Cassie McCarthy, LICSW

07/25/2025

Dating After Sexual Trauma Feels Different—Because It Is
If you’ve survived sexual or relational trauma, dating can feel confusing.
You might question your instincts or wonder if you’re being “too sensitive.”
You might struggle to trust—or trust too quickly.

None of this means you’re broken. It means your trauma is trying to protect you.

I help women rebuild self-trust, set boundaries that feel good, and date without shame or self-doubt.

Dating after trauma is hard—but you don’t have to figure it out alone.
📍 Online trauma therapy for women in FL, MA, IL, VA & VT.
📞 Let’s talk. Schedule a free consult today.

07/23/2025

The Freeze Response Is Still a Survival Response
If you didn’t fight back…
If you didn’t scream, run, or say no…
You may still be carrying guilt about how your body responded.

But freezing is a valid trauma response. It’s your nervous system protecting you in the moment.
You did what you had to do to survive.

In trauma therapy, you’ll learn to stop blaming yourself for what wasn’t your fault—and start healing from the inside out.

Ready to stop carrying guilt that was never yours to begin with?
📍 Trauma therapy for women in MA, IL, VA, VT & FL.
📞 Book a free consultation today.

07/21/2025

✨ New Free Resource for Therapists Working with Women Survivors ✨

Hi everyone—I'm excited to share a resource I just created and launched today that I hope will be helpful to you and your clients.

As a trauma therapist specializing in women’s PTSD, I noticed that many of the screening tools we use don’t quite capture the full picture of what trauma actually looks like for the women we work with. So I created a free download:
📝 The Women’s Trauma Exposure Checklist
It’s designed to help clients identify forms of trauma that often go overlooked—especially relational trauma, coercion, and emotional violations that may not involve explicit violence but still deeply impact mental health.

This tool is:
✔️ Written in client-friendly language
✔️ Ideal for early sessions or self-reflection
✔️ Helpful for clients who say “I’m not sure what happened counts as trauma”
✔️ Trauma-informed and female-centered

Please feel free to share this with your clients or use it in your own practice—it’s completely free to download.
You can grab it here: https://cassiemccarthy.com/trauma-checklist-for-women/

If you do use it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. My hope is that it helps more women feel seen, validated, and ready to begin their healing process.

— Cassie McCarthy, LICSW
Trauma Therapist | CPT Specialist | Women's PTSD Advocate

Wondering if what you went through counts as trauma? You're not alone! Get clarity: free validating, women-centered trauma checklist.

07/21/2025

Trauma Shows Up in Your Relationships—Even If You Don’t Talk About It
Sexual and relational trauma can sneak into your dating life, friendships, and even your work.

Maybe you struggle to trust others. Maybe you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Or maybe you’re the “strong one”—the helper—while quietly feeling exhausted and alone.

Trauma therapy helps you reconnect with yourself and learn how to feel safe in relationships again.
You don’t have to keep pretending you’re fine. You’re allowed to be supported.

Let’s help you feel safe again—in your body, your choices, and your relationships.
📍 Now accepting new clients in FL, MA, IL, VA & VT.
📞 Schedule a free consultation today.

07/18/2025

Sexual Trauma Isn't Always Violent. But It’s Always Valid.
Sexual trauma doesn't have to look like it does in movies.
It can be coercion. Manipulation. Not saying “yes” because you froze in fear.

And yet, so many women question whether what happened to them "counts."
Here’s the truth: if it wasn’t a clear, enthusiastic yes—it wasn’t consent.

If you're living with shame, confusion, or self-doubt after a sexual experience, trauma therapy can help you understand what happened and begin to heal.

You don’t need to minimize your pain. You need support that actually fits.
📍 Online therapy in Massachusetts, Illinois, Virginia, Vermont & Florida.
📞 Reach out for a free consultation.

07/16/2025

Trauma Therapy for Women—Not Just Talk Therapy
Traditional talk therapy often falls short when it comes to sexual trauma. You don’t need someone to just “listen”—you need someone who knows how trauma shows up in women’s lives.

Hypervigilance. Shame. Freeze responses. Fear of intimacy.
These aren’t random symptoms. They’re trauma. And they can change.

Using Cognitive Processing Therapy, I help women stop blaming themselves, reconnect with their bodies, and finally feel safe again. You deserve evidence-based support that gets results.

If talk therapy didn’t work, it’s not your fault. Let’s try something different.
🖥️ Online trauma therapy for women in MA, IL, VA, VT & FL.
📞 Book a free consult today.

07/14/2025

Is Your Trauma Still With You? Here's How to Tell
You might think you've “moved on,” but certain patterns—constant anxiety, people-pleasing, fear of relationships—might be signs your trauma never really left. Sexual trauma doesn't just disappear over time. It often hides beneath perfectionism, self-doubt, or relationship struggles.

You’re not broken. You’re responding to something that hurt you deeply.

If you've been wondering why therapy hasn’t worked before, you may not have received trauma-specific care. Evidence-based trauma therapy like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is designed to help women recover—fully.

Let’s explore how trauma therapy can help you take your life back.
📍 Offering online trauma therapy in MA, IL, VT, VA & FL.
📞 Schedule your free consultation today.

07/11/2025

Online PTSD Treatment for Women in Massachusetts, Florida, Virginia, Vermont, and Illinois
I specialize in trauma therapy for women living with PTSD, offering online services across four states. Whether you’re healing from sexual trauma, betrayal trauma, or childhood abuse, I’m here to help. Together, we’ll use evidence-based treatments to guide you toward healing.
📲 Schedule your online trauma therapy consultation now.

07/09/2025

Trauma Therapy for Women: Rewriting the Story
PTSD makes you believe you’re broken — but you’re not. Trauma therapy helps you rewrite the story trauma left behind, shifting from guilt and shame to resilience and strength. Through CPT, we work to heal the beliefs that keep you stuck and help you reclaim your power.
✨ Begin your healing journey today.

07/07/2025

Dating and Relationships After Trauma
Dating after trauma can bring up anxiety, trust issues, and self-doubt. Together, we’ll address how past sexual trauma, betrayal, or childhood trauma shows up in your current relationships — and help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
💬 Reach out for trauma therapy support today.

07/04/2025

Overcoming Trauma
Trauma can shatter your worldview and sense of self. If you’ve experienced abuse, harm, or PTSD, therapy can help you process what happened and rebuild your identity on your terms. I specialize in trauma recovery through online trauma therapy.
📅 Let’s work together — schedule your consult now.

07/02/2025

Women Healing After Coercion and Consent Violations
Sexual coercion and consent violations often leave survivors confused, ashamed, and isolated. You deserve a space to process what happened. I specialize in sexual trauma therapy, helping women untangle the impact of these violations and rebuild a sense of power and agency.
🌟 Start your sexual trauma recovery journey today.