Dr. Corey Petersen is a clinical psychotherapist who brings a distinctive lens to trauma-informed practice through her dual expertise in psychotherapy and communication science. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas, where her research focused on psychotherapeutic language and communication ethics, alongside dual Master's degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy and Professional Communication.
Dr. Petersen's clinical work centers on helping survivors of trauma, with particular expertise in identifying implicit trauma markers through paralinguistic and nonverbal assessment. Her integration of communication theory with therapeutic practice allows her to train clinicians in recognizing what clients communicate beyond their words—through voice quality, body signals, and linguistic patterns that reveal autonomic nervous system states.
As owner of Communication and Connection Therapy, Dr. Petersen maintains an active clinical practice while serving as a continuing education trainer and corporate communication consultant. With over nine years of collegiate teaching experience spanning communication and psychology departments, she excels at translating complex research into immediately applicable clinical skills. Her published research and training programs bridge neuroscience, polyvagal theory, and communication science to enhance clinicians' observational precision in trauma assessment.
Dr. Petersen is recognized for making sophisticated theoretical frameworks accessible to practicing clinicians, helping mental health professionals develop refined attunement capacities that standard verbal-focused training often overlooks.