Trauma therapy for couples and individuals.

Online therapy for your entire relational world. In Philadelphia and serving clients in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, & Connecticut.

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Shira Adams (she/her), LPC, NCC

EMDR & Attachment-Focused Therapy for Queer Adults & Queer Couples

Pennsylvania & New Jersey

Shira Adams specializes in deep trauma and attachment work for queer adults and queer couples who are ready for real, lasting change, not just more insight.

This is therapy for people who are ready to feel different, not just understand themselves better.

schedule a free consultation

High-functioning on the outside, but exhausted on the inside.

TRAUMA THERAPY FOR QUEER ADULTS & COUPLES

Many queer clients I work with are emotionally intelligent, high-achieving, and deeply self-aware. You’ve often had to become these things to survive and succeed in a world that hasn’t always felt fully safe or affirming.

You’ve already done a lot of the “understanding” work.

But underneath that insight, you may still feel:

emotionally overwhelmed in relationships
unsure if you’re truly safe being fully yourself with others
afraid of abandonment, rejection, or disconnection
stuck in survival patterns like people-pleasing, shutting down, or over-functioning
unable to fully relax in love or intimacy
frustrated that the same relational patterns keep repeating

This work is for queer people who are tired of insight without change.

What You’re Really Looking For

Emotional Safety

Relationships where you can be fully yourself without fear of judgment, rejection, or having to shrink parts of your identity. Emotional safety creates the foundation for vulnerability, deeper connection, and lasting intimacy.
Trust

Relationships grounded in consistency, honesty, and mutual care. Feeling secure enough to be vulnerable, knowing you can rely on one another through conflict, change, and life's challenges.
Secure Attachment

A deeper sense of stability, connection, and belonging. Less anxiety about where you stand, less fear of abandonment or rejection, and more confidence that your relationships can feel steady, safe, and fulfilling.
Confidence In Identity

The freedom to know yourself, trust yourself, and show up authentically in every relationship. Confidence that comes from living in alignment with your values instead of seeking approval from others.

Testimonial

“Shira is a compassionate and insightful clinician whose work is rooted in helping individuals move from survival into a more grounded, empowered way of living. She also has a deep understanding of trauma, LGBTQ+ experiences, and chronic pain.”
Testimonial

“Shira is a caring provider who creates a warm space for clients. She integrates her clinical skills, like mindfulness and EMDR, to meet the diverse needs of trauma survivors.”

LGBTQ+ Couples Therapy

Go beyond generalized couples therapy...

Shira specializes in queer couples therapy, and offers an affirming, trauma-informed space to navigate communication, intimacy, conflict, identity, family dynamics, minority stress, and attachment patterns without needing to explain or defend your lived experience.

The goal is not simply to “fix problems,” but to help create deeper emotional safety, connection, and resilience within the relationship.

EMDR Therapy For Deep Healing

Heal the wounds that keep you stuck in your life and relationships.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy that helps your brain and body finally finish processing old experiences so they stop running the show in the background.

Think of it as clearing out corrupted files on a hard drive. You’re not erasing your memories, you’re teaching your nervous system that the danger has passed. So you can actually feel safe now, not just tell yourself you should be.

Shira Adams with curly brown hair, glasses, and hoop earrings smiling at the camera while sitting at a marble table in a brightly lit room with a large green plant in the background.

As an openly queer and neurodivergent therapist, Shira Adams creates a warm, affirming space where LGBTQ+ clients can explore identity, relationships, and personal growth without having to explain or defend who they are. She understands the unique experiences that can come with navigating family dynamics, coming out, gender and sexual identity exploration, dating, relationships, and living authentically in a world that isn't always affirming.

Shira is passionate about helping LGBTQ+ individuals build self-trust, strengthen self-esteem, develop healthier relationships, and cultivate a deeper sense of belonging. Her approach integrates evidence-based therapy, such as EMDR, and EFT Couples Therapy, with creativity, curiosity, and compassion, drawing from her background in Expressive Arts and Drama Therapy to help clients connect with themselves in meaningful ways.

Whether you're seeking support around identity, relationships, life transitions, anxiety, or simply wanting a therapist who understands queer experiences, Shira provides an inclusive, collaborative space where every part of you is welcome.

schedule a free consultation

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Queer Joy After Sexual Trauma

Healing doesn’t have to be lonely. This group is for LGBTQ+ survivors who want to heal in community, learn new tools, and re-connect with joy. You’ll be heard, seen, and supported by people with shared identities.

Online | Anywhere in PA or NJ
Ongoing
Wednesday or Thursday Evenings 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

We offer a sliding scale fee that will be discussed in your free consultation. We also accept the Pennsylvania Victim’s Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP).
This group is for LGBTQ+ folks who want to heal in community, learn new tools, and re-connect with joy. We’ll keep our focus on healing in the here and now, not on re-experiencing painful details. Meetings will include a mix of learning, sharing, and group processing. Together, we’ll set our own guidelines, pick the topics that matter most, and explore them with a blend of creative, mind-body, and identity-affirming activities.
We cap this group at 10 members.
Shira Adams, LPC, NCC