About Anna Pemberton Trauma Therapist in Baltimore, MD
Finding the Right Trauma Therapist in Baltimore
Anna Pemberton Trauma Therapist in Baltimore Specializing in Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health, Brainspotting and Addiction
You want to start savoring these years everyone says you’ll miss.
You’ve been struggling, you’re ready for change but you have a difficult time asking for help. Or maybe you’ve tried therapy before and it hasn’t worked for you. Is there a part of you worried that maybe you won’t be able to get the help you need? Or a part that scared that maybe you are incapable of healing?
Research shows the most significant factor in positive therapy outcomes is the strength of the relationship between client and therapist. So this is not all on you! And in doing this meaningful relational work, it’s really important to find that therapist who understands your needs right upfront. Ask yourself, could I imagine the possibility of being known, understood and helped by this person?
Hi I’m Anna Pemberton and I became a trauma therapist because I believe that we are able to heal from the worst things that have happened to us.
I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my days than being with people who want to make their lives better. People who still hold hope - even if it feels small - in the possibility of change. I find my clients to be relatable, interesting, creative, fun, funny and endlessly resourceful. I am often reminded in sessions of the power of humor, what is good in the world and our human capacity to find light in the darkness.
Post traumatic growth is essentially the belief that change is possible. And that we can nurture this growth by an ongoing commitment to our healing journey. When we attend to our own needs, stay connected to others, continue learning, and trust in our ability to take meaningful action, we deepen our self-understanding. Through this process, we begin to create a sense of purpose—and make meaning of our lives and the experiences that have shaped us.
I like the words of actor and comedian, Brett Goldstein, “The impossibility of existence is - it’s hard to square the magical things and the terrible things.” And yet we do.
A core aspect of my work is helping clients expand their capacity to be present with all parts of their human experience. I deeply believe that healing is possible, and this belief profoundly shapes how we nurture our children and engage with our families and communities. I often work with mothers, birth givers and partners who are managing the challenges of family building and the complexity of this season of life. With specialized training and experience in the treatment of trauma, I support survivors of sexual violence, interpersonal/relational trauma and complex trauma and those struggling addiction—especially as they navigate new parenthood.
I’m a Maryland-based LCPC and Perinatal Mental Health-Certified psychotherapist specializing in attachment-focused trauma therapy. I have been working as a trauma therapist in the Baltimore area for the past decade. My approach incorporates Parts Work/IFS, Brainspotting, and somatic practices. I’ve seen firsthand how somatic tools can support and regulate the nervous system, allowing people to reconnect with their authentic selves and live with greater wholeness. Often, this journey also requires unlearning patterns and beliefs that were modeled in the environments we grew up in. For me, post-traumatic growth begins with coming home to the body—learning to listen to its signals and stay present with the wisdom it holds.
Not sure what to expect from working with a trauma therapist in Baltimore?
As traditional Western medicine and modern psychological research increasingly affirm the profound impact of somatic, body-based therapies, one truth grows ever clearer: talking alone can’t fully heal what lives in the body. While language helps us make sense of our stories, it often bypasses the deeper, felt experiences where trauma and emotional pain lingers. Long before science caught up, ancient cultures understood this—integrating movement, breath, rhythm, and ritual as essential pathways to emotional and physical wellbeing. True healing is not just spoken—it’s embodied.
We’ll get started with weekly sessions so we can dive in, gain momentum, and get you relief more quickly. I typically use parts work framing to help clients foster trust within their unique systems. Relational and neurobiological attunement support clients to grow trust with me, gently over time. I use brainspotting to target and effectively process trapped emotion, sensation and other body based information. I am solution focused and help clients expand their coping resources through teaching experiential, somatic practices. While there is no blueprint to healing, the original symptoms and behaviors that brought you to therapy should feel improved or better managed within 3-9 months. Within the 12-18 months, you will have a firm understanding of how you respond to stress and how this perpetuates cycles and ongoing stories.
It’s experiential practice - not insight alone - that informs lasting change.
In our work together, you'll develop a deeper connection with your inner landscape—gaining insight into the experiences that have shaped you, and discovering the ongoing opportunity to choose how you wish to show up in the world. Many clients continue therapy as the work deepens and to be cared for in this season of life. Others chose short term work and return for services when they face their next challenge.
I know it can feel like a big step to contact a therapist, but often this is the hardest step - knowing we need help and asking for it. We’ll spend 15-minutes on the phone or have a brief video consultation and I’ll let you know how I can help. If I am not the right person, I’ll do my best to get you to the right person.
The first step is to schedule a consultation here. We’ll get your questions answered and get to work with at trauma therapist in Baltimore.
When you're ready, I'm here—schedule your no-cost trauma therapy consultation in Baltimore
Frequently Asked Questions About Working with a Trauma Therapist in Baltimore
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If previous therapy hasn’t worked for you, and/or you struggle with any of the following symptoms—many of which align with updated language from PTSD and Complex PTSD diagnostic criteria—it may be time to explore trauma-informed care:
Flashbacks, nightmares, or being easily triggered
Intrusive thoughts about distressing events, often surfacing at inconvenient times
Physical symptoms or chronic pain that may reflect unresolved childhood trauma (somatization)
Withdrawing or isolating from others
Avoiding people, places, or situations that serve as reminders of past trauma
Using alcohol, substances, food, work, or caretaking to numb or avoid difficult feelings
Perfectionism or intense self-criticism as a way to control emotional discomfort or “messiness”
Hypervigilance—feeling constantly “on guard,” easily startled
Heightened sensitivity to perceived threat in others’ body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice
Needing an “escape plan” or constantly scanning for exits
Expecting the worst or feeling the need to prepare for self-protection
Frequent crying or emotional overwhelm
Taking a long time to recover from stressful events
Persistent feelings of anger, irritability, anxiety, or panic
Feeling hopeless, depressed, emotionally numb, or unable to experience joy
Holding painful core beliefs such as: “There’s something wrong with me,” “I’m broken,” “I’m bad,” “No one loves me,” or “I can’t trust anyone”
Little or no hope for the future
Ongoing feelings of shame, guilt, or unworthiness
Struggling to find a stable sense of self, purpose, or meaning in life
Avoiding relationships or having difficulty trusting others
Relying too heavily on others or fearing abandonment
Repeatedly choosing unsafe or harmful relationships; re-enacting old emotional wounds
Being reactive, defensive, blaming, or resistant to hearing others’ perspectives
If any of these resonate with you, know that you're not alone—and that healing is possible with the right support.
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Seek help as soon as you start struggling—research shows that the earlier trauma-informed interventions are applied, the better the outcomes.
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While I believe there are many paths to healing, it's important to work with an experienced provider who is trained in trauma. Because trauma is often stored in the body and not always accessible through memory or language, engaging the physical body is a crucial part of the healing process. To support you in finding the right provider, check out my blog series on 'Finding a Therapist in Baltimore' for guidance and deeper insight.
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The therapist you “click” with matters most. Research consistently shows that, regardless of the therapeutic modality, the strongest predictor of progress in treatment is the quality of the therapeutic relationship.
Take the time to schedule consultations—notice who you feel comfortable with, who you can imagine opening up to, and who creates a sense of ease in the room. These first impressions are valuable starting points as you make your decision. If you’re not sure you are making the progress you want, check out my blog about How To Tell If Therapy Is Working.
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A trauma-informed therapist considers the impact of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction within the context of an individual's unique lived experience—and how those early experiences continue to influence their sense of self, relationships, and engagement with the world.
In my experience, it’s equally important that a trauma therapist can widen the ‘trauma aperture’ to include the effects of adverse community experiences such as poverty, discrimination, violence, patriarchy, colonization, enslavement, and genocide. A skilled trauma-informed therapist recognizes the significance of how trauma is stored in the body—often below the level of conscious awareness—and brings a calm, attuned, and grounded presence as individuals access, reprocess, and begin to heal from the past experiences that contribute to present-day distress.
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While I don’t believe there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to healing—nor a single modality that works for everyone—I’ve found parts work to be valuable with all of my clients. It helps give voice to complex emotional experiences that may not align with what seems "rational," and is especially powerful for those healing from attachment and developmental trauma.
I'm trained in EMDR and FLASH, and have found these techniques particularly helpful for clients who are more visual and responsive to structured reprocessing methods. That said, as a clinician, I strongly prefer Brainspotting. It’s gentle, client-guided, and less structured or cognitively driven, which naturally creates more room for uncertainty, curiosity, and possibility. I deeply appreciate the intuitive nature of this modality and have adapted techniques for clients who struggle to feel sensations in their body or worry about “doing it right.”
No matter the modality, focused mindfulness and tracking sensation and emotion—core components of many trauma-processing approaches—are woven into every session I facilitate.
In-person and online Trauma Therapy in Baltimore, MD
My office is conveniently located in Catonsville, MD situated between Ellicott City, Columbia, Elkridge, Glen Burnie and Baltimore, MD. Can’t make it into the office? No worries! I’ve got you covered with online trauma therapy in Maryland.