What is Therapy?

This type of therapy requires extensive training and is offered exclusively by Melissa. 

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This type of therapy is helpful for clients who struggle with traumatic memories. EMDR therapy is designed to resolve these unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. This type of therapy helps to reduce the "fight, flight or freeze" that often happens when someone is experiencing distressing thoughts or feelings.

EMDR should only be provided by therapists who have received appropriate training. 

How Many Sessions Will it Take?

EMDR is an individual therapy typically delivered one to two times per week. You and your clinician will determine your specific needs.

Is EMDR Recognized as an Effective Form of Treatment?

EMDR is an evidence based practice and is recognized as a one of two treatments of choice for PTSD by the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization and the Department of Defense. The US Department of Veterans Affairs & Department of Defense determined EMDR to be the most effective of the PTSD psychotherapies. 

EMDR Myths Debunked

• EMDR is not hypnosis. The client is awake and alert during the entire session.
• EMDR does not recover repressed memories.
• The reprocessing phase does not start in the first session.
• EMDR is not just for severe trauma.
• EMDR does not have to be the only form of therapy used in session.

Attachment therapy focuses on how we are impacted by the way we learned to attach to our primary caregivers in infancy and early childhood. The client works to build trust and safety with their therapist. The focus is on learning and developing the skills to have healthy, safe, meaningful and rewarding relationships. This therapy incorporates evidence based treatments, and does not include treatments that have been proven harmful (such as rebirthing).

When we experience trauma our body and our brains go through very real changes. For some people the experience of the trauma does not create any longstanding struggles. For some, the impact of trauma can be life altering. Trauma therapy teaches you how to understand the signals that your brain is sending your body, and how to navigate the thoughts, feelings and body sensations when they occur. This type of therapy utilizes education, processing and body work.

When someone is struggling with substance use disorder, they are not only dealing with a physical dependency to a substance, they are also fighting negative thoughts and feelings that keep them stuck in a cycle of addiction. Relapse can be caused by social and psychological factors. 

Addiction counseling is a type of therapy that addresses the root causes of addictive behavior in a client and teaches strategies and techniques to avoid relapse. It helps clients to learn how to build a healthy support system, avoid relapse, and learn how to restore relationships. This type of therapy  helps clients to cope with life's ups and downs without resorting to using harmful substances.

Narrative therapy helps clients to identify their values and the skills associated with them through storytelling. We all have the "stories" of our life and what we believe our part in it to be. What if you were able to tell your story a different way? What if you really are the hero? What if you can find out that all the negative stuff you believed to be true about yourself, isn't? Narrative therapy allows you to learn new ways of living and dealing with life's problems.

DBT can be very effective for clients who struggle with extreme patterns of thought. This type of therapy helps with emotional regulation, acceptance of situations, and distress tolerance. Clients who participate in DBT usually have specific homework between sessions that help to reduce symptoms between sessions, and to reinforce positive long term change 

Internal Family Systems Therapy focuses on how we learn to internally adapt over time. The focus of the work is on how we develop different parts of self to help navigate life. The part of our self that we usually allow others to see often works hard to manage the feelings and thoughts that have developed over time, based on various traumas, difficulties, struggles and pain. IFS allows space for the client to connect with their wounded self, to heal and to feel whole.

   Somatic therapy is a body-centered therapy that looks at the connection of mind and body. Psychotherapy and physical therapies are utilized for holistic healing. In addition to talk therapy, somatic therapy practitioners use mind-body exercises and other physical techniques to help release the pent-up tension that is negatively affecting a clients physical and emotional wellbeing. 

CBT is a well known therapy that has been used successfully to treat issues such as anxiety, substance use disorder, depression and relational struggles. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy uses specific interventions that work to identify and challenge negative thinking patterns and behaviors. CBT usually involves applying learned interventions in between sessions to reduce symptoms, change automatic thoughts and practice skills.

  Culturally Sensitive Therapy incorporates the way in which a person is impacted by their culture (background, ethnicity, race, belief system). Therapists who use this approach respect and recognize that peoples experiences within, and values developed by, their culture are important and valid within the therapeutic relationship and work. Many therapists incorporate this approach into their practice, and use this lens to determine the most appropriate modalities to use with their client.

  We commit to providing affirming therapy to all clients, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We understand that each person has a unique story related to personal discovery and disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.  We embraces a positive view of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) identities and relationships and addresses the negative influences that homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism have on the lives of LGBTQ clients. 

  This therapy involves principals of many different types of therapy, and can often look different from one therapist to the next. The therapist and the client work together to develop goals and a plan of action. The client shares their struggles and the clinician offers feedback to assist the client in gaining insight.