The first eight years of my career were dedicated to community mental health in Arizona. Although I learned an immense amount of knowledge while there, when I left, I found that I had many limiting beliefs about what it means to be a therapist and a business owner. As I dove into private practice, I surrounded myself with mentors who were like-minded in holding these core values: that we deserve financial security, the ability to value and honor our needs first, and for our business model to serve us. As a result, I successfully launched my private practice resulting in my income tripling in the first month and referral security being achieved within the second month. All of this is possible for you.

We all value our ethics and have a general understanding of what our ethical guidelines are. But how many of us were given space to truly explore the nuances of our ethical codes within clinical practice? Sure, there's some areas that are black and white, dos and don’ts, but there are also many areas that call for us to engage in ethical decision making models, both preventability and in response to a dilemma. Sometimes we are able to look ahead, plan accordingly, and avoid ethical concerns; while other times, an ethical quandary comes around the corner unexpectedly leaving us with the responsibility that our profession calls us to. The consultation that I offer takes both scenarios into consideration, where we can focus our time on preventative measures or in response to a situation that calls for our immediate attention.

This is my area of bread and butter, the foundation of my clinical practice, and the one that is held closest to my heart. The early days of my career consisted of child and family work, with specialized training in working with ages birth to five. As I transitioned into working primarily with adults, I found that my expertise in attachment naturally translated not only to how I engaged in case conceptualization, but also how I engaged in the therapeutic relationship; because the therapeutic relationship is an attachment relationship. Both the therapist and the client hold attachment styles, implicitly, that guide their engagement in relationships. When viewing the therapeutic process through this lens, new worlds open up for clinical intervention. 

When I completed my Basic Training in EMDR, something fundamentally changed within me as a therapist. The concepts of AIP theory and EMDR as a treatment modality resonated with me, not just professionally but also personally. My clinical background of attachment and human development theories resonated with the AIP model; that all is learned, that the past informs the present, and that we as humans function from internal working models of self and the world around us. To say the least, I fell in love with EMDR; and from then on out, EMDR became my primary treatment modality. I was already working with complex, developmental, and relational trauma; and so transitioning EMDR to the front-center of my clinical practice just made a whole lot of sense. However, with the complexity of the population I work with, I quickly found that further learning and consultation was needed. Concepts of dissociation, when to interweave and when to not, when to explore additional protocols within EMDR and include other modalities all became areas of question for me that sparked years worth of journey in my professional development. As I sought consultation and received the mentorship that is now the foundation of my practice, I quickly realized that this was something I wanted to give back to others. The consultation I provide to those seeking certification, or simply to consult regarding a specific case, is rooted in the attunement to the therapist’s needs. What comes up for us in the form of questions or hesitation is based in our own working models of self, and are a reflection of our growing edges, our desire to learn, and our passion to help others. It is an honor to be alongside for this journey in your professional, and often times, personal growth. 

I stumbled across the idea of providing EMDR in an intensive format during my final year as an Licensed Associate Counselor. It was almost summer time, I was preparing to submit my application for Independent Licensure, and was recommended to listen to a podcast regarding EMDR and pregnancy. In doing so, I was introduced to Kambria Evans, her podcast, and offerings through Zero Disturbance. I became obsessed with her energy, her perspective, and her permission to value myself first. When I say obsessed, I mean I listened to every podcast episode… no stalking involved. With this came exposure to her intensive model for offering EMDR and the framework that we can offer high value services, meaning services that both help our clients and serve our business model. When it came time to open my practice later that year, I did so with the offerings of EMDR intensives. And boy, what a game changer. Words cannot truly describe the magic of this type of work, but I’ll do my best to summarize here:

• Both you and the client don’t feel the time pressure of the clock. 
• The 8 phases of EMDR flow in the expected manner when there's time to fully embrace the client’s experience.
• Advanced techniques, like part works, have the time and space needed for complex needs. 
• Less time is utilized to check in at the beginning of the session and contain at the end. 
• The work just feels different, for you. There’s one person that you’re tracking for that time, rather than who knows how many back to back. The work is focused, centered in the client’s experience, allowing for an expansiveness in your creative, healing energy.  

When I first completed my Basic training in EMDR and began to utilize it with clients, it was within the traditional model of 50 minute sessions every one to two weeks. What I know now is that the pressure and limitations of time were creating barriers for client’s progress and were causing me to provide interweaves far too often to try and speed things up. But I didn’t know this then; rather, I assumed I was missing something. Some piece of knowledge or training. So I set out and read every book I could get my hands on regarding EMDR and advanced strategies relating to the Standard Protocol. With this came the stumbling across parts work, through both the lens of Structural Dissociation Theory and Internal Family Systems Model. Although I appreciate both equally in their benefits for clients, I’ve gravitated towards IFS due to my own healing journey and how this non-pathological approach resonates with myself and every individual, thus far, that I’ve introduced it to.

EMDR and IFS are beautiful partners that live harmoniously within a relationship with one another. My approach is founded in EMDR and informed by IFS. You can imagine it as a sprinkling when needed to support clients conceptualize the complexity of their internal experiences, further develop self-compassion, and provide a framework for developmental repair when targeting childhood memories.

Attachment theory is the foundation of my clinical practice; both for how I orient theoretically and how I engage within the therapeutic relationship. Within the framework of EMDR, what we know with AIP Theory, and what neuroscience tells us: it is the implicit, learned, subconscious response that drives the symptoms that clients come to us for help with. What attachment theory tells us is that all memory from early childhood is implicit, stored within the subconscious and the body, and is the foundational framework for how we experience ourselves and others. From this stance, how could we not consider how the attachment style developed within our clients is informing their past, present, future, and relationship with self, others, and us. This is the perspective I hold with clients through the framework of EMDR, both with how I conceptualize their engagement in the 8 phases and the therapeutic relationship we share.