“I came to this work by way of personal and professional evolution.
I was bullied for years as a child. I am also an emotionally sensitive person; I got hurt pretty easily as a child. I have had to take a hard look at the ways I learned to adapt as a child and how those adaptations followed me into adulthood.
This work is very personal to me!”

It is my honor to help people heal their childhood wounds so they can be more present, authentic and connected in their relationships.

I understand the impact childhood wounds have on relationships.

Relationships are the backbone of all of what we do and have in life – our jobs, our children, and our mental health.

When we have solid relationships, we can show up in the way our children need us to; the way our partners need us to; the way our co-workers need us to.

When we are strong and capable individuals who can take care of ourselves, every life we touch gets the positive benefits of us being in good health.

That’s a domino effect that I want to be a part of.

I’d like to introduce you to Maggie.  She’s in training to become my “assistant”.  She will be joining me at the office to learn how to be an emotional support.

Maggie is still a puppy and is in training.  If you have any concerns about her being present, let me know.  She loves people – and can get really excited to greet someone.

Do not pet her until she is calm and seated.

“I’m not easily intimidated, shaken, or shocked. I can hold a space for it all.

I laugh. I swear. I make mistakes. I’m human too.”

-SHARON SUDOL

SCHEDULE FREE CONSULTATION

YES…

  • I bring all of me into my work.
  • I am present and transparent.
  • I bring personal examples if I think they will be helpful.
  • I listen with an ear of understanding. We are all human and we all deserve to be seen, heard and understood.
  • I want you to be yourself.
  • If you want to take your shoes off and curl up on the couch, do it.
  • If you want to use swear words, do it.
  • I think about my clients and the things they are struggling with.  You may hear me say, “I was thinking about you after last week’s session and I had a thought I’d like to run by you…”

NO…

  • You don’t need you to be on your “best behavior” when you come to sessions.
  • If you’d rather have someone who judges, evaluates and looks down their nose at you from a place of superiority, then I’m not your person.
SCHEDULE FREE CONSULTATION

HOW I WORK

I believe that to truly see change in how we feel and act, we have to work from the bottom up.  This is why I focus on helping you heal rather than teaching you skills.  If you want to run with a broken leg, I’m not going to teach you how to put one foot in front of the other and go really fast.

I meet you where you are at.  If you’ve spent the better part of your life stuffing your feelings, we’re not going to open the floodgates!  We will pace things according to what you can tolerate – not too much and not too little…

I mainly use 3 modalities – EMDR Therapy (and several advanced EMDR modifications), Ego State Therapy, and LENS Neurofeedback.  EMDR is a phased approach and it will help us organize the treatment.  We may jump into EMDR Reprocessing and we may spend more time doing the “behind the scenes” work.  Either way, because this work is transformative, you should feel something lightening and loosening up.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • Childhood Trauma and Neglect
  • Sexual Abuse and Incest
  • Anxiety and Panic
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dissociation
  • Complex PTSD
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Adult Children of Alcoholics/Dysfunctional Families
  • Codependency
  • Recovering Addicts and Alcoholics
  • Low Self-Esteem
  • Depression
  • Parenting Challenges
  • Relational Issues
  • Body Image Issues
  • Overeating
  • Highly Sensitive Persons (HSP’s)/Empaths

MY CREDENTIALS:

Education

  • BS in Psychology from Northeast Missouri State University, Kirksville, MO (1991)
  • MA in Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University Phoenix (2010)
  • 1-year Internship at Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (2009)

Certifications:

  • National Certified Counselor (2014-present)
  • Certified EMDR Therapy (2014-present)

Professional Affiliations:

  • EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)
  • International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD)

Post Graduate Continuing Education:

  • Residency at Phoenix Interfaith Counseling (2011-2015) – included full training in:
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

EMDR Trainings and other trainings:

  • Completed Basic Training 1 & 2 in EMDR Therapy (2012-2013)

Advanced EMDR Trainings / LENS Neurofeedback / Other Training:

  • EMDR and Ego State Therapy (2013)
  • EMDR for treatment of Complex Trauma with symptoms of Addictive and Compulsive Behaviors (2013)
  • EMDR Reprocessing Early Trauma and Neglect in Implicit Memory (2014)
  • EMDR and The Art of Psychotherapy with Children (2014)
  • Attachment Focused EMDR (2015)
  • EMDR Protocol for Recent Critical Incidents and EMDR Integrative Group Treatment Protocol (2015)
  • EMDR Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder, Dissociation and Complex Trauma (2016)
  • Treating OCD with EMDR Therapy, Exposure & Response Prevention and Ego State Therapy (2017)
  • The Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS) (2018)
  • Memory Reconsolidation, the Flash Technique and EMDR (2018)
  • Foundations Training for LENS (Low Energy Neurofeedback System) (2018)
  • Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems (2019)
  • Using LENS to Treat State and Trait Anxiety (2019)
  • Treating PTSD, Panic Attacks & Anxiety using the BodyLENS (2019)
  • Intermediate Training for LENS (2019)
  • Relational EMDR Therapy (2019)
  • Working with the Photonic Stimulator (2020)
  • Effects of Drugs and Medications on the EEG (2020)
  • over 80 hours of CEU’s from 4 separate EMDR Conferences (2013-2019)
  • Advanced Memory Reconsolidation, The Flash Technique & EMDR (2021)
  • Dissociative Identity Disorder: Valuable Perspectives and Tools from Structural Dissociation, Ego State Therapy and EMDR Therapy (2021)
  • How Can Neurofeeback Enhance Trauma Therapy? (2021)
  • Concussion/TBI as a Full Body Experience: Impact of History on Treatment Planning (2021)
  • Affect Regulation & Neurofeedback: the Trauma Key (2021)
  • EMDR Therapy and Structural Dissociation: Deepening Your Skills (2021-2022)
  • Perpetrator Identified Parts, Non-Verbal Communication and EMDR: What Every Therapist Should Know (2021)

More to come…..I love to learn (and apply what I learned)!