When You Were Never Allowed to Be Angry: Reclaiming Safe Expression with a Childhood Trauma Therapist in Falls Church, VA
In Emotionally Immature and Dysfunctional Families, Anger Means Discomfort
In families with high dysfunction and low tolerance for emotional curiosity, anger pushes ALL. THE. BUTTONS. Because the caregivers in the system struggle with their own emotional worlds, when others around them experience intense feelings, like anger, they are quick to use shaming, criticism, or even ignoring. Essentially? Any tool they can use to try to shut it down is used because they don’t know how to navigate big feelings. And big feelings make them anxious, uncomfortable, and annoyed.
So growing up as a kid in that system, what do you learn? Oh. Anger is BAD. It makes people hate me. I should avoid anger at all costs.
And that is what your hurt, inner child still carries with you. Trauma therapy for anger with a childhood trauma therapist in Falls Church, VA, can help you navigate this.
I Promise: Anger and Aggression Are Not the Same Thing
The thing is, because of all of this low emotional tolerance, most families with high dysfunction tend to confuse and send some interesting messages. The message that gets put across is: anger equals aggression. But actually, they are two different things.
Anger is an emotional experience. It is information about what you are feeling, needing, or not getting. Sometimes, anger is just a mask over other emotions, like anxiety, shame, embarrassment, hurt, or fear. Anger, like all of your emotions, is always allowed to be there. It’s not the same as what you do with your anger.
Aggression is a behavior. It is a harmful action that can hurt others, including physical violence and abusive language. Aggression is something that you can do with anger that can cause harm to others and does have consequences.
Why Reclaiming Anger is Reclaiming Your Power
Anger gets a bad rep. Because you know what else anger can do? Set boundaries, protect yourself, honor yourself, and how incredible you are. Anger’s information can send a powerful signal to what you need and allow you to take action of empowerment, rather than what your young self learned was acts of potential aggression.
How Childhood Trauma Therapy Helps Get You There
In trauma therapy with me, a childhood trauma therapist, we learn about the parts of you that have had to protect you while growing up, like people-pleasing and avoidance. We delve into these messages to see how they served you in an emotionally immature system. At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we follow these pathways, releasing them from their tiring jobs of working so hard to protect you. Part of what we do is update these protective parts: letting them know that you are a wise, confident adult, capable of handling and navigating challenging situations differently now. As we follow these paths to your inner world, we eventually find out what is holding back your youngest, hurt parts.
With your adult, wise self and your protectors witnessing, we can give these hurt parts the power and encouragement they needed then, and rewire those painful memories, finding a new way to change the stories your body stores now. In doing this re-telling and re-working, your body feels and finds new pathways to safely express itself and move through the world with clarity and peace.
Reclaim Safe Expression with a Childhood Trauma Therapist in Falls Church, VA
Alice Zic, MPH, LCSW | Trauma Therapist & Owner of Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, LLC
At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, healing begins with being truly seen. Working with a childhood trauma therapist in Falls Church, VA, offers gentle, trauma-informed support to help you rebuild a sense of inner safety, reconnect with your resilience, and slowly return to the parts of yourself that had to go quiet to survive. You don’t have to navigate this work alone. Support is here, and you are welcome exactly as you are.
Here’s how to begin your healing journey:
Click below to schedule your complimentary 15-minute consultation call.
Complete a short pre-consultation form so we can better understand your needs.
Meet with childhood trauma therapist Alice Zic to explore what support will look like for you.
Take your first steps toward healing from childhood trauma with compassionate childhood trauma therapy.
In-Person Therapy Services in New Orleans at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy
Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy provides in-person therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in New Orleans, Louisiana. For clients in the Greater New Orleans area seeking support, whether healing from childhood trauma, navigating the impact of an emotionally immature mother, or finding anxiety therapy for a teen, we offer a warm, accessible space in Mid-City where meaningful healing can begin.
Find Emotional Support with Online Childhood Trauma Therapy in Virginia
Online therapy offers a flexible, accessible way to begin healing from childhood trauma. As a therapist licensed in Virginia, I’m able to work with clients living anywhere in the state, providing support directly from the comfort of your own space. With just a device and an internet connection, you can start online therapy in Virginia without traffic, commute time, or added stress. Getting started is simple. Begin with a free consultation call below:
Expanding Your Healing Journey With Additional Services
Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy offers more than support for childhood trauma. We also provide online therapy for teen anxiety in CT, VA, and LA, along with in-person sessions in New Orleans. Whether you're navigating the effects of parentification, helping your teen cope with emotional overwhelm, or working through the lasting impact of childhood neglect, we offer a compassionate and nonjudgmental space to begin healing. Support is available wherever you are in Connecticut, Virginia, or Louisiana.
Meet Alice: Childhood Trauma Therapist Specializing in Trauma Recovery
Alice Zic is a licensed clinical social worker based in New Orleans, Louisiana, offering online therapy to clients across Louisiana, Connecticut, and Virginia, as well as in-person sessions in New Orleans. As a childhood trauma therapist, she specializes in supporting perfectionist, mother-wounded women as they work to heal their past and step into a more confident, grounded adulthood.
Her work is rooted in attachment theory and informed by extensive training in Internal Family Systems (IFS). This trauma-responsive, evidence-based approach helps clients connect with protective parts, unburden wounded inner experiences, and cultivate a more compassionate relationship with themselves.
When you’re ready to begin your healing journey, you can schedule a free consultation call today.