Lyl Starr, LMFT #149628
Trauma-informed, anti-racist, queer & trans-celebratory therapy for adults navigating identity, relationships, and healing.
Trauma Therapy in Sacramento, CA and Virtual Trauma Therapy in California
Maybe you’ve been told you’re “too much,” or you’ve tried to make yourself smaller, quieter, easier to love, but it still feels like no one really sees you.
I’ve been there too, and I created this space for people who are tired of people‑pleasing, weighed down by shame, or struggling to navigate cultural and family dynamics that don’t always make room for their needs. Therapy here is about helping you feel safe enough to be yourself, unapologetically.
My name is Lyl Starr (she/they/ella). I’m a queer, Latine therapist and the child of immigrant parents, and I know how deeply culture and family shape our lives. My own background as a trauma survivor informs the way I show up: with authenticity, tenderness, and a deep respect for your lived experience.
I’m trained in Brainspotting, trained in EMDR, and IFS‑informed. I love integrating parts work and inner child healing, and I always bring my authentic self (a dark humor-lover, with a face that speaks before their mouth does) into everything I do.
Most of the folks I work with already have awareness of what isn’t working, but they’re stuck on the “what now?” My role is to help you move beyond insight into embodied healing, so that you can feel more comfortable in your own skin.
If you’re looking for a trauma-informed therapist who is anything but a blank slate, then you are in the right place, and I look forward to meeting you!
LGBTQIA+
As a queer and bisexual person, I know how important it is to find a therapist where you can walk in, accepted as authentically you!
I help my clients through exploring their identity and sexuality, building self-esteem, decreasing shame, bi-invisibility, sharing identity with your community, and identity related anxiety, depression, and trauma.
RELIGIOUS TRAUMA
For some, religion is a place we were taught to feel shame or that parts of us were not welcome, wanted, or "good."
We can heal from wounds with support and start to rebuild our outlook of ourselves and (if it feels right) your spirituality and what role (if any) it plays in your life.
PEOPLE-PLEASING
When we begin to understand our needs and how to communicate them to others, we start to build trust and safety within ourselves.
Boundaries do not have to mean cutting ties with loved ones. But rather, learning how we want others to love and care for us.
TRAUMA
Let's change the story that it was our fault, that what happened was normal, or that we were overreacting. Trauma impacts us on a deep level, we cannot simply just "get over it" and move on. The impacts will continue to show up until we are able to tend to them. Our body, nervous system, and brain all adapted to get us through it - these adaptions might look like dissociation, anxiety, depression, hyper-vigilance, etc. As we heal and thank these parts for doing their job, we can also learn how to invite them into safety.
RELATIONSHIP THERAPY
I work with couples, relationships or partnerships who have a deep desire to be together and feel like they have drifted apart. I am poly/ENM/CNM affirming and welcome all relationship types.
MAYBE YOU'VE DONE THERAPY BEFORE
Many of the folx I meet share that they’ve been to therapy before and it has been helpful, yet something still feels incomplete.
Somatic and Holistic modalities like Brainspotting, EMDR, or IFS informed(parts work) practices can help bring that deeper level of brain-body healing and connection.
Ready to get started?
Reach out below to schedule a Free 15-Minute consultation call to see if I am a good fit to join you on your healing journey.
Follow me on Instagram
Many people begin therapy hoping for relief, clarity, or closure… and often, talk therapy does help. It gives language to experiences, helps you understand patterns, and offers support when life feels overwhelming. But even with all of that, so many people quietly admit something like: