LEXI MICHAUD, FAMILY TRAUMA Therapist in PASADENA, CA
“You learned how to survive early. You read rooms before you spoke. You became self-sufficient and hyper-aware. You became the “strong one.”
You’re not TOO much. You are not broken. And your family's story does not have to be your story.
You might still replay conversations, wondering if you overreacted — again. You might hold everything together at work, in your relationships, with your family, while quietly feeling like you're running on empty underneath it all. Maybe the patterns you grew up with — the walking on eggshells, the emotional distance, the chaos or silence — have followed you into your adult relationships, your parenting, your body.
None of this means something is wrong with you. It means your nervous system learned to adapt to something that was real — and it has been doing its best ever since.
I work with individuals, couples, and families in Pasadena, CA who are ready to stop surviving and start living — to slow down, listen to what the body is holding, and begin to rewrite the story that was handed to them before they had a choice. Together, we create space for grounded, holistic healing that honors the full complexity of who you are: your history, your relationships, your culture, and the wisdom your body has been carrying all along.
NONE OF THIS MEANS YOU’RE BROKEN. AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO NAVIGATE IT ALL ALONE ANYMORE.
Hi, I’m LEXI.
I help clients explore their inner world, heal from past experiences, and cultivate the skills needed to live as their true selves.
I work with individuals, families, and couples who are motivated to engage deeply in the work of healing and growth. Together, we slow down, listen deeply to what is emerging in the present moment, and create space for new ways of being that feel grounded, intentional, and aligned with your true self. Through this holistic process, space opens for deeper connection, intentional living, and a more authentic expression of who you are.
When we feel stuck, it is often an invitation to pause and listen more closely. The patterns that shape our lives are not random; they are responses to experiences that deserve understanding. In a supportive and collaborative space, we explore the narratives that have influenced your sense of self and bring awareness to how they unfold in the present moment.
Healing unfolds holistically through insight, embodied awareness, and meaningful connection. As you become more attuned to yourself and your relational world, new choices emerge. My role is to offer a grounded, attentive presence as you move toward greater wholeness and alignment.
I bring to every session a deep respect for the relational systems that shaped you — your family of origin, your culture, your body's history. My training in Integrative Somatic Parts Work allows me to work not just with your thoughts and stories, but with the places in the body where those stories live. My training informs my couples work — naming what is really happening between partners with honesty, compassion, and respect for both people in the room.
I practice under the clinical supervision of Dr. Michael Grey, PsyD, LMFT (136636), and the training of Seema Sharma, SEP, LMFT — Chief Traumatologist and founder of Holistic Trauma Therapy. This means every client at our practice receives the depth of care that comes from an integrated, trauma-informed team.
Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist (157042)
Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (19968)
My background & training
I rely on evidence-based care while also incorporating knowledge from my own struggles in life to support you in your healing journey.
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M.S. in Counseling (Marriage & Family Therapy Concentration) - California State University, Fullerton
B.A. in Psychology, University of La Verne
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Integrative Somatic Parts Work Certification (Level 1, 2, & 3) - The Embody Lab
Relational Life Therapy, Level 1 - Relational Life Institute
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CAMFT
OC-CAMFT
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Supervised by Dr. Michael Grey, PsyD, LMFT, ABS (136636)
Training in Holistic Trauma Therapy by Chief Traumatologist, Seema Sharma, SEP, LMFT
Individual Therapy
Complex Family Trauma & Dysfunctional Family Systems
Growing up in a family shaped by addiction, emotional unavailability, narcissism, or chronic conflict leaves marks that do not disappear when you move out. You may find yourself replaying old roles — the caretaker, the peacemaker, the invisible one — in your adult relationships. Therapy creates space to name what was real, grieve what you deserved and did not receive, and release the body's stored memory of growing up in an unpredictable environment. We work at the level of the nervous system, the relational pattern, and the story — so that healing is lasting, not just intellectual.
Sexual Trauma & Abuse Recovery
Sexual abuse and sexual trauma live in the body, not just the mind. Healing requires working with both — at a pace that you control, in an environment that is genuinely safe. I provide trauma-informed, somatic, and parts-based therapy for survivors of sexual abuse, assault, childhood sexual trauma, and those navigating the complex aftermath of intimate partner sexual violence. I also work with partners of sexual trauma survivors, who carry their own unique relational and emotional weight. Whether healing is just beginning or you have been in therapy before and feel stuck, we meet you exactly where you are.
Emotional & Narcissistic Abuse Recovery
Narcissistic and emotional abuse is often invisible — no bruises, no clear incident, just a steady erosion of your sense of self. You may feel confused about your own reality, hypervigilant to others' moods, or unable to trust your own instincts. Recovery involves rebuilding your internal compass, learning to trust what you feel, and developing a stable, grounded sense of who you are outside of the relationship that wounded you.
Attachment Trauma
When the people who were supposed to be safe were not — when love felt unpredictable, conditional, or absent — the nervous system learns to protect itself. Attachment trauma shows up as difficulty trusting others, intense fear of abandonment, emotional numbness, or swinging between clinging and pushing people away. Working somatically and relationally, we help the nervous system learn what safe connection actually feels like — often for the first time.
Couples Therapy
Every couple has its own language — its own patterns of connection and disconnection, repair and rupture. When trauma is part of that picture — whether shared history, individual wounds brought into the relationship, or an event that has fractured trust — couples therapy becomes not just about communication skills, but about healing.
I work with couples navigating:
High conflict and recurring cycles that feel impossible to break
Trauma histories in one or both partners that surface in intimacy, trust, or communication
First responder couples managing vicarious trauma and emotional shutdown
Couples rebuilding after sexual trauma, infidelity, or significant breach of trust
Partners of abuse survivors learning how to show up with genuine safety and understanding
My couples work is relational and somatic — drawing from Relational Life Therapy (RLT) to name dynamics clearly and compassionately, and from somatic parts work to help each partner connect with the deeper parts of themselves driving disconnection. My goal is not just to help you communicate better — it is to help you feel genuinely safe with each other.
Family Therapy
Trauma does not happen to individuals in isolation. It happens within families, and it is often passed down through families — in the patterns we learn, the roles we take on, the things we never say. Family therapy at Holistic Trauma Therapy works with the relational system itself, not just the individuals within it.
I work with families who are:
Navigating high conflict — recurring arguments, power struggles, communication breakdowns
Healing from a shared traumatic event: loss, abuse, addiction, incarceration, or divorce
Breaking generational cycles where the same patterns repeat across generations
Rebuilding after substance use, mental illness, or domestic violence has disrupted the family system
Supporting a child or teen through the aftermath of abuse, trauma, or significant loss
Working through a systemic, narrative, and somatic lens, I help families understand the patterns that have been in place long before anyone chose them — and create new ways of relating that are grounded in safety, honesty, and genuine connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Holistic trauma therapy addresses the whole person — mind, body, and spirit — rather than focusing only on symptoms or thoughts. At Holistic Trauma Therapy, we incorporate somatic experiencing, parts work, relational therapy, and evidence-based modalities to help clients process trauma at the nervous system level, not just the cognitive level. This approach recognizes that trauma is stored in the body and must be released through the body for lasting healing.
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PTSD typically results from a single traumatic event. Complex trauma (CPTSD) develops from repeated, prolonged exposure to traumatic experiences — often beginning in childhood — such as abuse, neglect, emotional unavailability, or growing up in a dysfunctional family system. Complex trauma affects identity, emotional regulation, relationships, and the body in deeper and more pervasive ways. Lexi specializes in working with adults navigating complex, relational, and attachment trauma.
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Yes. Lexi works with couples where one or both partners carry trauma histories, including survivors of sexual abuse, childhood trauma, narcissistic abuse, and first responder stress. Couples therapy at Holistic Trauma Therapy is trauma-informed and somatic — addressing not just communication, but the deeper nervous system patterns that drive disconnection.
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Integrative Somatic Parts Work combines IFS-informed parts work with somatic (body-based) awareness. Rather than just talking about different aspects of yourself, this approach helps you notice how different parts show up in the body — as tension, tightness, numbness, or activation — and works with those physical sensations to facilitate deeper healing.
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Family therapy helps identify patterns, roles, and beliefs passed down through the family system — often without anyone choosing them. By working with the family as a relational system, therapy can interrupt generational cycles of trauma, conflict, and disconnection, creating new ways of relating grounded in safety and genuine understanding.
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Yes, therapy is confidential. In individual sessions, Lexi does not share information with family members without explicit written consent. In family therapy, confidentiality agreements are established at the outset so all participants understand what is and is not shared within and outside sessions.
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Yes. Lexi offers in-person sessions at the Holistic Trauma Therapy office in Pasadena, CA (65 N. Madison Avenue, Suite 707) and virtual telehealth sessions for clients throughout California.
Taking the first step is often the hardest.
A free 20-minute consultation gives you the space to ask questions, share what's bringing you here, and get a sense of whether we're a good fit — with no pressure and no obligation. You deserve a therapist who truly understands the complexity of what you're carrying. I would be honored to be that person.
Lexi provides virtual therapy to individuals, couples, and families throughout California, including Pasadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Temple City, Sierra Madre, La Canada Flintridge, Glendale, Burbank, Los Angeles, and virtually throughout California (Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco). In-person sessions are available at our Pasadena office at 65 N. Madison Avenue, Suite 707.