EMDR/Trauma
Trauma has a way of lingering long after the danger has passed. A memory that won’t stay quiet, sleep that won’t come, relationships that feel harder than they should—these are the quiet signs that a painful experience hasn’t fully healed.
I understand that unprocessed trauma can keep your mind circling back to the same difficult places, searching for answers it can’t seem to find. My work is to help you gently move through those memories and reclaim a sense of safety, connection, and calm.
I specialize in evidence-based trauma treatment using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)—the trauma-focused guidelines as having the strongest evidence for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
More than a list of techniques, my approach is built around you: your story, your pace, and your readiness to heal.
A Trauma-Informed Approach
Healing from trauma requires more than the right method—it requires the right environment. That’s why everything I do begins with care for your emotional safety.
Trauma can touch nearly every part of your daily life, from emotional regulation and relationships to sleep, concentration, and even the way your body responds to stress. I hold all of that in mind as we work together.
-
Safety, Choice, and Collaboration
I prioritize your sense of safety, your right to choose, and a spirit of genuine collaboration at every step. You’re never rushed into difficult territory.
Instead, I move with predictability and transparency, so you always understand what’s happening and why. This partnership helps rebuild the trust that trauma so often takes away.
-
Meeting You Where You Are
Before beginning intensive trauma work, I carefully assess your current functioning and readiness. Some people arrive knowing exactly what event shaped their pain. Others simply feel unsettled, on edge, or unable to explain why they can’t rest.
Both experiences are valid, and both are welcome here. My job is to help you understand what you’re carrying—and to make sure you feel steady before we begin to unpack it.
Comprehensive Assessment and Stabilization
Lasting healing is built on a strong foundation. Rather than diving straight into painful memories, I take the time to understand the full picture of your life and help you feel grounded first.
-
Understanding Your Story
Our initial sessions focus on getting to know you—your trauma history, your current symptoms, and just as importantly, your strengths and support systems. This isn’t a clinical checklist. It’s a thoughtful conversation that helps me understand how trauma has affected you and what resources you already have to draw upon.
From there, I build a personalized treatment plan shaped around your specific needs and goals.
-
Building Stability First
Before processing traumatic memories, I help you develop practical coping skills and emotional regulation strategies. These tools give you a reliable way to manage distress, both inside and outside of our sessions.
Think of it as steadying the ground beneath you before taking the next step. When you feel more regulated and resourced, the deeper work of trauma processing becomes safer and more effective.
The EMDR Treatment Protocol
EMDR is one of the most widely recognized trauma treatments in the world, endorsed by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro, PhD, it works with your brain’s natural capacity to heal—helping memories that have become "stuck" finally move toward resolution.
-
The Eight Phases of EMDR
My EMDR work follows a structured, eight-phase process designed to guide you safely through reprocessing:
- History taking to understand your experiences and plan treatment
- Preparation to explain the process and build trust
- Assessment to identify the specific memory to be reprocessed
- Desensitization to reduce the distress tied to that memory
- Installation of positive, adaptive beliefs about yourself
- Body scan to notice and process any lingering physical tension
- Closure to bring each session to a calm, orderly end
- Reevaluation to review progress and stay on track toward your goals
-
How Bilateral Stimulation Helps
During desensitization, I use bilateral stimulation—most often guided side-to-side eye movements—to support your brain in reprocessing difficult memories.
Many people find that a memory which once felt overwhelming begins to lose its intensity, allowing new understanding to take its place: that they are safe now, that they survived, and that the past no longer needs to hold them captive.
Because EMDR is time-limited, my goal is to help you heal within a reasonable timeframe rather than continuing indefinitely.
Personalized Care
No two people carry trauma in the same way, so no two treatment plans should look alike. Whether your pain stems from a single recent event or from experiences you’ve held for years or even decades, I shape your care to fit you.
-
Tailored to Your Needs
Your treatment is adapted to your specific trauma exposure, your symptoms, and your readiness level.
If EMDR is the right fit, I’ll pursue it thoughtfully. If CPT or PE would serve you better, I’ll draw on those approaches instead.
The path is always chosen with you, not for you.
-
Care Within Trusted Boundaries
I work within my training and scope of practice, ensuring the care you receive is both safe and genuinely effective. This commitment to responsible, ethical practice is at the heart of how I support your recovery.
Why Choose New Hope Counseling
Choosing where to begin your healing is a significant step, and I’m honored when people trust me with it.
Here’s what sets my care apart:
- Evidence-based practices proven effective for PTSD and trauma recovery, backed by leading clinical guidelines
- Specialized training in trauma-informed care and structured EMDR protocols
- A collaborative partnership centered on your healing, your comfort, and your long-term wellness
Recovery doesn’t mean forgetting what happened—it means no longer being controlled by it. I’ll walk beside you through that process, one steady step at a time, until the weight you’ve been carrying finally begins to lift.
When you’re ready to begin, I’m here to help you find your way forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
What is trauma, and how can it affect daily life?
Trauma is the emotional and psychological response to profoundly distressing events that can shape how you think, feel, and respond to the world around you.
It can disrupt sleep, concentration, emotional regulation, relationships, and even how your body handles stress, creating a sense of being trapped in the past.
-
What is EMDR, and how does it help with trauma?
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is an evidence-based therapy designed to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories that feel “stuck.”
By using bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, EMDR reduces the emotional intensity of these memories, helping people regain a sense of safety and control.
-
What are the eight phases of EMDR therapy?
EMDR follows a structured eight-phase protocol, including history-taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation of positive beliefs, a body scan, closure to end sessions calmly, and reevaluation to track progress.
This step-by-step approach ensures safety and effective healing throughout the process.
-
How can I tell if I’m ready to begin trauma treatment?
Trauma treatment begins by assessing your current emotional and mental stability. Some may recognize the source of their pain, while others feel unsettled without knowing why. Both experiences are valid.
Therapy focuses on first building stability and readiness with coping tools before processing traumatic memories.
-
What does trauma-informed care mean?
Trauma-informed care emphasizes safety, choice, and collaboration. It means creating a predictable and transparent environment where you understand each step of your therapy.
This approach rebuilds trust damaged by trauma and ensures therapy unfolds at your pace, with emotional safety prioritized.
-
How long does EMDR therapy take?
EMDR is a time-limited therapy aimed at promoting healing within a reasonable timeframe. The length of treatment varies depending on the complexity of your trauma, but the goal is to help you process difficult memories effectively without indefinite sessions.
-
What if I don’t think EMDR is the right fit for me?
Not all trauma requires the same treatment. If EMDR isn’t suitable, other evidence-based options like Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) may provide a better fit. Treatment plans are always tailored to your specific needs and selected collaboratively with you.
-
How is trauma therapy personalized to my experience?
No two people carry trauma in the same way. Therapy is shaped around your unique history, symptoms, and goals.
The process starts with understanding your story and strengths and progresses at your pace to ensure effective, client-centered care.
-
Will EMDR make me relive my trauma?
EMDR doesn’t force you to relive trauma but helps you revisit memories in a controlled, supportive way.
Using tools like bilateral stimulation, it reduces the emotional intensity tied to those memories, gradually replacing distress with a sense of calm and resolution.
-
Why choose a trauma-informed therapist?
A trauma-informed therapist provides care within trusted boundaries, respecting your safety and individual needs.
Their approach is grounded in evidence-based practices and collaborative partnership, offering both the expertise and empathy needed to guide you toward meaningful healing.
Pricing Modules
Offering Self-Pay Services
(New Hope Counseling is an out-of-network provider)
New Hope does not bill insurance directly. Payment is due at the time of service, and New Hope accepts the following:
[cash/check, credit or debit card, applypay, zelle, HSA/FSA].
Contact your insurer directly to ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits, deductible, and reimbursement rate. Upon request, I can provide a superbill – an itemized receipt with the diagnostic and procedure codes needed to submit for reimbursement from your insurance company if you have out-of-network benefits.
Reimbursement is not guaranteed and will depend on your specific plan.
Please contact us if you have any questions: contact us
Individual Sessions (60 min): $250
15-min FREE console to address best course of action based on your situation.
-
Intensive Services Available
For those who need more in-depth support in EMDR and trauma counseling, I offer 3-hour intensive sessions tailored to your individual needs.
- 3-hour dedicated time: $900
- Please contact me for more information.
all images licensed by: https://www.123rf.com
| Category | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Trauma Treatment Approaches | Evidence-based therapies | New Hope Counseling specializes in EMDR and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) to help individuals recover from trauma and reclaim safety, connection, and calm. |
| Trauma-Informed Approach | A supportive, patient-focused treatment method | Treatment prioritizes safety, choice, and voice, ensuring patients maintain control and move at a pace that suits their readiness and emotional state. |
| Assessment & Stabilization | Building a foundation for healing | Initial sessions focus on understanding the trauma history and establishing coping mechanisms with techniques like grounding, paced breathing, and self-soothing to create stability before deeper trauma work. |
| EMDR Treatment Protocol | A structured, eight-phase healing process | The EMDR protocol includes taking a detailed history, building stability, assessing target memories, and processing them with bilateral stimulation to reduce emotional distress and reframe beliefs. |
| Personalized Care | Individualized trauma recovery plans | Treatment is tailored to each person’s unique experiences, needs, and readiness, ensuring safe and effective progress with coordinated, specialized care. |
| Why Choose New Hope Counseling | Commitment to evidence-based, effective care | New Hope Counseling offers trauma-informed expertise with EMDR protocols, a collaborative partnership with patients, and a focus on long-term wellness and healing. |
| copyright | https://www.new-hope-counseling.com | contact us |
end of post … please share it!
| X (twitter) |
view some of recent postings
