Modalities Overview
While I draw from several therapeutic modalities depending on each client’s needs, I primarily use approaches that are research-backed, strength-based, and focused on real movement. Therapy is not one-size-fits-all and together we will choose the strategies that best match your goals, personality, and nervous system.
Here are a few of the main modalities I use:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) Therapy
What are core themes of EMDR therapy?
1.Understanding your history & goals
2. Learning grounding & regulation strategies
3. Identifying stuck memories, patterns, or beliefs
4. Using bilateral stimulation (eye movements / taps / sounds)
5. Reprocessing the experience at your pace
6. Replacing old beliefs with healthier, adaptive ones
EMDR is a research-backed therapy used to treat trauma, anxiety, PTSD, and overwhelming life experiences. It helps the brain process memories that feel stuck so they no longer trigger the same emotional, physical, or mental response.
It doesn’t erase the past.
It helps your nervous system stop reliving it.
What Does an EMDR Session Look Like?
We start with grounding and regulation, not deep trauma.
You stay in control at every step.
You never have to relive every detail.
EMDR uses eye movements or tapping to help the brain reprocess trauma.
You learn skills to regulate before we go deeper.
You decide what we work on always.
How EMDR Work
When a traumatic or overwhelming experience occurs, the brain sometimes can’t process it fully.
It gets “stuck,” and the memory remains raw stored with the same emotions, beliefs, and body sensations from when it happened.
EMDR helps the brain reprocess that memory safely, using:
Eye movements
Bilateral tapping
Auditory tones
This process allows the brain to move the memory into long-term storage so it no longer feels like it’s happening right now.
EMDR is highly effective for:
Trauma & PTSD (including combat-related trauma)
Childhood trauma & attachment wounds
Anxiety & panic symptoms
Performance pressure & fear of failure
Grief, loss, or sudden change
Shame, guilt, or moral injury
Military, first responder & high-stress professions
Stress stored in the body (somatic symptoms)
I specialize in EMDR therapy for:
Veterans, military families, and first responders
High performers and leaders who “never break”
Adults who had to grow up too fast
People who feel calm on the outside but overwhelmed inside
Those who are tired of being “strong” and need space to heal
...And more
What Clients Often Report After EMDR
Calmer responses to stress
Less emotional charge around memories
Improved sleep and focus
Reduced anxiety, irritability, or shutdown
Clearer thinking and stronger sense of identity
Ability to talk about the past without reliving it
Feeling more present, like they came back online
Parts Work (Internal Family Systems-Informed Therapy)
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Parts work helps you understand and heal the different parts of yourself the ones that protect, react, or hide pain. By getting to know each part’s role, you can move from inner conflict to compassion, clarity, and balance.
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Internal Family Systems (IFS) & the Nervous System
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic approach that recognizes we are all made up of different “parts.” Some parts protect us, some carry pain from past experiences, and others help us function in daily life. These parts are not problems to eliminate, but adaptive responses shaped by what you have lived through.
IFS focuses on helping you understand and build a healthier relationship with these parts. Instead of fighting symptoms like anxiety, anger, or emotional shutdown, we get curious about what those reactions are trying to protect. Through this process, healing happens by increasing self-awareness, compassion, and internal balance.
At the core of IFS is the belief that you already have the capacity for healing. Therapy helps you access that inner clarity and leadership so your parts no longer have to work as hard to keep you safe.
IFS is deeply compatible with trauma work because it:
Reduces shame and internal conflict
Decreases nervous system activation
Builds self-compassion and emotional regulation
Creates space between triggers and reactions
Helps update survival responses that feel outdated
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Childhood trauma / emotional neglect
Veterans & first responders
High performers and “strong ones”
Anxiety, shame, depression, or perfectionism
Relationship struggles & burnout
PTSD & complex trauma
There are no bad parts only parts that were forced to take on extreme roles when life felt unsafe. Rather than trying to “fix” or “get rid of” parts… IFS helps us understand why they showed up and what they actually need.
Cognitive Processing Therapy
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an evidence-based treatment for trauma and PTSD. It helps you identify and challenge unhelpful beliefs that developed after traumatic experiences and replace them with more balanced, accurate ways of thinking. By changing how trauma is processed and understood, CPT can reduce distress, improve emotional regulation, and help you regain a sense of control and meaning in your life.
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PTSD and complex trauma
Military trauma + first responders
Childhood trauma or emotional neglect
Sexual assault, betrayal trauma, or relational trauma
Anxiety and depression that stem from traumatic experiences
Shame, guilt, or belief: “It was my fault.”
Feeling unsafe in your own body
Difficulty trusting others or staying present
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“I’m not safe.”
“It was my fault.”
“People can’t be trusted.”
“I should have done more.”
“I’m broken.”
Helping couples reconnect by healing the emotional bond beneath the conflict.
Relationships don’t fall apart because of communication alone they struggle when one or both partners don’t feel emotionally safe anymore.
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Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based approach for couples that focuses on strengthening emotional connection and attachment. It helps partners understand the patterns they get stuck in during conflict, identify the underlying emotions driving those patterns, and create safer, more secure ways of connecting. EFT supports couples in rebuilding trust, improving communication, and developing a stronger emotional bond.
EFT-informed therapy looks beneath arguments to understand the deeper message:
“Do you still choose me?”
“Can I trust you with my emotions?”
“Are we still on the same team?”
EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) is one of the most researched and effective relationship approaches for restoring connection, reducing conflict, and repairing emotional injuries.
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Communication issues & frequent misunderstandings
Emotional disconnection or loneliness in the relationship
Trust repair (including infidelity healing)
Fear of rejection or being “too much”
Emotional shutdowns or withdrawal
High conflict / criticism / defensiveness
“We can talk, but we don’t FEEL connected”
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Instead of focusing only on skills or logic, EFT approaches help couples understand their emotional patterns and learn to reach for each other in healthy, safe ways.
Rather than asking “Who’s right?"
We ask:
“What’s happening underneath?”
“What does your nervous system need in this moment?”
“What is your hurt part trying to protect?”
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✔ Build emotional safety
✔ Understand reactions instead of judging them
✔ Turn arguments into conversations
✔ Replace defenses with expressions of need
✔ Heal old wounds that block closeness
✔ Move from “Me vs. You” → “We vs. The Problem”
Which Approach Is Right for You?
Each session is tailored to your needs. Sometimes we use EMDR exclusively, other times we combine parts work and mindfulness to support deeper integration. The goal is always the same: helping you feel safe, connected, and in control of your healing process.
