Dr. Carole Goguen, PsyD
Licensed Psychologist (CA PSY 17685)
ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider
25+ years clinical experience
ADHD Therapist for Women
Serving All of California
Late-Night Therapy
As Late As 10 pm
Looking to Find
Your Way Back?
Maybe it was one moment that changed everything. Or maybe it was years of smaller wounds that accumulated so quietly you didn't even recognize them as trauma — you just thought something was wrong with you.
For many women, trauma doesn't look like a single dramatic event. It looks like growing up feeling like you could never get it right. Like being told you were too sensitive, too emotional, too much — and eventually believing it. It looks like relationships that hurt you, situations that overwhelmed you, or a childhood where you never quite felt safe enough to just be yourself.
When trauma goes unaddressed — especially when it's tangled up with undiagnosed ADHD — it doesn't stay in the past. It shows up in how you respond to conflict, how you talk to yourself when you make a mistake, how hard it is to trust people, and how exhausted you are from carrying all of it alone.
You don't have to keep carrying it. Healing is possible — and it starts with feeling safe enough to finally look at it.
Carole Goguen, PsyD
Here's How I Can Help
For women with ADHD, trauma often has a particular shape. Years of being misunderstood, underestimated, or labeled as lazy, difficult, or not living up to your potential leave real marks. The shame accumulates. The self-doubt becomes the background noise of your life. In our work together, we address these wounds directly — not as separate issues, but as part of the same story.
Understanding Your Trauma and Your Reactions
Delving into the specifics of your trauma is a crucial step in the healing process. We'll work together to identify and understand the traumatic events you've experienced and how they've affected you. This exploration helps lay the groundwork for deeper therapeutic work, ensuring we address the root causes of your distress.
Recognizing Your Symptoms
It's common for trauma survivors to experience symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, or hypervigilance. Recognizing and labeling these symptoms is an important part of the healing journey. By identifying these reactions, you can start to understand your body's responses to trauma and begin to take steps to manage them effectively.
Identifying Triggers and Patterns
Understanding what triggers your trauma responses is vital. We'll work together to pinpoint specific triggers and the patterns of behavior that follow. Recognizing these patterns allows you to develop strategies to cope with and reduce the impact of these triggers on your daily life.
Gain Clarity on How Your Past Still Affects You. Trauma can leave a lasting impact, continuing to shape your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors long after the initial event. By exploring how your past experiences influence your present, you can begin to break free from these patterns and take control of your life, moving beyond the lingering effects of trauma.
Understanding How Your Past
Affects Your Present
Building New Stories About Yourself
Trauma can often leave us with negative and disempowering narratives about ourselves. In therapy, we'll work on constructing new, more positive stories about yourself and your experiences. This process can help you reframe your trauma in a way that fosters growth and healing.
Challenging Unhelpful Thought Patterns
Unhelpful thought patterns, such as self-blame or catastrophic thinking, often accompany trauma. Identifying these patterns is the first step towards challenging and changing them. We'll work together to develop more balanced and constructive ways of thinking, helping you to reduce the power of these negative thoughts over your life.
Developing Healthier Behaviors
Trauma can lead to the development of problem behaviors, such as avoidance or self-destructive actions. Replacing these behaviors with healthier alternatives is a key part of the therapeutic process. Together, we'll identify new, more constructive behaviors that support your well-being and recovery.
Reconnecting With What Brings You Joy
Participating in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment can have a profound impact on your mood and overall functioning. We'll work on identifying and incorporating these activities into your life, helping you build a routine that supports your mental health and well-being.
Building Emotional Coping Skills
Effective stress-reduction skills are essential for managing the emotional aftermath of trauma. Together, we can explore and develop healthy strategies that help you regulate your emotions, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being. These skills can empower you to navigate life's challenges with greater resilience and confidence.
You've Carried This Long Enough.
Trauma doesn't have to define the rest of your story. But it also doesn't heal on its own — and trying to outrun it only takes you so far. What changes things is having a safe space, a skilled guide, and a approach that actually accounts for everything you've been through.
That's what I'm here to offer. When you're ready, I'd love to talk.