EMDR

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and is a type of therapy that helps people work through difficult memories and feelings stored in their body and mind (nervous system). It helps the brain sort out these tough experiences so they don’t cause as much distress. I am an EMDRIA Approved Consultant in Training. This means I can guide other clinicians who have been trained in EMDR fundamentals and are pursuing EMDR certification, through EMDRIA, the association that oversees the practice of EMDR.

Through EMDR reprocessing, the intense thoughts and feelings tied to a distressing event begin to change, allowing us to recall the memory without emotional disturbance. For example, some people who have been in dangerous situations, like soldiers, might still react to everyday sounds as if they are in danger. EMDR helps calm these reactions and allows individuals to remember the event without experiencing the negative emotions. This example illustrates how the body holds onto traumatic experiences and learns to respond quickly to perceived dangers as a way to keep us safe.

Early in my career, as I began working with high-energy, spirited, and sometimes challenging behaviors, I grew curious about approaches that assumed a child was “bad.” That assumption never felt right to me—it seemed to miss the bigger picture: How did we get here? I firmly believe no one is born “bad,” and I became passionate about challenging the idea of a “land of misfits.”

I recognize that children with behavioral concerns often stand out in group settings. But my focus shifted toward understanding and aligning with the child’s experiences rather than simply labeling behaviors. Over time, I came to see many behavioral concerns not as problems themselves, but as symptoms—expressions of underlying needs, feelings, or experiences that deserve attention and compassion. My passion deepened when a dear mentor, patiently and tirelessly guided and encouraged me to pursue EMDR certification. I had followed many of her footsteps—starting in early intervention and eventually moving into clinical work as an outpatient play therapist. She told me that becoming certified in EMDR would be a game changer for my career—and she was absolutely right. She also predicted that, because of my extensive work with children, I would eventually expand to working with adult populations—and she was right about that, too.

Adding EMDR to my practice has significantly changed my work with children and adults because it positions me to focus on identifying the origin of a symptom. This creates space for understanding that a symptom may have been adaptive at one point– or, in other words, it helped an individual survive. Survival is generally an innate, universal experience for humans of all ages and I am incredibly proud to approach healing with this understanding.  

I am often asked how I work across the lifespan and for many years I struggled to explain this unique developmental mindset in a comprehensive manner. That is, until I stumbled upon a quote which read “no one can understand the grown up who does not learn to understand the child” from What Life Should Mean to You by Alfred Adler.

In my current practice, I use EMDR often in combination with play therapy techniques, with both children and adults.

​