Trauma care at the edge of the state
Cape May County sits where the Atlantic meets the Delaware Bay. Summer brings crowds to Ocean City, the Wildwoods, Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor and Cape May, and winter brings a quiet that year-round residents know well. That rhythm shapes mental health too: months of nonstop work in tourism, hospitality and fishing, followed by isolation once the visitors leave.
For someone carrying complex trauma, the off-season can be when old memories and feelings get loud. And when you start looking for help, the options for specialized trauma psychotherapy close to home can feel limited. Online therapy changes that equation. You can work with a trauma-focused clinician from Lower Township, Middle Township or Upper Township without planning your week around a long trip north.
How the seasons can stir up old trauma
Clients who live and work at the shore often describe two very different versions of themselves. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, there is no time to think: double shifts, a house full of summer guests, kids out of school. The constant motion can keep painful feelings at a distance. Then the boardwalks empty, the days shorten and there is suddenly room for everything that was pushed aside.
That shift is not a personal failing. When the nervous system finally slows down, it tends to surface what it has been holding. Sleep may get worse in November. Irritability with a partner may spike in January. Drinking may creep up to fill quiet evenings. Recognizing that pattern helps you plan for it, and therapy gives you somewhere to bring it.
Online sessions can also follow you through the year. Many people meet more often during the off-season and less often in July, then adjust again in the fall. Flexible scheduling means therapy can fit the rhythm of a seasonal economy rather than fighting it.
What is complex PTSD, and how is it different?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is often linked to a single event: a crash, an assault, a sudden loss. Complex PTSD develops after trauma that was repeated or prolonged, especially when it happened inside a relationship you depended on. Childhood abuse or neglect, growing up with addiction in the home, domestic violence and long-term coercive relationships are common roots.
Along with the familiar signs of trauma, such as nightmares, startle responses and avoidance, complex PTSD tends to include:
- Persistent shame or a belief that something is fundamentally wrong with you.
- Difficulty managing emotions, from shutting down to sudden anger or panic.
- Relationships that feel either unsafe or painfully familiar.
- Feeling disconnected from your body, your memories or the people around you.
Researchers continue to study how complex trauma differs from single-incident PTSD; you can find peer-reviewed work through PubMed and in journals like JAMA Psychiatry. What matters most for you is that these patterns are understandable and treatable.
How Dr. Audrey works with complex trauma
Psychotherapy for complex PTSD with Dr. Audrey moves in phases, and you set the pace. She does not push anyone into detailed retelling before they have the footing to handle it.
- Safety and stabilization. You learn what your symptoms are doing and why. Together you build skills for grounding, sleep, and riding out waves of emotion. Her C-DBT certification means she often draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills here.
- Processing. When you are ready, you look at the experiences that shaped you, at a dose that stays manageable. The aim is to make the past feel like the past.
- Reconnection. Later sessions focus on relationships, boundaries, identity and the life you want to build now.
Her doctorate in Family Studies adds another layer. Complex trauma is almost always relational, so she helps you understand the family patterns behind your reactions. When it fits your goals, partners or relatives can join a session, even if they live outside the county. Learn more about her family systems approach.
Medical and psychiatric literature, including articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, increasingly recognizes how long-term stress affects both mind and body. If medication might help you, Dr. Audrey can talk with you about coordinating with your own physician or psychiatrist.
How online psychotherapy works in Cape May County
Dr. Audrey's practice is completely online. There is no office to reach, no parking to find in summer traffic and no waiting room where you might run into a neighbor. You join a secure, HIPAA-compliant video session through a link that opens in your browser, with nothing to install.
Because she is a New Jersey Licensed Professional Counselor, she can see you whenever you are physically in New Jersey for the session. Appointments for New Jersey clients are arranged in Eastern Time, and scheduling is flexible, which helps people whose work hours shift with the season. For a walkthrough of the technology and scheduling, visit how online sessions work.
In small shore communities, privacy is a real concern. Meeting from your own home, or from a parked car on a lunch break, keeps your therapy your own business.
Who reaches out for trauma therapy
Dr. Audrey works with people at different points in their lives, including:
- Adults who have kept busy for years and now find that anxiety, depression or burnout keeps leading back to old trauma.
- Survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault who want a steady, unhurried place to recover.
- Teens ages 12 to 18 dealing with trauma alongside self-harm, school stress or family conflict.
- Young adults home from college or working seasonal jobs who feel stuck.
- Parents who want to stop passing down what they experienced, and families affected by one member's trauma or addiction.
Her practice is LGBTQ+-owned and affirming and aligned with GLSEN and the Human Rights Campaign. If parts of your trauma relate to identity, you will not need to explain or defend who you are. Parents and families can also find support through NAMI education programs.
Credentials and experience
Dr. Audrey Kteily holds a PhD in Family Studies and a bachelor's in Psychology from Texas Woman's University and a master's in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University. She is a New Jersey Licensed Professional Counselor, a New York Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor; she has been licensed in Texas since 2001 and a supervisor since 2004.
She is also a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations, C-DBT certified through Evergreen Certifications and a published author on family dynamics. She has spent more than two decades doing clinical work with individuals and families. Read Dr. Audrey's full background.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911. Dr. Audrey's practice is not a crisis service.
Starting therapy from Cape May County
Dr. Audrey is an out-of-network provider. She can give you a superbill to submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement, so ask your insurer about your out-of-network mental health benefits before starting.
When you are ready, send a secure appointment request. You will hear back within one business day. You can also read the New Jersey online therapy page or visit the Dr. Audrey home page to learn about her other specialties.
Request a first session, or text or call (917) 905-3183. Texting is easiest; keep health details out of text messages.