Online Trauma Therapist Based in Minnesota
Step Into Connection, Confidence, and Strength
with Melissa Polusny, PhD ABPP
Expertise:
Trauma
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Post-traumatic stress disorder
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Prolonged Exposure therapy
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Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy
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Behavioral interventions
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Risk and resilience in high-stress environments
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Mindfulness and Resilience
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Trauma | Post-traumatic stress disorder | Prolonged Exposure therapy | Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy | Behavioral interventions | Risk and resilience in high-stress environments | Mindfulness and Resilience |
Trauma Therapist Online
Guided by Science. Grounded in Compassion.
My approach to therapy is active, collaborative, and grounded in the treatments we know work best for trauma. I primarily use Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), considered gold-standard methods supported by decades of research along with targeted cognitive behavioral strategies to address anxiety, depression, and stress.
Through these approaches, I’ll help you understand how trauma has shaped your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and I’ll teach you skills to face the painful memories and feelings that have felt too overwhelming to approach on your own. The work can be hard at times, but I’ll be with you every step of the way supporting you and tracking your progress. My goal is to help you move beyond coping alone and into a life where you feel connected, confident, and in control again.
To View More Of My Publications, Research and Professional Profiles,
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Trauma Therapist Online
Meet Melissa Polusny PhD, ABPP
Hello. I’m a board-certified clinical psychologist with deep roots in Minnesota and over 30 years of experience helping people heal from trauma. For 25 years, I served veterans and their families as a staff psychologist at the Minneapolis VA—where I also trained hundreds of clinicians nationwide and contributed to research behind gold-standard treatments like Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy.
As a clinician investigator and Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, I’ve led research that has shaped the science of trauma recovery—authoring more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and directing over $9 million in grant-funded studies. My work has advanced understanding of risk and resilience in National Guard soldiers and helped build the evidence base for mindfulness-based and resilience-focused interventions.
Whether I’m working with clients, training therapists, or contributing to the science behind trauma recovery, my focus remains the same: compassionate, science-informed care that helps people move from adversity to resilience—with clarity, purpose, and strength.
PS. You might notice my little dog named Thor who can be caught sleeping on the couch during therapy sessions (and occasionally barking at the Amazon delivery truck, a job he takes very seriously)
Online Therapist for Trauma
For Therapist & Mental Health Professionals
Elevate your trauma therapy practice with guidance from someone who’s helped shape the field. I’m certified by the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety—the developers of Prolonged Exposure (PE)—to provide clinical training and consultation in PE therapy. Whether you’re an experienced clinician looking to deepen your expertise or just beginning to provide trauma therapy, I offer practical, evidence-based support to help you build confidence and improve outcomes for your clients.
Working with complex trauma can feel overwhelming. If you’re looking to strengthen your skills in PTSD treatment—or simply want a trusted partner to think through challenging cases, I’m here to help.
I offer private individual and group consultation for licensed clinicians seeking to strengthen their trauma therapy practice.
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Enhancing clinical competence in delivering Prolonged Exposure (PE) through expert feedback
Strengthening case conceptualization skills to improve client outcomes
Working with avoidance, emotional dysregulation, and complex trauma presentations
Personalized guidance aligned with your practice’s distinct goals
Audio/video review of therapy sessions to refine technique and therapeutic approach
Role-play exercises to build skill and strengthen confidence
Supportive, collaborative environment to prevent burnout when treating trauma
Our work together is collaborative and driven by current science with practical tools you can apply immediately in your clinical work. My goal is to help you feel supported and prepared as you guide your clients toward meaningful change.
Let’s Connect
If you’re seeking advanced clinical consultation from someone who has trained hundreds of providers nationally in trauma-focused therapies, I’d love to support your growth. Reach out to me to chat about how we can work together.
“Melissa’s detail-oriented focus, organizational skill, and ability to foster collaboration made the RINGS projects one of the highlights of my career.”
Melissa is detail oriented, organized, and able to delegate and encourage collaboration. She communicates complex ideas clearly, adapts quickly, and makes proposals appealing to funders. My collaboration with her on the RINGS projects was a career highlight—her enthusiasm and leadership resulted in dozens of impactful papers and the launch of several junior faculty careers. Without her, the first RINGS grant would never have been submitted. She holds herself to the highest standards, values generosity and collaboration, and prioritizes family with grace.
“Melissa brings energy and leadership that turns good ideas into achievable projects.”
While working on RINGS and ARMOR, you brought an attitude of, ‘If it’s a good idea, let’s just make it happen.’ That elevated positive emotionality created energy and faith that we could figure out the details—making projects possible that might never have been pursued otherwise. You are driven, achievement-oriented, entrepreneurial, collaborative, ethical, and invested in the growth of others—like a military lieutenant, leading from the trenches as the ‘tip of the spear.’ We share values of using scientific evidence to shape clinical decisions and creating the very evidence needed. Your curiosity and skepticism in following the data, like with inconsistent responding to self-reported adversity, exemplifies that.
“Warm, optimistic, and always fully present.”
You may have a million things going on in the background and stressors and deadlines, yet you are still capable to being “present” for what I bring to the table. I feel like I am talking to full person. You share your reactions and thoughts. You are warm and welcoming. Its truly a bi-directional, collegial interaction where I feel like we are having a conversation and a dialogue. You help me figure things out and figure out how to figure things out, rather than just throwing a bunch of canned solutions at me. I also appreciate your can-do spirit. No matter how impossible something feels like or how uncertain things feel, you can figure out a way through. Anything is possible and you can figure out the way.
Trauma & PTSD Specialist
Licensure and Availability
I am a board certified clinical psychologist, licensed in Minnesota, and also authorized to provide online therapy in more than 40 states through PSYPACT. This allows me to support clients across much of the U.S. with the same level of care I offer in person.
If you live in a PSYPACT-participating state, we can meet virtually using a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform ensuring your privacy, confidentiality, and comfort from wherever you are. For clients located near Minneapolis MN, I also offer in-person and online therapy sessions by appointment only. But the first step is a chat.
FAQs
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A trauma-informed therapist understands how trauma can affect your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and sense of safety, and works with you in a way that feels respectful, supportive, and empowering. This means:
Creating a space where you feel safe and heard
Honoring your pace and boundaries
Recognizing how trauma may show up in your life
Using evidence-based therapies that reduce distress, shame, and avoidance
Supporting healing with compassion and clarity
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I'm a board-certified clinical psychologist and am licensed in Minnesota. I am authorized to provide teletherapy in over 40 states through PSYPACT, an interstate agreement that allows licensed psychologists to practice across state lines. If you live in a PSYPACT-participating state, we may be able to work together remotely. Feel free to reach out, and I’ll help confirm your eligibility.
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I use evidence-based therapies that are proven to reduce distress and support lasting healing—including Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy. My approach is collaborative and tailored to your goals, pace, and values. Together, we’ll explore what feels overwhelming, build skills to manage distress, and reconnect with what matters most. Therapy is guided by science, grounded in compassion, and focused on helping you feel safer, more empowered, and more yourself.
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Most people will experience trauma at some point in their lives—whether through the sudden loss of a loved one, physical or sexual violence, a serious car accident, natural disaster, a violent criminal act, or exposure to combat or violence of war. If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or haunted by something that happened—trauma therapy may help. You don’t need a formal diagnosis to benefit. If past experiences are affecting your mood, relationships, or sense of safety, therapy can offer tools to process what happened, reduce distress, and help you reconnect with yourself and others. We’ll work together to decide what approach fits best and move at a pace that feels right for you.
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While I do focus on trauma recovery, I also work with clients who may be struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues (not necessarily related to trauma), or difficulties navigating life transitions.
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I primarily work with adults one-on-one, specializing in trauma recovery, but I also offer trauma-focused couple therapy when trauma has impacted the relationship. This approach helps partners understand how trauma shows up between them, and strengthen their connection using evidence-based strategies.
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ABPP stands for the American Board of Professional Psychology. It’s a national certification that recognizes advanced expertise in a psychologist’s specialty—similar to board certification for medical doctors. While all physicians are board certified, only a small percentage of psychologists earn this distinction. It reflects a deep commitment to clinical excellence, ethical care, and ongoing professional development. If you’re working with a board-certified psychologist, you’re partnering with someone who’s gone the extra mile to ensure you receive the highest standard of care.