Approach & EMDR
Therapy adapted to the person, not the other way around
I use an integrative approach, adapting therapy to the client rather than fitting the client into a single treatment model.
How I can help
Our minds are remarkably good at learning how to protect us
Sometimes strategies that once helped us feel safe, worthy, connected, or in control become the same strategies that leave us exhausted or stuck later in life. Together, we can explore:
where the pattern came from
what it is trying to accomplish
what happens when it is activated
what it costs you now
what emotions or beliefs live underneath it
what different responses might become possible
Therapy may include conversation, emotional processing, EMDR, mindfulness, practical skills, and reflection on how the work is showing up in everyday life.
Influences
My work is informed by
These approaches are combined as clinically appropriate for each person.
Attachment-Based Psychotherapy
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)
Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy
EMDR
Mindfulness-Based Approaches
Person-Centred Therapy
Psychodynamic exploration where appropriate
Skills-based emotional regulation and coping work
What therapy can look like
Beginning with the person behind the concern
Early sessions may include a detailed intake exploring current concerns, relationships, important life experiences, coping strategies, strengths, previous therapy, and the patterns that appear to be repeating. Together, we identify an initial goal that feels meaningful and accessible.
From there, the work may include the following. These are flexible parts of therapy, not a fixed sequence or schedule.
Understanding the pattern
Identifying recurring emotional, relational, and behavioural cycles.
Understanding its function
Exploring what the pattern protects, avoids, creates, or preserves.
Processing deeper experiences
Using approaches such as emotion-focused therapy, attachment work, or EMDR when appropriate.
Integration
Reflecting on what emerged and noticing how old patterns appear in present-day life.
Real-world application
Bringing current situations back into therapy and connecting them to the larger goal.
Skills and regulation
Learning practical strategies that can help in moments of anxiety, overwhelm, emotional activation, or craving.
Building self-support
Developing routines, relationships, boundaries, practices, and ways of responding that support life outside the therapy room.
Sometimes an immediate situation needs space first. Current experiences can become useful windows into the deeper patterns already being explored.
EMDR
EMDR, when it fits
EMDR may be incorporated when it is clinically appropriate and when you are ready for this type of work.
It can be useful when insight alone has not fully changed the emotional impact of past experiences. You may understand intellectually that something happened in the past while still having present-day reactions that feel disproportionately intense, automatic, or difficult to control.
EMDR may support the processing of experiences that continue to influence:
anxiety
shame
self-worth
trauma responses
relationship patterns
emotional triggers
beliefs about safety, lovability, or competence
EMDR is one part of an integrative approach rather than the whole of it. It is available both in person and virtually.
Curious whether this approach fits?
A complimentary introductory consultation is a chance to ask questions and see whether working together feels right.