Cayla Hari

Texas License #41055

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist specializing in PTSD and trauma-related concerns, with particular interests in sexual and interpersonal trauma, medical trauma and chronic health conditions, and perinatal mental health. I often work with people who are highly capable and successful on the outside but may be carrying a great deal internally. My goal is to create a space where you can feel understood, supported, and comfortable being honest about what you are experiencing. I bring a culturally responsive and evidence-based approach to therapy, combining warmth and collaboration with treatments designed to help you move beyond simply coping and toward meaningful, lasting change.

PTSD & Trauma Therapy for Adults
Trauma can show up in many ways—intrusive memories, avoidance, feeling constantly on guard, guilt or self-blame, difficulty trusting others, or a sense that your life has become smaller because of what happened. My goal is to help you move beyond simply managing these symptoms and begin addressing the patterns that are keeping trauma powerful in your life. I have specialized training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Written Exposure Therapy (WET), evidence-based treatments designed specifically for PTSD. Together, we will determine which approach best fits your experiences, symptoms, goals, and preferences. I understand that trauma does not happen in a vacuum, and treatment should make room for the cultural, relational, professional, and systemic experiences that shape how you understand what happened and what healing looks like for you.

Accelerated PTSD Treatment
For some people, meeting once a week is the right pace for trauma therapy. Others are ready to work more intensively or would prefer to complete treatment over a shorter period of time. 

In addition to traditional weekly PTSD treatment, I offer an accelerated treatment option with twice-weekly appointments. This allows clients to move through established treatments such as CPT or PE on a more concentrated timeline while maintaining the structure of these evidence-based PTSD protocols. 

Accelerated treatment may be a good fit if you are motivated to focus directly on your trauma, would prefer not to extend PTSD treatment across several months, or find that more frequent sessions help you maintain momentum. We can discuss whether weekly or accelerated treatment is the best fit for your needs, goals, and schedule.

Sexual Violence & Interpersonal Trauma
Experiences of sexual assault, relationship violence, exploitation, or other interpersonal trauma can affect far more than memories of what happened. They can change how you think about yourself, your body, relationships, intimacy, safety, trust, and control. Many survivors also carry shame, guilt, or self-blame long after the experience itself has ended. 

I have spent much of my clinical, research, and professional training working with survivors of interpersonal trauma. In therapy, we can address both the symptoms of trauma and the meanings you have carried forward from what happened, with the goal of helping you rebuild a sense of safety, agency, connection, and trust in yourself. 

I recognize that discussing trauma can feel vulnerable, particularly when previous attempts to disclose your experiences have been dismissed, misunderstood, or met with judgment. We will work collaboratively to determine an approach and pace that allows us to do meaningful trauma work while preserving your sense of choice and control.

Medical Trauma, Chronic Pain & Changes in Health
A serious diagnosis, hospitalization, traumatic injury, surgery, chronic pain, or unexpected change in physical functioning can alter the way you experience your body and imagine your future. Even when medical treatment is successful, the psychological impact of what happened may remain. 

I have extensive experience providing psychological care within medical settings to adults coping with serious and chronic health conditions, traumatic injuries, acute and chronic pain, medical procedures, and acquired disabilities. Therapy may involve processing medical trauma, adjusting to changes in functioning or identity, addressing fear and avoidance related to healthcare, improving quality of life, or reconnecting with meaningful activities when circumstances cannot simply be changed.

Pregnancy & Postpartum Mental Health
Pregnancy and the postpartum period can bring significant changes in identity, relationships, responsibilities, and emotional well-being. Previous trauma can also take on new meaning during pregnancy, childbirth, medical care, or the transition into parenthood. 

I work with pregnant and postpartum adults experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, adjustment difficulties, or other mental health concerns during the perinatal period. 

My goal is to provide a space where you can talk openly about the parts of pregnancy and parenthood that may not look or feel the way you expected, while also developing concrete strategies to support your well-being.

Culturally Responsive Therapy & High-Achieving Professionals
Sometimes the people who appear to be doing the best are carrying the most privately. 

I especially enjoy working with high-achieving professionals and clients from racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse backgrounds who are balancing internal distress with demanding careers, family responsibilities, cultural expectations, or pressure to continue performing at a high level. You may be accustomed to being competent, independent, or the person others rely on. 

You may also have become very good at functioning through trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, or burnout without allowing other people to see how difficult things have become. 

I approach culture as an important part of understanding you rather than as an afterthought to treatment. When relevant, our work can openly include race and ethnicity, immigration or generational experiences, family and cultural expectations, gender, spirituality, professional identity, experiences of discrimination, and the ways different parts of your identity intersect. 

Evidence-based therapy does not have to mean one-size-fits-all. My goal is to pair treatments supported by research with an understanding of the personal and cultural context in which your experiences occurred.

What to Expect in Therapy

My style is collaborative, compassionate, and active. I want therapy to be a place where you feel understood, but I also believe treatment should help you create meaningful change outside of our sessions. 

Early in therapy, we will spend time understanding what you are experiencing, how it is affecting your life, and what you would like to be different. From there, we will develop a treatment plan together and discuss the approaches most likely to help you reach those goals. 

I value transparency and want you to understand why I am recommending a particular intervention. Depending on your needs, our work may involve challenging patterns of thinking, approaching experiences you have been avoiding, changing your relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions, strengthening emotion-regulation skills, and reconnecting with the relationships, activities, and values that matter to you.

If you are considering therapy and would like to see whether we might be a good fit, I offer a free 15-minute consultation.