PTSD Therapy for Adults in California and Virginia
I provide online PTSD therapy for adults across California and Virginia, with limited in-person sessions in Folsom by appointment. My ACT-led, trauma-informed approach is designed to build psychological flexibility and reduce the impact of trauma triggers on your daily life and relationships.
Reconnecting Relationships Impacted by Trauma
PTSD often affects more than the individual. It can strain closeness, trust, and communication in intimate and family relationships, leaving both partners feeling disconnected or on edge.
In my work, I use a trauma-informed, ACT-led approach to help clients work with the ways PTSD shows up in their relationships, including cycles of emotional numbing and family accommodation, and to respond more flexibly to triggers while rebuilding steadier connection at a pace that feels safe and sustainable.
Service Details
Format: Individual PTSD therapy for adults
Clinical Focus: PTSD recovery with a relational lens
Who This Service Is For
This service may be a fit if you are:
An adult living with PTSD symptoms that interfere with daily life, work, or relationships
Struggling with avoidance, emotional reactivity, numbness, or persistent shame after trauma
Noticing how PTSD is affecting close relationships, including patterns of family accommodation, and wanting to address those effects within your own individual therapy
Looking for a structured, values-based therapy approach focused on flexibility and functional recovery
| Symptom cluster | The survival pattern | The therapeutic shift (ACT and trauma-focused skills) |
|---|---|---|
| Avoidance | Withdrawal, social isolation, and canceling plans | Values-based re-engagement through paced choice |
| Hyperarousal | Reactivity, irritability, and sleep disruption | Nervous system regulation and grounding skills |
| Emotional numbing | Shutdown and feeling disconnected from others | Building willingness and present-moment presence |
| Shame and self story | “I am broken” or “I am to blame” | Cognitive defusion and self-compassion |
| Interpersonal strain | Conflict cycles, family accommodation, and secondary traumatic stress | Flexible communication and addressing secondary trauma |
How PTSD therapy can create change
For a deeper look at how trauma can impact communication and closeness, you can read more about how PTSD affects relationships.
What PTSD can look like in daily life
PTSD often manifests as functional disruptions in daily life, including nervous system hyperarousal, emotional numbing, and avoidance patterns that can organize daily routines around trauma triggers rather than personal values.
For many adults, this shows up as heightened reactivity to stress, difficulty staying present at work or home, disrupted sleep, withdrawal from meaningful activities, or a sense of being constantly on edge. Therapy focuses on how these patterns are affecting your life now and what can help shift them.
If you are in crisis or concerned about your immediate safety, call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Veterans and service members can dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255, to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. I do not provide emergency or crisis services.
Trauma can create survival patterns that begin to feel automatic. Therapy can help you notice those patterns and practice responses that create more choice in how you respond.
What ACT-led PTSD therapy focuses on
My ACT-led approach focuses on building psychological flexibility, helping you unhook from shame-based self-stories and respond to trauma alarms with choice rather than automatic survival patterns.
In practice, this work targets reducing avoidance that shrinks daily life, increasing tolerance for distressing internal experiences, strengthening values-guided action, and supporting steadier engagement in work, relationships, and daily routines.
When clinically appropriate, I may also integrate Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure, with mindfulness and grounding used as supporting skills. ACT remains the primary framework for my work.
Online PTSD therapy in California and Virginia
I provide secure online PTSD therapy to adults throughout California and Virginia.
Online therapy allows for privacy, flexibility, and continuity of care, especially for individuals balancing work, family responsibilities, or location constraints. Fit, pacing, and expectations can be explored during an initial consultation. If you are weighing whether virtual care will work for you, I have written more about online PTSD therapy in California.
PTSD and relationships
PTSD can affect communication, emotional availability, and patterns of closeness in intimate and family relationships. Therapy can address these impacts as part of your individual trauma recovery.
PTSD Therapy at Next Mission Recovery
I provide trauma-informed PTSD therapy that focuses on helping you build skills to respond more flexibly to trauma-related triggers and reduce the ways PTSD interferes with daily life and relationships.
My approach is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and integrates evidence-based trauma-focused strategies to support emotional regulation, reduce avoidance, and help you move toward a life guided by your values.
Location and Availability
Online PTSD therapy available throughout California and Virginia
Limited in-person sessions offered in Folsom, California by appointment
About Dr. Sheila Vidal
I am a doctoral-level clinical psychologist (Psy.D.) licensed to practice in California and Virginia. My work is trauma-informed and ACT-led, with a focus on building psychological flexibility to help adults move through trauma-related patterns and re-engage with daily life and relationships.
Prior to founding Next Mission Recovery, I served as a psychologist within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, providing trauma-focused care to veterans and active-duty service members with combat-related PTSD and complex trauma.
PTSD therapy for veterans and first responders
My prior work as a psychologist within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs informs how I approach trauma care for veterans and first responders. I provide individual PTSD therapy to adult veterans and first responders when the service is a fit, and I have written more about moral injury and trauma recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
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PTSD therapy may be a fit if trauma-related patterns are interfering with your daily life, work, sleep, or relationships, and you are looking for support that focuses on building flexibility rather than eliminating thoughts or emotions. A consultation is a space to explore fit, pacing, and goals before deciding whether to move forward.
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A consultation is a brief conversation focused on understanding what brings you in, what you are hoping for, and whether my approach aligns with your needs. We will review logistics, answer questions, and decide together whether working together makes sense. There is no obligation to continue.
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Yes. I am licensed to provide online PTSD therapy to adults in both California and Virginia. This allows for secure telehealth across both states, supporting continuity of care while maintaining a structured and clinically focused approach.
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Limited in-person sessions are available in Folsom, California by appointment. Availability depends on clinical fit, scheduling, and current capacity, and can be discussed during a consultation.
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Many clients begin with weekly sessions to establish momentum and build skills. Frequency is individualized and may change over time based on goals, progress, and capacity.
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I offer insurance-free therapy to prioritize privacy and flexibility. While I do not take insurance directly, I can provide a superbill upon request if you plan to seek out-of-network reimbursement.
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Yes. I provide confidential, insurance-free therapy for federal employees, first responders, and professionals with high-security clearances. My practice model is designed to support maximum privacy by operating outside of the insurance system, which allows for greater control over sensitive clinical documentation.
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Yes. Sessions are conducted using secure, HIPAA-compliant platforms. Privacy, confidentiality, and clinical safety are prioritized in both online and in-person work.
I work with adults who are ready to reduce the grip of trauma symptoms and rebuild a sense of safety and direction. If you are exploring trauma therapy in the Sacramento Metro, you can learn more about how I structure care across California, including limited in-person sessions in Folsom by appointment. For those seeking Northern Virginia PTSD therapy, my regional page outlines how I provide secure telehealth throughout Virginia for professionals and individuals navigating high-responsibility roles.
Schedule a Consultation
If you are considering PTSD therapy and want to explore whether this approach is a fit, I invite you to schedule a brief consultation.