EMDR Therapy

Therapy provides the opportunity to process difficult experiences. Understanding your responses and learning  to manage difficult thoughts, emotions and physical reactions, can lead to having more choices which fit with your values, leading to a more satisfying life.

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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy- EMDR

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As well as various EMDR focused workshops, I have completed the EMDR Basic and Advanced training and am a member of EMDRNZ. Over the past year I have been working with my colleagues at our Kāpiti EMDR & Therapy Centre  (kapitemdr.co.nz), to develop an ACC approved EMDR focused three session Group-Work programme.

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After twenty years of working with clients who have experienced trauma, I have been very excited to now offer EMDR Therapy to clients. This approach is the most effective I have experienced in treating trauma and I enjoy extending the use of this transformative approach for conditions such as grief and recent traumatic events as well as historical / past trauma. 

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EMDR is a psychotherapy approach designed for working with distressing or traumatic memories.  EMDR enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. The theory behind EMDR is that many psychological difficulties are the result of distressing life experiences which have not been stored in memory properly and are said to be unprocessed or blocked. These traumatic memories may need some help to become processed, and EMDR is one way to do this.

There is substantial evidence that EMDR is an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is recommended by the American Psychological Association (USA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) as an effective treatment for PTSD. The evidence for using EMDR to treat other disorders is currently less clear. In my experience EMDR can be an effective treatment for other conditions, particularly if they involve trauma memories or other distressing memories.

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After the therapist and client agree that EMDR therapy is a good fit, and begin to work together, the client will be asked to focus on a specific event. Attention will be given to a negative image, belief, and body feeling related to this event, and then to a positive belief that would indicate the issue was resolved. While the client focuses on the upsetting event, the therapist will begin sets of side-to-side eye movements, sounds, or taps. The client will be guided to notice what comes to mind after each set. They may experience shifts in insight or changes in images, feelings, or beliefs regarding the event. The client has full control to stop the therapist at any point, if needed. The sets of eye movements, sounds, or taps are repeated until the event becomes less disturbing.

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 Who can benefit from EMDR therapy?

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Although EMDR therapy helps children and adults - all ages,

I only work with clients from 11 years and older.

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Therapists use EMDR with a wide range of challenges:

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• Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias

• Chronic Illness and medical issues

• Depression and bipolar disorders

• Dissociative disorders

• Eating disorders

• Grief and loss

• Pain

• Performance anxiety

• PTSD and other trauma and stress related issues

• Sexual assault

• Sleep disturbance

• Substance abuse and addiction

• Violence and abuse

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A typical EMDR therapy session lasts from 60-90 minutes. EMDR therapy may be used within a standard talking therapy, as an adjunctive therapy with a separate therapist, or as a treatment all by itself.

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For more information  please see: https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr

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Mental Health

I am trained and experienced in providing counselling and therapy for people experiencing mild to moderate mental health conditions. However I do not provide crisis services, so should a person become significantly mentally unwell, I provide support through the referral process to an appropriate secondary service provider .

Confidentiality

The service you receive is confidential. Your information is private and will not be discussed with others unless you request so, it is required by law, or there is a serious safety issue for yourself or others. I am ethically required to attend clinical supervision and may discuss your sessions anonymously to ensure best practice. Your contact details are not shared with anyone.

Appointments

Sessions are available by appointment only.

To make an appointment please send an email and I will contact you to discuss counselling or EMDR Therapy options.

Fees

Payment is expected by internet banking before the appointment, within 24 hrs following the appointment, or cash at the time of the appointment.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel your appointment, please provide 24 hours notice so this time can be utilized. No cancellation fee is charged for 24 hours notice of cancellation, otherwise the full fee is expected.