focused CBT are strongly supported treatments for PTSD, endorsed by the VA/DoD clinical practice guidelines and the American Psychological Association — relevant for the many veterans, service members, and federal employees in the Arlington and Washington, DC area.
Common questions
Trauma-informed care questions, answered
Do I have to talk about my trauma?
No. You control what you share and when. Many clients do meaningful work on regulation, sleep, and substance use without ever narrating specific events, and that's a legitimate path.
What's the difference between trauma-informed and trauma-focused?
Trauma-informed describes how the whole program operates — safety, choice, transparency. Trauma-focused describes specific treatments like EMDR that directly process traumatic memories.
Will processing trauma make me want to use again?
It can raise risk if it's done too early, which is why we sequence it: stabilization and coping skills first, processing second, with relapse prevention running the entire time.
Do you treat veterans and first responders?
Yes. Our Arlington location serves many veterans, active-duty service members, federal employees, and first responders across Northern Virginia and the DC area.
Is group therapy safe if I have trauma?
Groups are structured with clear norms, no forced disclosure, and staff who intervene when someone is overwhelmed. If group feels wrong for you at first, we adjust the plan.
Can I do trauma work by telehealth?
Yes for Virginia residents, including EMDR delivered virtually. In-person programs in Arlington serve Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC residents.
In-person care at 5400 Shawnee Road, Arlington, VA for VA, MD, and DC residents. Telehealth for Virginia residents only.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911.
Get help today
Talk to someone who's done this before
Whether you're calling for yourself or for someone you love, the first conversation is free and completely confidential.
- Admissions — 24/7(571) 586-2883
- Location5400 Shawnee Road, Arlington, VA
Insurance accepted
Insurance coverage for trauma-informed treatment
Trauma-focused therapy is delivered within your standard program and billed under your behavioral health benefit. Most major commercial plans cover our programs, including Anthem, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Sentara Health Plans, UMR, and Johns Hopkins Health Plans. Send us your card and we'll verify benefits before you begin.
Don't see your plan? Call us — we also work with out-of-network benefits and self-pay.