Trauma therapy
Talk therapy for adults carrying childhood trauma, paced so you stay steady. We begin with the present and your own ways of coping.
Trauma therapy in Bozeman, Montana
You don't have to tell me what happened to begin
Cairn is a solo practice for adults who grew up with trauma. I'm Seda Vartanian. I offer EMDR and body-based therapy at a pace you set, in Bozeman or by video across Montana.
Start here
What you do not have to tell me
Cairn is for adults whose past still shapes their days. These are things you never owe me, in the first session or the fortieth.
What happened
Much of this work can happen without the details. Say as much as you like, or nothing, for as long as you like.
Names and places
Who, where or when. If saying it helps, I'll listen. If it doesn't, we'll work around it.
Whether it counts
You don't have to decide if it was bad enough. If it still shapes your days, that is reason enough to come.
Why you didn't say sooner
Or why you stayed, or why you went back. Nobody here is keeping score.
A label for it
A diagnosis, a word, a category. Some people want one and some don't; either is fine.
How you feel about your family
Love and anger can sit side by side. You don't have to choose one, or explain either.
Ways we work
Three ways to work, and video if you need it
Most people start with conversation and add one of the others later, if at all.
One to one, for adults
EMDR therapy
A structured method that pairs side-to-side eye movements or taps with a memory you choose. It doesn't need the story told in detail.
Somatic therapy
Conversation that includes the body: breath, posture, sensation. You stay seated and clothed, and there is no touch.
Sessions by video
I'm licensed in Montana, so video works if you are in Montana during the session and have a private room.
A map, not a schedule
The first eight sessions, as a map
This is roughly how the early weeks go. We set the pace together, and some people stay at one stop for a long while.
Step 1: Session 1: Arriving
You choose where to sit. I explain how sessions work, what stays private and where its limits are. You tell me nothing about the past.
Step 2: Session 2: The present
A little about now: sleep, work, the people around you, what's hard. Only what you decide to say.
Step 3: Session 3: Steady ground
We try ways to settle your body: slow breathing, feeling your feet, noticing the room. You keep what helps.
Step 4: Session 4: Between sessions
Small practices to try at home, if you want them. None of them is homework you can fail.
Step 5: Session 5: A starting place
If you want to work on a memory, you choose which one, or none yet. Waiting is a fine answer.
Step 6: Session 6: Getting ready
I explain how EMDR works, we set a stop signal, and we practice going toward a calm place and back.
Step 7: Session 7: A short piece of work
A brief stretch with a memory you chose, and a long stretch afterward to settle before you leave.
Step 8: Session 8: Looking back
What has changed, what hasn't, and what you'd like different. We can go on, go slower, or pause.
Seda Vartanian
Founder and therapist, LCPC
Seda works with adults who grew up in homes that weren't safe. She goes slowly: the first weeks are about steadiness, not stories.
She sees people one at a time, in her Bozeman office or by video across Montana. Her Montana license is listed at the foot of every page.
What she offers
- EMDR
- Somatic therapy
- Adults, 18 and older
Training
EMDR training, EMDR International Association-approved program
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) · MT Lic. 000000
The room
A quiet room, a stop signal, and no hurry
The office is small, with a lamp instead of overheads, a plant by the window and two chairs you can move.
Either of us can pause at any time, and you don't need a reason. Every session ends with time to settle, so you don't walk back into your day in the middle of a memory.
You choose where to sit
A stop signal you set yourself
Time to settle before you leave
Fees
How fees work
What people ask before they book. Your fee is always given to you in writing before you start.
Insurance we work with
I take some commercial plans, such as PPO plans, and before your first session I'll tell you whether yours is one of them. I don't bill Medicare or Medicaid. If I'm not in network with your plan, you can pay yourself and ask for a monthly receipt to send in.
Some commercial plans, such as PPO plans
No Medicare or Medicaid billing
If you pay yourself
I set your fee by the length of the session, and you have it in writing before you start. You pay at the end of each session by card; HSA and FSA cards work. A limited number of reduced-fee spots are held for people who couldn't start otherwise. Ask when you write, and I'll take your word for it. Please give 24 hours' notice to change or cancel a session.
Your fee, in writing, before you start
A limited number of reduced-fee spots
Receipts for reimbursement
Each month you can ask for an itemized receipt, often called a superbill, listing the date and type of each session. It carries a diagnosis code, which your plan will see. Whether it pays anything back, and how much, is up to the plan.
An estimate in advance
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to a Good Faith Estimate of what your care will cost, in writing, before you start. If a bill is $400 or more above that estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate isn't a contract, and I can send one before we ever meet.
Checking your benefits
Before your first session I look up what your plan says about counseling and tell you plainly what I find, including when I can't tell. You're welcome to call the number on your card too and ask how a claim is filed.
What people ask first
The short answers. The rest are on the questions page.
Do I have to talk about what happened?
No. Many people never tell me the details, and the work still goes forward. You decide what to say, and you can change your mind any time.
What happens in the first session?
We talk about how sessions work, what's private, and what you hope for. You don't have to say anything about the past. You leave knowing what a next step would be, and that you don't have to take it.
How often do we meet, and for how long?
A session is 50 minutes. Most people start weekly, and we adjust as we go. I don't set a number of sessions for you.
Do you take my insurance?
I take some commercial plans, and I'll tell you before your first session whether yours is one of them. If not, you can pay yourself and ask for a receipt to send in.
Can we meet by video?
Yes, if you are in Montana during the session and have a room where you can talk privately.
What if I'm in crisis?
Call or text 988, any time, or call 911 in an emergency. I can't answer messages around the clock, so please don't use this site for urgent needs.
When you're ready, write to me
You don't need to say anything about yourself. A name and a way to reach you is enough.
Write to me, or just say hello
I reply by whichever route you choose, and only by that one. You can leave the message as short as a single line.
Phone(406) 555-0108
Hours
- Monday – ThursdayToday
- 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- FridayToday
- 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Saturday – SundayToday
- Closed