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After more than two decades practicing trauma therapy in Yuba City and the surrounding Yuba-Sutter region, I've sat with thousands of people on the hardest days of their lives. I've worked in outpatient clinics, psychiatric hospitals, and alongside law enforcement helping people in crisis. If there's one thing all those years have taught me, it's this: healing from trauma is not only possible — it's the rule, not the exception, when people get the right support. I want to share some of what I've learned, in the hope it helps you feel less alone and more hopeful about your own path.
Lesson One: Trauma Lives in the Body, Not Just the Mind
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Early in my career, I believed trauma was primarily something to be talked through. Experience — and the research that has matured over the past 20 years — taught me otherwise. Trauma is stored in the nervous system. It shows up as a racing heart, a clenched stomach, sleepless nights, and reactions that feel bigger than the moment warrants. This is why approaches like EMDR, which work directly with how the brain and body hold memories, can reach places that talking alone sometimes cannot.
Lesson Two: Safety Comes Before Everything Else
In my early years, I was eager to help clients process their trauma quickly. I learned — sometimes the hard way — that rushing into painful material before someone feels safe does more harm than good. Today, the first phase of trauma work in my practice is always about building safety, trust, and grounding skills. Only once someone feels genuinely resourced do we approach the harder material, and always at their pace.
This is a principle our entire clinical team shares. Whether you're working with me or another of our clinicians, you will never be pushed faster than you're ready to go.
Lesson Three: People Are Astonishingly Resilient
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I'll be honest with you: I'm also a survivor. I've experienced the depths of depression myself, and therapy is part of what brought me back to a life of gratitude and joy. That personal experience, layered on top of 20 years of clinical work, has left me with an unshakable conviction — the human mind possesses an incredible, innate ability to heal. I've watched people walk in carrying what seemed like unbearable pain and, over time, rebuild lives of genuine meaning and joy.
Trauma can involve many things — childhood experiences, abuse and domestic violence, accidents, loss, or the prolonged wounds that lead to complex PTSD. In every form, I've seen recovery happen. Not forgetting — but freedom from being controlled by the past.
Lesson Four: The Right Approach Is the One Tailored to You
There is no single technique that works for everyone. Over the years I've integrated EMDR, trauma-informed CBT, DBT skills, and mindfulness — choosing and combining them based on each person's unique history and needs. Our team extends that range further, with clinicians specializing in grief, perinatal mental health, bilingual (Spanish) care, parenting, and attachment. Good trauma therapy meets you where you are.
What I want you to know: If you've been carrying something heavy — for months, years, or decades — it is not too late, and you are not beyond help. In 20 years I have never once believed someone was "too broken" to heal. Neither should you.
Beginning Your Own Healing in Yuba City
If this resonates with you, I'd be honored to help — or to connect you with the clinician on our team best suited to what you're carrying. Everyday Counts Therapy Services offers trauma therapy at two Yuba City locations and via telehealth, with most insurance accepted. Learn more about individual therapy or explore our full range of services.
Ready to take the first step toward healing from trauma?
Reach out today — the hardest part is often just making the call. We're here when you're ready.
- van der Kolk, B. — The Body Keeps the Score (on trauma and the nervous system)
- World Health Organization — Guidelines on the management of PTSD and trauma: who.int
- EMDR International Association — Research on EMDR for trauma: emdria.org
About the author: Kendra Davis, LCSW, is the founder and clinical supervisor of Everyday Counts Therapy Services in Yuba City, CA, with over 20 years of experience in trauma therapy. She is licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and certified in clinical trauma counseling, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
Everyday Counts Therapy Services · 1445 Butte House Road, Suite A & 1007 Live Oak Blvd, Suite B-1 · Yuba City, CA 95993 · (530) 770-1242 · Most insurance accepted · In-person & virtual sessions available.
If you or someone you know is in a life-threatening or urgent situation, please call 911, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or the 24-hour Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health crisis line at 888-923-3800.
