We offer effective approaches to help people overcome the effects of trauma and past painful experiences.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a psychotherapy approach that has been researched for over 30 years, where best results occur with an EMDR Certified Therapist, or an EMDR Therapist pursuing certification. EMDR is effective at resolving painful memories and helping individuals overcome intense emotional reactions to traumatic events. Although most people identify accidents, abuse, violence, death of a loved one, and natural disasters as traumatic, other less obvious experiences would meet the definition. Additionally, if the individual has witnessed, experienced, or perceived a sense of horror, helplessness, serious injury, or the threat of serious injury or death, it qualifies as a traumatic event. For children and teens, this includes bullying, moving, or even their parents’ divorce. Embark Counseling Services is your source for EMDR therapy.
It is not always obvious how these events impact the brain and how the body remembers the experience. How the brain and body respond to various triggers predicts how the individual will respond in everyday situations. Even common situations can be experienced as scary or painful and deeply affect a person’s sense of safety, self-esteem, and relationship satisfaction. These previous traumatic events overly influence emotions, sensations, and thinking about yourself. EMDR is an effective therapeutic approach to help you break through the emotional blocks that are keeping you from living an adaptive and emotionally healthy life.
How does EMDR work?
What does EMDR therapy help?
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Panic Attacks
- Complicated Grief
- Dissociative Orders
- Disturbing Memories
- Phobias
- Pain Disorders
- Performance Anxiety
- Addictions
- Stress Reduction
- Sexual and/or Physical Abuse
- Body Dysmorphic Disorders
- Personality Disorders
Can EMDR help my child?
The answer is….YES!
EMDR helps kids work through yucky experiences, where children often have complex mixed-up thoughts and feelings. When children experience trauma, the mixed-up and complex thoughts and feelings take up too much of their brains, bodies and heart, and they have a hard time experiencing good thoughts and feelings. You might notice frequent melt-downs, crying spells, anxiety, trouble sleeping, decreased appetite, among many other symptoms. While working through these experiences with EMDR, children learn new coping skills and alternative ways to respond.
At Embark, our child therapists will often also utilize Play Therapy incorporated with EMDR to best support their overall development. Our expertly trained therapists help the child use their brain to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. Then, the child can make better sense out of the experience, giving them choice over how they respond to future similar experiences. Upon completion, brains stop bringing up those yucky experiences when new things happen.
As with all of our therapeutic approaches, your EMDR therapist will individualize treatment goals. Your child’s overall developmental needs, family values and previous experiences will be taken into consideration.
Our EMDR Therapist
He/Him
Family Systems Therapist
Older Teens & Adults
EMDR Therapy
- Northland & Johnson County
She/Her
Registered Play Therapist Supervisor™
EMDR Certified Therapist
Child and Family Therapy
Clinical Supervision (LMSW)
- St. Joseph & Kansas City, MO
She/Her
Trauma Competent Therapist
Teens & Adults
EMDR
St. Joseph Clinical Site Director
- St. Joseph
She/Her
Pursuing Certification in Perinatal Mental Health through PSI
EMDR
Practice Manager
- Johnson County & Lee's Summit
She/Her
President & CEO of Embark Counseling Services
Clinical Supervisor ~ Play Therapy Supervisor
EMDR Certified Therapist ~ EMDRIA Consultant
Professional Trainer
She/Hers
Play Therapy
EMDR
TBRI
Child, Adolescent & Family Therapist
- St. Joseph & Kansas City, MO