What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a well-researched technique for therapy. EMDR can help individuals feeling “stuck” to move forward through reprocessing distressing memories. Including memories experienced after a traumatic event.
EMDR is effective at helping adults, teens, and children. It uses bilateral stimulation of both the left and right sides of the brain. This can be done with eye movements, tapping, and/or holding buzzers that gently bilaterally vibrate. When the memory becomes unstuck, it can be reprocessed into something less difficult to think about. It may help you or your child respond differently to trauma triggers that might have previously sent you into distress.
EMDR can be used to treat a variety of other mental health concerns as well as trauma. These include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic Stress
- Performance Issues
- Birth Trauma
Why Work With an EMDR Therapist?
The EMDR-trained therapists at Brave Minds will start by assessing the challenges that led you here. Once those issues are established, we will create a plan together to move past the difficult experiences you’ve been “stuck” on. EMDR therapy at Brave Minds begins with an intake session of 90 minutes to 2 hours. That evaluation helps us begin to understand what your needs are. If we determine we are a good fit to work together, we will move forward to creating a safe space in the first few sessions. This lays the foundation for the path to healing. Our goal is to build a relationship with you during this start to therapy. A strong relationship built together will help you feel comfortable and safe during EMDR treatment.
A hallmark of EMDR is assisting you in the development of tools you need to support you throughout your healing journey.
Clients learn to identify and express their emotional experiences to identify when to use coping skills. One of our favorite coping skills is grounding. Developing these internal resources supports your work in therapy. EMDR will help you to reprocess traumatic memories, not just retell them to your therapist. Actually, EMDR does not require you to retell your story. An important thing to know is that EMDR therapy works at your pace. It addresses the issues that matter most to you. We want you to feel in control and safe even when processing hard memories and painful emotions.
Who We Are as EMDR Therapists:
Lisa Weiss, LCSW:
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Jersey, Vermont, Florida, and Maine. Whether you’ve experienced equestrian trauma, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, or food allergy trauma, working with EMDR has the potential to help you heal from these events. Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as well as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), can help us dive into the core of the issue to begin your journey of healing.
EMDR is a versatile way to treat children, teens, and adults in person and virtually. Learn more about trauma in the equestrian community on Noelle Floyd’s Equestrian Voices Podcast. Noelle and I talk about anxiety, therapy, and how to get back in the saddle. We also talk about the prevention of child sexual abuse and setting boundaries that are right for our bodies.
Elaine Harrison-Yau, LCSW:
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Are you or your child struggling with selective mutism, or social anxiety disorder? You don’t have to be alone on that journey. We can do it together. Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Sand Tray Therapy are powerful modalities that my clients respond to. The combination of EMDR and Sand Tray therapy can be highly effective in the healing process and in facilitating emotional expression. Whether you are 4 years old, 14 years old, or 54 years old, connecting with your internal resources, curiosity, and creativity can lead you to new places.
Claudia Salgado, LMFT, DRCC, CFRC:
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida. A Certified First Responder Counselor like myself with specialized training can better understand the unique experience of police, firefighters, nurses, EMTs, and ER workers and their family members. Communities that have been impacted by violence and disasters deserve a place to heal and process. Disaster Response Crisis Counselor training has helped me be available to communities like yours that may be in need in this way.
Relationship Building through helping couples, families, adults, and children utilize their strengths and skills to thrive is an area of particular passion. Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Family Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, and mindfulness techniques are some of the techniques we may work on together in the therapy space. You may be looking for a safe place for you and your loved ones to heal and work through difficult or traumatic experiences. Therapy will be your safe space for healing, developing new insights, and processing experiences, thoughts, and emotions. Moreover, your therapy will promote change and new life experiences.
Jessica Pizzo LCSW PMH-C:
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional. Children, teens, and young adults going through some of the hardest times of their lives have a safe space in my office. Whether you are a new or seasoned mother, parenting can be overwhelming. Managing the mental load of motherhood and improving communication with your partners surrounding parenting may feel out of reach. Imagine feeling less triggered and more centered. Let’s work on it together! If your birth experience did not go as expected, we can address the thoughts and emotions that continue to linger. In addition to Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), I am versed in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Postpartum-focused therapies.
Casey Conte, LCSW:
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Jersey and Vermont. If you are going through a difficult time, you may feel trapped in this moment or stuck somewhere in your past. I use Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) with clients to move beyond that stuck place. Together we will sit in those dark places and shine light on your abilities to move forward. I am passionate about working with teen athletes, the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals facing grief and loss, and adults navigating big life changes. My other treatment modalities include Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Solution-Focused Therapy. I enjoy using components of mindfulness, self-compassion, goal-setting, and validation with all of my clients.
Linda Farag, LSW:
I am a Licensed Social Worker in New Jersey. It is important for me to be transparent and authentic with clients as I ask them to share their identities and strongest negative feelings like shame, with me in session. To share some of my identities, I am a neurodivergent, cisgender, Egyptian American woman who lives with chronic illness. These experiences greatly inform the ways in which I create safe spaces for clients when they enter my office. I use Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) to reprocess trauma and shame-filled narratives. I am most passionate about working with mothers, neurodivergent individuals, and survivors of trauma to rewrite self-shaming narratives and live life less apologetically and more authentically. My other treatment modalities include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Solution-Focused Therapy.
Fawn McNeil-Haber PhD:
I am a Licensed Psychologist who loves working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. As a food allergy parent, I want to see all individuals with food allergies and their parents be able to thrive in life without overwhelming anxiety. I am passionate about helping survivors of sexual abuse and survivors of narcissistic abuse. Together, we work to process trauma and reclaim their identity and life. Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic tool that can help you reprocess single events like an anaphylactic reaction or ongoing abuse throughout one’s own childhood.
Start Working With a Skilled EMDR Therapist in Scotch Plains, NJ & Across the State
Brave Minds Psychological Services in Scotch Plains, NJ helps adults, children, and families with parenting, health anxiety, and more. Let our skilled and caring family therapists provide a safe and comfortable therapy experience right here in New Jersey. To begin counseling, there are a few simple steps:
- Connect with Brave Minds Psychological Services today.
- Get your questions answered in a free phone consultation call with one of our compassionate therapists.
- Move forward from your past with renewed hope.
Other Therapy Services At Brave Minds Psychological Services
At Brave Minds Psychological Services, we offer a variety of mental health services. Our licensed therapists help you get on the right path to healing and wholeness. Our therapeutic services include therapy for children, anxiety treatment for children, child sexual abuse therapy, therapy for teens, anxiety treatment for teens, and teen social phobia therapy. We also offer adult anxiety counseling, couples counseling, counseling for parents, postpartum counseling, birth trauma therapy, and sexual assault counseling for adults. We also have a blog where we write about a variety of different mental health subjects. If you’re interested in learning more about our services here at Brave Minds Psychological Services or online, please contact our Scotch Plains counseling office! Proud to serve Fanwood, Westfield, Cranford, New Providence, and surrounding areas.