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My name is Dana Morningstar, and I’m glad you’re here. 

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If you are like most people who find your way here, then odds are you’ve experienced a traumatic relationship and are seeking clarity, validation, closure, or healing. If this is the case, you may also struggle with feeling emotionally devastated, angry, anxious, depressed, or confused over what happened (and why), or how to move forward. If any of this describes you, rest assured that you are in the right place.

 

On a Professional Level...

 

I am a licensed psychotherapist, with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. My approach is person-centered and trauma-focused. I value staying up-to-date with the latest evidence-based trauma therapies and am certified in grief recovery, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), DBT (Dialectal Behavioral Therapy), MI (Motivational Interviewing), and IFS (Internal Family Systems).

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My journey in the mental health field started over twenty years ago. Over this time, I’ve worked in a variety of roles and facets of mental health, ranging from a nursing assistant to a domestic violence advocate, teacher, and psychiatric registered nurse. I have extensive experience working with anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and those in crisis. My passion and specialty are helping clients to process and heal from relationship trauma and to reconnect with themselves.

 

On a More Personal Level...

 

While I’d always been passionate about working in mental health, it was my experience with trauma, and the challenges with healing from it, that fueled a burning desire to specialize in relationship trauma.  

During the process of trying to rebuild my life, sanity, and self-esteem, I sought out therapists and life-coaches that I hoped could help. These attempts weren’t just unhelpful; I was left feeling revictimized, blamed, shamed, misunderstood, and invalidated. I realized that if I were going to heal, I would have to figure it on my own. The problem was that I didn’t know what was wrong and I didn’t know where to look for answers.

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I decided to start moving in what felt like the right direction. I read over one hundred books on anything and everything related to self-esteem, dysfunctional relationships, PTSD, trauma, and healing. I experimented with numerous techniques and spoke extensively with other survivors. I started two online support groups, a YouTube channel, and a podcast, all with the hopes of sharing lessons learned. Many of these lessons I turned into books, one of which is a best-seller.

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The road to healing was a long, uphill journey, but I made it. Looking back on this journey, I was angered and saddened by how unnecessarily complicated the process was. What took me ten years, could have taken ten months if I had the necessary guidance, support, and resources. While everyone’s process is different, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel each time. My goal is to streamline the process in an attempt to shave years off your learning curve.

 

How I Can Help...

 

My years of learning and studying resulted in the development of an integrated and guided approach that identifies and heals the psychological and emotional damage done by trauma. During this process, emotional wounds are uncovered, explored, and healed in an informative and compassionate way. The goal of this step is to help you gain clarity. The next step in the process involves helping you to rediscover who you are, along with how to cultivate fulfilling and healthy relationships, and build a life you love.

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While you may feel overwhelmed or even profoundly and forever broken, please know that you can rebuild your life. The beauty and power with rebuilding are that this time, you get to choose the pieces. Healing from abuse or trauma doesn’t mean that you have to settle for a diminished version of who you once were. It’s absolutely possible (inevitable, really) that you can rebuild yourself and your life into something better than before. This process is one that I take seriously, and I am thrilled to join you!

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Warmly,

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Dana Morningstar