Individual Therapy
I am here to support you in healing yourself and moving forward with your life goals. I work with you to overcome the obstacles preventing you from having the life you want to live. Obstacles may present in the form of unhealthy life patterns, traumatic life events ranging from repeated childhood trauma and domestic violence to medical complications and chronic pain, grief, divorce and other major life changes.
I specialize in working with adults who have experienced trauma or adverse life experiences. Trauma affects all your relationships, your relationship with yourself and relationships with the people you love. I am fully trained in two first-line, evidence-based treatments of Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). EMDR and CPT can help you gain insight that will allow you to heal your relationship with yourself and loved ones. If you experienced a traumatic event and want to learn more about how we could work together using EMDR or CPT, call Keri at 508-210-2904.
Treatment Modalities Offered:
Eclectic
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Meditation
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
How does EMDR help the brain heal from trauma?
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help. Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.” (emdria.org)
What happens during EMDR?
A timeline of events is developed. Bilateral stimulation (usually eye movement left to right or tapping) is used while focusing on the image of the traumatic event, beginning with the earliest traumatic memory. Once an event has been fully processed, the positive cognition is reinforced and a body scan completed. Future templates may be installed regarding how you will respond in the future to similar situations.
EMDR helps more than trauma
EMDR can also be used for:
Phobias
Panic Disorder
Grief and Loss
Chronic Pain/Migraine Headaches
Depression and Bipolar Disorders
CPT
Cognitive Processing Therapy
How does CPT treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
CPT focuses on identifying how traumatic experiences change thoughts and beliefs, and how thoughts influence current feelings and behaviors. An important part of the treatment is addressing ways of thinking that might keep individuals “stuck” and get in the way of recovery from symptoms of PTSD and other problems. CPT helps reduce distress about memories of the trauma, decrease emotional numbing (i.e., difficulty feeling feelings) and avoidance of trauma reminders, reduce feelings of being tense or “on edge,” and decrease depression, anxiety, guilt or shame
What Happens in CPT?
CPT is a structured therapy, lasting 12 sessions (50 minutes each) during which individuals will identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts and complete regular homework assignments to apply what has been discussed in therapy sessions.
Professional supervision services provided to licensed and master's level mental health counselors. Please call or e-mail for more information.