About Rebecca
Are you tired of being unable to relax? Are you tired of constantly feeling on edge? Do you feel like you are unable to calm your nervous system (that anxious feeling you have)? None of this is your fault. Perhaps most importantly, you are not broken. Your body is trying to heal itself by processing the stressful/traumatic events you have been through. Your body has good intentions; however, the impact of these attempts is not what your body intends. The impact is feeling exhausted, not enjoying life, yelling at people you love, feeling out of control, sleep disturbances, nightmares, poor/increased appetite, engaging in activities that could cause you harm (emotionally or physically), being jumpy/easily startled, feeling disconnected from life/others, and many more.
How in the world can the body have good intentions and cause all those negative things? What is happening is, that the nervous system is getting flooded (unintended) while your body is trying to process the situations you have been through. Because the nervous system is flooded, your brain is unable to file the memories as things that happened in the past. This is where I come in. I will help you navigate these memories in ways that do not overwhelm your nervous system so that you are able to file the memories as things that happened in the past. You and I will develop the skills you need to calm your nervous system and build a strong working relationship and trust before diving into your trauma. I will gently encourage you to process the trauma because research shows that processing trauma helps every aspect of your life, including any dual diagnosis(es) that you may have. However, I will never force you to do things that you are not okay with, consent is important. You and I will collaboratively determine when you are ready to reprocess the traumatic memories and what that will look like. You have all the tools that you need to heal. You simply need a little guidance down the path to healing. That does not make you weak. That does not make you less than. The fact that you are still here and still fighting is amazing. Let's work together to get you to a point where you no longer must fight those memories.
My clients describe me as a kind, compassionate, intelligent, flexible, knowledgeable, and dedicated counselor. As someone who has experienced and healed a lot of traumas in my past, I deeply understand how terrifying it can be to feel out of control of your own body and to take the first steps in reaching out for help. Having the privilege of sitting with people in their darkest moments is not something I take for granted. Working on trauma is not easy but it is necessary. Seeing people go from having a lot of trauma symptoms daily to no longer qualifying for a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis, is the best feeling in the world. Seeing people thrive in ways that they did not think possible makes the work worth every hard moment.
I am Neurodivergent affirming. I believe in helping you learn how to work with your brain rather than trying to force it to act neurotypical. Trying to use neurotypical tools/advice to help a neurodivergent person is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. It does not work! It causes more pain for the neurodivergent person as it leads to thoughts like "what is wrong with me" or "why can I not just do the thing like a normal person". It is not the neurodivergent person that is broken, it is that the neurotypical way of doing things does not work for them.
I am a certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. This means that I will work with you to build coping skills and determine the best starting point for reprocessing your trauma. We will go at a pace you are comfortable with. I am certified in the diagnosis and non-medication treatment of ADHD (ADHD-CCSP). This means that I am an expert in recognizing the nuance in ADHD and how it presents differently in different genders. We will work on finding interventions at the point of action that are effective for you. For example, a reminder when you are near and then in the grocery store to buy milk. A reminder while you are at the office getting ready to drive home is not helpful as it will likely be forgotten by the time you get near the store. I am also trained in an Internal Family Systems (IFS) EMDR protocol and DETUR EMDR protocol (addictive behaviors). IFS EMDR means that we will look at how different parts of you are interacting with the part that holds the trauma. We will determine what each part of you needs in order to allow you to set down the trauma and move on with your life. DETUR means that you and I will look at what triggers the desire to use/engage in the addictive behavior. Removing the response to the trigger removes the desire to use/engage in the addictive behavior.
I worked in community mental health from 2012-2024. During that time, I have helped people manage suicidality, autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addictions, trauma, mania, personality disorders, OCD, etc.