Somatic + Trauma Therapy For Women in Cancer Survivorship and Thrivorship in California and Japan
For the women who look “fine,” on the outside and are exhausted within, wondering whether this fatigue will ever get better.
Finishing treatment was supposed to feel like relief. Instead, you're left with a body that doesn't feel like yours anymore and a mind that keeps scanning for what could go wrong next. If you're looking for cancer survivor trauma therapy, you already know something in you has felt off even though your scans are clear and everyone around you has moved on.
If this resonates, you’re in the right place.
What Cancer Survivor Trauma Therapy Actually Addresses
Cancer treatment asks your body to get through things it was never built for. Needles, scans, waiting rooms, decisions made under pressure, a body that stopped feeling like home. Your nervous system did exactly what it was supposed to do. It went into survival mode to get you through. The problem is, survival mode doesn't always turn off when treatment ends.
This is trauma therapy for cancer survivors, not general talk therapy. We work with what actually happened in your body during diagnosis and treatment, not only what happened in your mind. If you've been searching for therapy for trauma related to cancer and found mostly generic anxiety worksheets, this is different. We start with your nervous system, then work up from there.
How This Is Different From General Talk Therapy
A lot of the women who find me have already tried therapy. They sat across from a well-meaning therapist who understood anxiety but had never worked with a body that went through diagnosis, surgery, chemo, or radiation.
Medical trauma has its own texture. It lives in the body more than the mind, and it responds differently than the trauma most general practices are trained for.
This work draws on trauma-informed, somatic, and nervous system focused approaches built specifically for what cancer survivors carry: the hypervigilance around your health, the grief for the body and life you had before, the strange guilt of surviving, and the fatigue that doesn't lift no matter how much you rest.
You don't have to explain oncology terms to your therapist or start from scratch. I've spent over a decade in oncology and palliative care settings before moving into private practice, so you can start where you actually are.
You Might Be Ready for This If...
✓ You finished treatment months or years ago and still feel like you're bracing for the next scan.
✓ Scanxiety takes over your body for days before every appointment, even when your labs are stable.
✓ You feel disconnected from your body, like it did something to you instead of for you.
✓ People keep telling you to be grateful, and it makes you want to scream.
✓ You're exhausted in a way that rest doesn't touch.
✓ You want a therapist who understands medical trauma, not just general cancer support.
Who I Work With…
Women Rebuilding Life After Treatment Ends
Life after cancer comes with its own pressure. You're “supposed” to be relieved. Grateful. Back to “normal”…whatever that may be. Instead you feel unsteady in a body that used to make sense to you, wondering why "back to normal" doesn't feel possible when nobody prepared you for this part.
Women Managing Scanxiety and Medical PTSD
Follow-up scans and lab draws can bring the whole diagnosis experience rushing back into your body, even years later. If your nervous system reacts to a routine appointment like it's the original event, that's not overreacting. That's a nervous system that never got the chance to fully come back online.
Women Whose Support System Has Moved On
Your friends and family celebrated the end of treatment and then quietly expected you to be done processing it too. You're left carrying the parts you can't say out loud: the fear, the grief, the anger, the exhaustion that doesn't match the "cancer-free" or “stable” label on your chart.
Therapy for Cancer Survivors Medical Trauma Recovery: What Our Work Together Looks Like
We Start With Safety, Not the Whole Story
You won't be asked to retell every detail of your diagnosis in our first session. We build safety and stability first. Your body needs to trust the process before it can process anything.
We Work Somatically, Not Only Verbally
Talking about what happened can only take you so far when the trauma lives in your body. Depending on what you need, we may draw on EMDR, Brainspotting, or IFS-informed parts work alongside somatic practices that help your nervous system complete what it couldn't finish during treatment.
We Build a Nervous System That Can Rest Again
Recovery here means your body can register that the danger has passed. That looks like sleeping through the night, sitting through a scan without spiraling, and responding to your family instead of reacting from a place of fear.
Why Women Choose a Cancer Therapist Near Them in California or Japan
Searching for a "cancer therapist near me" makes sense.
Support like this feels like it should be close by. The good news is you don't have to find someone down the street. All sessions are virtual, which means you can work with a therapist who actually specializes in medical trauma and cancer survivorship instead of settling for whoever happens to be local.
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based between California and Tokyo, and I hold over a decade of oncology experience in hospital and outpatient settings before moving into private practice.
I offer virtual sessions to women across California and English-speaking women in Japan, so you can get support built specifically for cancer survivors no matter which side of the Pacific you're on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to still be in active treatment for this to help?
No. Most of the women I work with are well past treatment. This work is built for survivorship and thrivorship, not just the acute phase.
Is this different from a cancer support group?
Yes. Support groups offer connection and shared experience, which matters. This is individual clinical trauma therapy focused on your nervous system and your specific history.
Do you accept insurance?
I'm private pay and can provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement. Details are on the Rates & FAQ page.
Can we work together if I live in Japan?
Yes. I provide virtual therapy to English-speaking women throughout Japan, along with clients across California.
What if it's been years since my diagnosis, and I feel silly bringing it up now?
There's no expiration date on needing support. In actuality, many of the women I work with are five, ten, or more years out from treatment. Delayed trauma responses are common, not silly.
Is Reconnecting With Your Body What You’ve Been Longing For?
You don't have to keep forcing your way through appointments or performing "fine" for everyone around you. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation and I’d love to talk about what recovery could look like for you.