Cedar Counseling & Wellness

Caroline Fowler, LCSW-C

(she/her)

Licensed clinical therapist

Whether you have experienced direct trauma or secondary trauma, I know that healing is possible for everyone. I consider it a privilege to be a compassionate witness for you on your healing journey. I will hold a safe, non-judgmental space in which you feel heard and validated. I partner with Conrad, a certified therapy dog, bringing an innovative and healing approach to therapy.

 

For anyone who has suffered trauma or secondary trauma, there exists a version of yourself that was present before the point of impact. I like to think of this as who you were meant to be before life got messy. Tapping into your resilience – and yes, you have it – can get you back to this version of yourself.

 

I offer complimentary 15-minute consultations and am available to connect via email, phone,  or you can schedule an appointment at the link below. 

Trauma &
PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as trauma, is an actual or perceived threat to life or safety. Trauma shakes us. It changes us. Trauma may be an acute, life-threatening event, or a series of events that affect one’s sense of safety. My aim is to help you restore your sense of safety and well-being after experiencing trauma. You are not alone in your suffering, and healing is possible.

Secondary
Trauma

Secondary trauma, or vicarious trauma, is the result of repeatedly hearing about, or witnessing trauma, or the aftermath of trauma. Direct care providers, emergency responders, and many other professionals and lay people may be suffering from secondary trauma without even knowing it. If you have felt burnt out, lethargic, resentful, tense, “on edge”,  or experienced difficulty sleeping, it may be due to the effects of secondary trauma.

 

Animal-Assisted Interventions

Animal assisted interventions are when a specially trained animal is used during the course of psychotherapy to enhance and facilitate therapeutic progress. Conrad, a certified therapy dog, is trained to detect and respond to stress cues and help you ground yourself in the present moment. For many, the loving presence of an animal removes barriers associated with addressing difficult topics in therapy. 

 

My Approach

My therapeutic style is warm and nurturing. Holding a therapeutic space, creating a lasting connection with you, and honoring your life experiences are my top priorities. My approach to therapy is to help you understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through a new lens. Often, we know that we need to change a pattern. We may even know that a thought, feeling or behavior is a response to trauma, secondary trauma, or chronic stress. We cannot create lasting change with this realization alone. Through present moment awareness of both the mind and body, I help you identify the root cause of what is bothering you, and heal from it.

 

I am currently undergoing training and ongoing consultation in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy and can utilize this modality with clients at present. EMDR is a therapeutic modality that utilizes bilateral eye movements to help the brain and body reprocess troubling, traumatic or emotionally charged memories or beliefs about oneself or the world. Similar to processing that occurs during REM sleep, use of eye movements in the therapeutic process helps the mind and body achieve a sense of integration, peace and resolution that talk therapy alone cannot always do. Although memories of certain events may always be with us, with EMDR therapy, troubling memories can feel more peacefully placed in the past rather than a part of our daily present awareness. 

Areas of Expertise

  • Assertiveness Training
  • Coping Skill Development
  • Boundary Setting
  • Self-care
  • Mindfulness
  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
  • Animal-assisted Interventions
  • Health at Every Size (HAES®)-aligned

Professional Credentials

Licenses & Certifications

Education

  • Randolph-Macon College – 2015 – Bachelors degree in Psychology
  • Salisbury University – 2017 – Masters of Social Work

On a Personal Note

  • Conrad (my therapy dog) and I love exploring new places to hike, walk or swim together.
  • I was born and raised on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and still live there. My favorite sound in the world is the sound of migratory geese making their way to the shore in the fall. 
  • I adore summer time and the beach. The more hot and humid it is outside, the happier I am. I could sit in the sand all day long and be perfectly content.