About

Hi! I'm Tarah Hipple-Thomas. Pronouns: she/her/they. I live in Grand Rapids, MI and am licensed in both Michigan and Washington as a Licensed Master's Social Worker and Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. I am also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. I have two fur babies, who are in training to be Psychiatric Service Animals and sometimes like to join sessions. 

I myself have experienced my own complex traumas. I saw wonderful providers and valued what I learned from them. But it still felt like something was missing. Quite literally, I had so much time missing that I couldn’t understand, difficulties with everyday memory, and experiencing memories that I couldn't understand, but that my body was experiencing …until one provider heard all of me and worked with my whole story. After gaining more experience working within the mental health field, receiving more specialized trainings, and receiving my own treatment, I felt it was time for me to build my own therapy practice. 

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Working with adult individuals who are survivors of trauma, I focus on how distressing memories are held in the body, which then manifest as symptoms associated with trauma (discussed more here) and/or dissociation (discussed more here). I use multiple tools, including mindfulness, somatic resourcing, and internal family system strategies to work with individuals in developing coping skills and increasing self-awareness so the client can be heard, find their inner strength, and continue to grow.

I also am a mental health speaker and have presented to military members, communities, high school students, teachers, and parents to increase mental health awareness. I received my Bachelor’s in Social Work from Eastern Michigan University and my Master’s in Social Work from Capella University.