Carma Nelson

Hi, my name is Carma. I have the requisite clinical degrees, trainings, and certifications, along with decades of working in the field (though 3 years with my LCSW), but more importantly, I know what it’s like to survive trauma. Hence, my clinical approach to therapy has a slightly different spin: it’s rooted in peer therapy.

Have you ever experienced neglect, physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse? Has anyone ever stalked you? Ever been a member of a cult? Ever experienced medical trauma? Do you know what gaslighting feels like? Have you ever lost significant periods of time and not known why? Do you find it hard to be in highly charged emotional or social situations? Is sleep a challenge for you most nights? Have you flirted with the idea of ending your life? Do you have questions about your place in the universe, spirituality, and/or religion?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, I might be the therapist for you. I assume the prospective that the client is 50% of the clinical team; I am the other 50%. My goal in therapy is to work myself out of a job. I have a vast clinical tool bag of evidenced-based therapy methods I will share with you to guide your recovery. Among them, my favorites include meditation and mindfulness, an easy free approach to calming, self-regulation, that frequently works better than medications. I have been trained in an Indigenous approach to healing trauma called Rapid Transformation Therapy (RTT) and believe I am the only New York State therapist providing this. You’ll find me to be compassionate, direct, knowledgeable, and resourceful.

I can work with all clients, however, my preference is to work with people struggling with trauma, specifically diagnoses of PTSD, C-PTSD, dissociative disorders, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and chronic pain.

After decades in the counseling field, I have lots of therapeutic approaches. Every client is different, just as every day is different. What may work one day, might not work the next. I don't stick to only one method. I've found that clients respond best to this blended approach: take what works and leave the rest.

The first session is a free 15 minute consultation, where the client and I have a chance to speak to see if clinically we are a good match. It's like speed dating for therapy! The intake evaluation is next, where I will gather background data, information on a client's current concerns, and determine a working diagnosis. The client and I also set goals for therapy. After this session, it's time to get started working together on those goals.