Accepting Support
Building Safety
Therapy for Parentification Trauma
Support for when you had to take on too much responsibility too early—and it’s still affecting you now
Making sense of your experiences and creating space for boundaries, clarity, and a more grounded sense of self.
Trauma doesn't need to hold you back
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It is possible to build safety
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It's okay to ask for help
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Trauma doesn't need to hold you back · It is possible to build safety · It's okay to ask for help ·
Your Pain is Real.
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Trauma Changes Your Nervous System
Your nervous system is doing exactly what it’s meant to do—trying to keep you safe. When you were given too many adult roles as a child, your body may have learned that others couldn’t be relied on and that you needed to take care of others to be okay. Over time, your system may have come to see too many places as unsafe, and your world can start to feel smaller while your responsibilities feel constant.
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Parentification is a Type of Neglect
The way you relate to yourself and others is deeply shaped by your early experiences. When a parent placed too much responsibility on you—whether by not meeting your needs, leaving you to care for younger siblings, or relying on you for their own emotional support—your needs may have gone unmet, and your nervous system may have become overwhelmed.
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Emotionally Immature Parents
An emotionally immature parent is more focused on meeting their own needs than supporting yours. Growing up in that context can lead to adult experiences of people-pleasing, avoiding deeper relationships, or feeling like your parent still has too much power over your choices. It can leave you feeling out of control in your own life, even when you’re trying to move forward.
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Trauma Therapy Leads to Real Life Change
Trauma therapy can help your nervous system relearn what is safe and what isn’t, so you don’t have to live in a constant state of fear. We can work together to process the expectations that were placed on you too early. As your body begins to trust safety again, you can start to experience more freedom—to participate in your life and connect with others in ways that may have once felt out of reach.
Parentification trauma therapy based in Kitsap County, serving Poulsbo, Silverdale, and clients across Washington State.
My Approach to Online Trauma Therapy
I integrate Emotion Focused Individual Therapy to process trauma with Self-Compassion and Mindfulness work to help your body learn how to connect safely with yourself and others.
I want you to know what to expect and feel comfortable asking questions about my approach.
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Using mindfulness, stress cycle education, and taking time to build emotional safety in therapy helps your nervous system feel ready to process.
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I provide resources and tools to support you between sessions so you begin to feel empowered to care for your body and heart.
Wether you like mindfulness, reading, or listening to podcasts, I help curate the right resources for you.
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When your body feels safe and you have the tools to support your nervous system, we begin trauma processing with Emotion Focused Individual Therapy.
I am there as a support paying close attention to your emotional needs the whole time.
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If your body says talking about something is too hard, we focus on building safety and comfort, not pushing through. When you feel safe enough, your nervous system will tell us.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We move at your pace. If your body tells us something feels too overwhelming to talk about, we focus on building safety and stability rather than pushing through. When there’s enough safety, your nervous system will let us know. The process can be hard and I approach that with compassion and care.
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I’ve seen many clients develop a sense of safety in their bodies, in their relationships, and in the world around them that they didn’t realize was possible. While every experience is unique, this kind of healing takes time, and research tells us that steady, consistent engagement in therapy supports the deepest and most sustainable change.
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Because every person’s experiences are different, healing unfolds differently, too. Some clients attend weekly sessions for several months and then feel ready to pause. Others continue longer-term, either for ongoing support with trauma processing or for deeper self-exploration beyond trauma processing. We revisit your goals and progress along the way to ensure therapy continues to meet your needs.
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The initial 50-minute session is $200 and includes additional time outside of session for diagnostic assessment and treatment planning. Ongoing 50-minute sessions are $180 for the duration of your course of treatment.
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I am an out-of-network provider and offer Superbills, which many clients use to seek reimbursement from their insurance companies.
When you begin therapy, you will also receive a Good Faith Estimate outlining the anticipated cost of services for the year, so you can plan and budget with clarity and no surprises.
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For Online Therapy, I use SimplePractice as a secure, all-in-one client portal. You’ll receive an emailed video link before each session, and you can use the portal to manage appointments, update reminder settings, access shared resources, and download billing information for insurance reimbursement.
Meet your Trauma Informed Therapist
I’m Stephanie Thiessen, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor offering trauma-informed therapy grounded in compassion, curiosity, and relationship. Since 2017, I have helped clients understand and gently shift the emotional patterns shaping their relationships—with others and with themselves—so they can feel more grounded, connected, and at ease.
A Little About Me
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My Speciality
I specialize in supporting adults navigating trauma from harmful relationships at home, within religion, or from not being accepted in the world as a whole.
For many clients, these experiences show up as perfectionism, anxiety, burnout, loneliness, or a sense of being disconnected from who they truly are. I can hold the weight of those experiences and offer a safe place to feel seen and understood.
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My Training
My approach to working with trauma is informed by trauma therapy training in both Observed and Experiential Integration and Emotion Focused Individual Therapy.
These are experiential trauma-processing approaches that help you safely feel and work through emotions that once felt overwhelming or unsafe.
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Additional Insights
I also bring additional training in neurodiversity-affirming counseling—an approach that honors who you are at your core and never asks you to be someone you aren’t. Many clients come to me feeling like they’ve had to mask, perform, or be “less” to belong; therapy with me is a space where that pressure can soften and your lived experience is met with care and respect.
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My Style
I show up with warmth, clarity, and a collaborative presence—holding space for the messy, tender parts while supporting your work towards sustainable, meaningful change.
You are always going to see the real me as I create a safe place to be the real you.
Learn more about My Approach.
Trauma Therapy goes at your pace.
We build safety and trust.
We begin where you are.
