my clinical orientation & Influences
- My dissertation, in 2003, focused on Attachment Theory in international adoptees - I have been studying psychodynamic theories, including attachment, since then.
- I was trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) in 2019 by EMDR Consulting and Carrole Lovell, PsyD, LCSW and earned EMDR Certification status by EMDRIA in January, 2021 . My clinical consultant for certification was Janet Alexander, LMFT. To be an EMDR Consultant, I received clinical consultation from Yunetta Spring, EMDRIA Certified Therapist, Consultant and Trainer of Groundbreakers Coaching & Consulting. I became an Approved Consultant in February, 2025. I am most interested in offering Attachment-Focused EMDR, based primarily on the scholarly work of Laurell Parnell and others. This means, my effort is to help people heal from early childhood wounding that may have occurred in the context of one or more relationships.
- In December 2021, I trained in Brainspotting (Phase I) with Tracy Gantlin-Monroy, MDiv, LPC and John Edwards, LCSW. I have since trained in Phases II and III and have attended Master Classes with Dr. David Grand (who is the developer of Brainspotting). This method is a complement to EMDR but is a stand-alone, body-based intervention technique that leads to deep discovery, processing and healing.
- I am also trained in Internal Family Systems Therapy which can be used in conjunction with the previously mentioned modalities or as a stand alone method.
What is short-term, immersive Trauma Intensive?
An immersive trauma intensive is a therapy experience that lasts longer than a typical single session 50-minute hour and can range from 2 - 5 hrs per day, 1 - 5 days in duration.
Why do an Intensive rather than attend weekly or bi-weekly therapy?
Regular therapy, by design, employs a stop-start schedule which can result in interruptions, distractions and stalls in processing. For some, moving at this stop-start pace has some added benefits of titrating immersion in to the traumatic material - essentially easing into the process. While this can feel safer for some, it can also mean there is a delay in healing until the person feels "ready" to do the more intense work. Completing an intensive, shortens the healing time and yields very robust results. It also tends to be well tolerated (Rentinck, et al, 2025) and effective (Ehlers, et al, 2014) in processing traumatic events and, in yielding somatic, emotional and cognitive changes related to past trauma.
How do the costs for an immersive intensive compare to regular bi-weekly or bi-monthly therapy?
One hourly session of therapy, around the country can range in rate from $100 - 250/hr. If one participates in therapy weekly for one year, that cost averages from $5200 - $13,000. An intensive can cost $200 - 250/hr. A full 5-hr day may cost $1000 - 1250 and would be equivalent to 6 weeks of therapy. Likewise, 3 days of an intensive may average out to $3000 - $3750 equivalent to roughly 3 months of therapy. However, the number of trauma targets and insights gained may equal what one gains in years of regular therapy.
Is there a sliding scale fee schedule for the Immersive Intensives?
Yes, I am offering a community-supported pricing model to make these services accessible to everyone in our community. Standard hourly rates are $200/hr. Global Majority rate is $175 and if folks are in the position to support someone else’s wellness journey, they can pay it forward at $250/hr. I encourage you to pay the highest rate you can afford to allow more room for those who truly need the lower rate.
What therapy modalities (types) are used?
Most any therapy modality can be used in an intensive format. I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). I also incorporate a polyvagal framework paired with yoga, reiki and meditation components. How this is done is the art of the work. Intensives are designed for each individual client and is modified iteratively depending on the direction (e.g., what comes up) and client needs.
Who is the best candidate for an intensive?
Someone who...
1. Has a trauma history. Perhaps you've experienced trauma and have been able to identify that the traumatic exposures influence present day pains, (emotionally and physically) as well as poor decision making.
2. Has a busy life. Perhaps you're a busy person who likes the idea of getting a lot of emotional work done in a condensed period of time.
3. Has suffered a recent or past loss. Someone managing grief and loss.
4. Is managing a big transition in their life, whether or not that transition is considered traumatic.
5. Is feeling "stuck" in your current therapy.
Is this kind of work effective for healing childhood trauma, notably when there are multiple events, not just one?
Yes. We can work on trauma that seems to live in the body (using an Early Trauma Protocol ala O'Shea and Paulsen) even if we have no narrative story connected to it. Explicit memory comes online closer to ages 3 or 4, so trauma that happens prior to that time can get lodged in the body and shows up as discomfort, pain, or some other kind of sensation. We can use EMDR to address this which seems to have the impact of metabolizing the traumatic events helping people to feel neutral rather than activated.
The other way we can work with childhood trauma is to identify ways that early traumatic exposures become linked, not just to body sensations but to a set of emotions and negative thoughts. In doing so, it is less important what the story is (that the person tells) but rather where it is held and what one believes to be true about themself as a result. For example, a person who has been abused finds they have a literal heartache as they think about a childhood experience. The resulting pain gets connected with sadness and that sadness links to a belief of unworthiness. We can explore this entire dynamic using EMDR, brainspotting or IFS.
What are some other things I will learn in an Intensive?
You will also learn:
Is an Intensive only offered online?
We can schedule an online intensive immediately. However, with more planning, we can also schedule an in-person Intensive. This requires a bit more coordination and can only be offered in a State where I am currently licensed (WA, TX, GA, MD).
How do I get started?
We start with a 20 - 30 minute free consultation. Email me here: [email protected] to schedule.
An immersive trauma intensive is a therapy experience that lasts longer than a typical single session 50-minute hour and can range from 2 - 5 hrs per day, 1 - 5 days in duration.
Why do an Intensive rather than attend weekly or bi-weekly therapy?
Regular therapy, by design, employs a stop-start schedule which can result in interruptions, distractions and stalls in processing. For some, moving at this stop-start pace has some added benefits of titrating immersion in to the traumatic material - essentially easing into the process. While this can feel safer for some, it can also mean there is a delay in healing until the person feels "ready" to do the more intense work. Completing an intensive, shortens the healing time and yields very robust results. It also tends to be well tolerated (Rentinck, et al, 2025) and effective (Ehlers, et al, 2014) in processing traumatic events and, in yielding somatic, emotional and cognitive changes related to past trauma.
How do the costs for an immersive intensive compare to regular bi-weekly or bi-monthly therapy?
One hourly session of therapy, around the country can range in rate from $100 - 250/hr. If one participates in therapy weekly for one year, that cost averages from $5200 - $13,000. An intensive can cost $200 - 250/hr. A full 5-hr day may cost $1000 - 1250 and would be equivalent to 6 weeks of therapy. Likewise, 3 days of an intensive may average out to $3000 - $3750 equivalent to roughly 3 months of therapy. However, the number of trauma targets and insights gained may equal what one gains in years of regular therapy.
Is there a sliding scale fee schedule for the Immersive Intensives?
Yes, I am offering a community-supported pricing model to make these services accessible to everyone in our community. Standard hourly rates are $200/hr. Global Majority rate is $175 and if folks are in the position to support someone else’s wellness journey, they can pay it forward at $250/hr. I encourage you to pay the highest rate you can afford to allow more room for those who truly need the lower rate.
What therapy modalities (types) are used?
Most any therapy modality can be used in an intensive format. I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). I also incorporate a polyvagal framework paired with yoga, reiki and meditation components. How this is done is the art of the work. Intensives are designed for each individual client and is modified iteratively depending on the direction (e.g., what comes up) and client needs.
Who is the best candidate for an intensive?
Someone who...
1. Has a trauma history. Perhaps you've experienced trauma and have been able to identify that the traumatic exposures influence present day pains, (emotionally and physically) as well as poor decision making.
2. Has a busy life. Perhaps you're a busy person who likes the idea of getting a lot of emotional work done in a condensed period of time.
3. Has suffered a recent or past loss. Someone managing grief and loss.
4. Is managing a big transition in their life, whether or not that transition is considered traumatic.
5. Is feeling "stuck" in your current therapy.
Is this kind of work effective for healing childhood trauma, notably when there are multiple events, not just one?
Yes. We can work on trauma that seems to live in the body (using an Early Trauma Protocol ala O'Shea and Paulsen) even if we have no narrative story connected to it. Explicit memory comes online closer to ages 3 or 4, so trauma that happens prior to that time can get lodged in the body and shows up as discomfort, pain, or some other kind of sensation. We can use EMDR to address this which seems to have the impact of metabolizing the traumatic events helping people to feel neutral rather than activated.
The other way we can work with childhood trauma is to identify ways that early traumatic exposures become linked, not just to body sensations but to a set of emotions and negative thoughts. In doing so, it is less important what the story is (that the person tells) but rather where it is held and what one believes to be true about themself as a result. For example, a person who has been abused finds they have a literal heartache as they think about a childhood experience. The resulting pain gets connected with sadness and that sadness links to a belief of unworthiness. We can explore this entire dynamic using EMDR, brainspotting or IFS.
What are some other things I will learn in an Intensive?
You will also learn:
- how to neutralize bodily/somatic reactions to trauma and re-establish safety,
- how to learn what factors in your environment are currently triggering you,
- healthy coping skills you can adopt to decrease symptoms to enable sustainable living practices and move through healing.
Is an Intensive only offered online?
We can schedule an online intensive immediately. However, with more planning, we can also schedule an in-person Intensive. This requires a bit more coordination and can only be offered in a State where I am currently licensed (WA, TX, GA, MD).
How do I get started?
We start with a 20 - 30 minute free consultation. Email me here: [email protected] to schedule.
Sample Intensive Agenda
Day 1 - at least 1 week in advance
1. Pre-screen, decide on targets for therapy (1 hour - 1 hour and 30 minutes)
Day 2 (4 - 5 hours)
1. Grounding exercises/resourcing
2. History and Assessment
3. Early Trauma Protocol & Story Clearing (not necessary for everyone)
4. Prep for EMDR
5. Grounding
Day 3: (4 - 5 hrs)
1. Grounding/Resourcing
2. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing)
3. Parts work or Brainspotting
4. Movement/Reiki
5. Closing/insights
Day 4 - 5
1. Schedule as needed
Day 5: 2 weeks after Intensive
1. Check-in on Integration, Evaluation
Day 1 - at least 1 week in advance
1. Pre-screen, decide on targets for therapy (1 hour - 1 hour and 30 minutes)
Day 2 (4 - 5 hours)
1. Grounding exercises/resourcing
2. History and Assessment
3. Early Trauma Protocol & Story Clearing (not necessary for everyone)
4. Prep for EMDR
5. Grounding
Day 3: (4 - 5 hrs)
1. Grounding/Resourcing
2. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing)
3. Parts work or Brainspotting
4. Movement/Reiki
5. Closing/insights
Day 4 - 5
1. Schedule as needed
Day 5: 2 weeks after Intensive
1. Check-in on Integration, Evaluation
Fees and Payment Information
Trauma Intensive
Sign in to Client Portal to see your Good Faith Estimate (GFE)*, in compliance with the No Surprises Act. *This GFE is provided at the onset of treatment and is discussed in the initial consultation prior to our agreeing to work together. |
Cancellation
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payment optionsI do not bill insurance for your Intensive. However, at your request, I will provide a "Superbill", which lists your visit dates and fees and you can submit this to your insurance carrier. I need to know in advance if you will submit to ensure proper information is included (CPT codes, diagnoses, etc).
Fees for services are to be paid at the end of each session day. Payments are processed automatically through my SimplePractice (Stripe) software which allows you to securely store your payment information. Your account is only charged at the end of the business day on days when we have scheduled appointments. |