Shara Kaszovitz, LCSW
“Helping adults recover from trauma in order to take their lives back.”
Traumatic events can impact a person in many different ways. Intrusive memories, self-blame, feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, and shame, hypervigilance and anxiety, and avoiding trauma reminders are just some of the potential effects of experiencing a traumatic event.
If you have experienced trauma it can feel like the memories are controlling your life and you’re unable to move on. Thankfully, there are many options with trauma counseling that can help you get unstuck and live a life unburdened by trauma.
The first step to accessing therapy is to find the right therapist for you. In my counseling practice, I provide a space where you can talk about what you’ve been through and what you REALLY think and feel without worrying about burdening anyone. A space where you can say the things you’ve been afraid to say out loud without being judged.
Therapy for Adults in Plantation, Florida:
Trauma Therapy & PTSD Counseling:
Whether you’ve experienced a traumatic event(s) directly, witnessed one, learned about one happening to a loved one, or been exposed to it through work (e.g., first responder), trauma can have a significant impact on your life. Traumatic events can be single incidents, continuous experiences, or multiple, separate events over time. They include car accidents, military combat, sexual violence or other interpersonal crimes, natural disasters, and other distressing events.
A traumatic event can shake us to our core. It can change how we see ourselves, others, the world, and impact our beliefs related to safety, trust, power and control, esteem, and intimacy. This can play out in our lives in ways such as feeling depressed or anxious, having difficulty with relationships, or going out of our way to avoid reminders of what we’ve been through.
I use evidence-based cognitive behavioral treatments and strategies (Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to help clients approach the memories they’ve been trying to avoid. I help clients identify and then change unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to the traumatic event. This allows clients to accept what has happened, bring relief, and live a life out of the shadow of the traumatic event.
If you have very recently experienced a traumatic event, I am here to listen and support you. I will help you learn healthy coping strategies, connect you to resources, and assist you in recovering from what happened.
I also provide therapy to concerned loved ones. If someone you know has been through something traumatic, it can be hard to know what to say or do. I can help you not only figure out how to best support your loved one, I can also help you process your own thoughts and feelings about what happened.
Survivors of Sexual Abuse/Assault:
Whether it happened decades ago or last week, sexual violence can have a significant and
lasting impact on survivors and their loved ones. If you have been impacted by sexual violence,
you have come to the right place. I help adults who have experienced sexual violence at any
point in their lives. From repeated childhood sexual abuse to a recent sexual assault as an
adult, it is never too early or too late to get help.
Some common problems that survivors of sexual violence experience include blaming
themselves for what happened, feeling unsafe, having difficulty in relationships, believing they
are damaged, and making efforts to avoid things that remind them of the assault, including
memories, people, places, and conversations.
If the sexual assault was recent, individuals might feel angry, sad, overwhelmed, and unsure of
what to do next. They might be wondering who to tell or might be dealing with hurtful
responses from others. In my counseling for sexual abuse and sexual assault survivors, I provide support, information, and guidance in navigating difficult feelings and thoughts, as well as, options. I help clients re-engage with their life in healthy ways while coping with the pain of what has happened to them.
I help clients process what happened to them, identify its impact on their thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors, and then help them make changes in order to move forward. I use structured,
evidence-based therapy to help clients reduce posttraumatic stress, improve a sense of control
in their lives, and have healthier relationships with themselves and others. I help survivors of sexual abuse and/or sexual assault see that the sexual violence is part of their story, but it is not who they are.
Friends and family of survivors may also be impacted by sexual violence. Self-blame, anger, and
feeling helpless are a few normal reactions. For some, it might bring up their own history of
sexual violence that they believed they moved on from. I help clients cope with their own
feelings while figuring out how to best help their loved one.
Therapy for Insomnia & Sleep Disorders:
Sleep is essential to physical and mental health. When you have insomnia it can affect how you think, feel, and behave and impact your functioning in all areas of your life. I use cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), a brief (8 session) first line treatment for insomnia. By getting more and better sleep, you can change your life.
My Story
Throughout my counseling career in social services, there has been the underlying thread of trauma. Individuals who experienced chronic homelessness, survivors of the Holocaust, teens involved with the juvenile justice system – trauma was always part of their story.
It was when I started working as a therapist at a rape treatment center that trauma work was front and center. And after working for 6 years with survivors of sexual violence and honing my skills as a PTSD and trauma specialist, I started my own private practice, Therapy with Shara, to help survivors of all types of traumatic events.
At one time or another, most of us will experience a potentially traumatic event; I consider it a privilege to be able to help someone who has been negatively impacted by trauma.
My Background
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience in social services. I earned my BA in Psychology from Rutgers University in New Jersey in 2004 and my Masters in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work in New York City in 2011.
I have completed multiple trainings and extensive consultation to become an official provider of Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD and have been practicing this therapy since 2016. I am trained in Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) and participate in regular consultation with PE experts. And I have completed intensive training and consultation to become certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I am constantly reading articles and participating in trainings and courses to grow as a therapist and provide clients with the most effective therapy I can.
I have expertise and special interest in working with survivors of sexual violence. Due to my work with survivors, I have been interviewed by the Miami Herald and have written an article for the Miami Times. Additionally, I have sat on symposium panels, given presentations, and spoken to different communities about sexual violence, trauma, and general mental health.
Fun Facts
I am a nature and animal enthusiast – a walk outside, particularly near water, can shift my mood and give me energy.
I especially enjoy watching birds and fish and experiencing the excitement of seeing a living creature I’ve never seen before.
I’m also a cat lover and enjoy watching my cat do absolutely ridiculous things.
Why Work with Me?
Starting therapy takes courage, especially when it’s to talk about things that bring you pain - I do not take this lightly. I hold a supportive, non-judgmental, and compassionate stance throughout therapy. I am thoughtful in how I provide therapy and am always reflecting, both with my clients in session and on my own, on how I can be the best therapist for them.
Relief, a weight lifted, hopeful – these are some words that clients have used to describe the change they have experienced in therapy. Though therapy can be tough at times, my goal is to help you feel that relief, to have that weight lifted, and to have hope for yourself and your future.
You Deserve to Live a Life Unburdened by Your Past. Let’s Get Started Today!
Something is going on right now that led you to pursue therapy. You’re here. You made it. Keep that momentum going and schedule a complimentary phone consultation to see how I can help you overcome your challenges so you can live life to the fullest. Call us at 954-391-5305 to get started with counseling today.
I provide online therapy throughout Florida via our secure telehealth platform as well as in-person sessions at our beautiful office in Plantation, Florida located within the Bank of America building on Sunrise Boulevard and North Pine Island Road.
I look forward to speaking with you!