To be trusted is a greater compliment then to be loved.
— George MacDonald
great boat 2 people.jpg

Counseling is process that is unique to the needs of each individual.  One of the first steps in counseling is to determine what it is that you would like to get out of the experience. Communicating about this, and as the process of counseling unfolds helps to set a good foundation. I  emphasize and respect the client being the expert in their own life and work with clients in a collaborative way.

Because there is no 'one size fits all' approach to counseling, there are many orientations to counseling that can serve to be useful. Each has its own way of understanding us as human beings and attempts to help provide a framework to work together.

I have a special interest and specialized training in the treatment of traumatic experiences and their aftereffects. 

EMDR 

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an integrative form of therapy that is recognized as an effective form of trauma treatment in numerous practice guidelines worldwide.  In the US, this includes organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association and Department of Defense.  More than twenty randomized studies support the effectiveness of the therapy in the treatment of PTSD.  And research continues to validate the application of this comprehensive, integrative psychotherapy approach for many therapeutic concerns, ( some of which are listed below). It contains elements of many effective psychotherapies in structured protocols that are designed to maximize treatment effects. These include psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies.

EMDR psychotherapy is an information processing therapy, meaning it has to do with how we store, and re-live memory through thought. It uses an eight phase approach to address the experiential contributors of a wide range of pathologies. It attends to the past experiences that have set the groundwork for pathology, the current situations that trigger dysfunctional emotions, beliefs and sensations, and the more adaptive and integrative information needed to enhance future adaptive responses, alleviation of symptoms and mental health. 

retrieved 8/15/14 from:http://www.emdr.com/general-information/what-is-emdr.html

Currently research is studying EMDR's effectiveness with a range of mental health conditions. Clinicians have reported success using EMDR in treatment of the following conditions:

  • Panic attacks

  • Complicated grief

  • Dissociative disorders

  • Disturbing memories

  • Phobias

  • Pain disorders

  • Performance anxiety

  • Stress reduction

  • Addictions

  • Sexual and/or Physical abuse

  • Body dysmorphic disorders

  • Personality Disorders

Retrieved 3/28/14 from: http://emdria2.affiniscape.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=123