Format of Therapy

 

We at the EMDR and Counseling Center want to get you better as quickly as possible while ensuring you are safe when working through difficult experiences and emotions. Here is what you can expect from your sessions.

First session: The initial session will be primarily to identify your goals for therapy and how we can help you achieve them. It will also go over EMDR and what to expect in the session more in-depth and answer any questions you have about it. If there is time, we will go over some techniques to deal with difficult emotions, as EMDR can draw out extremely powerful emotional responses, and we want to be sure that you can handle them in a healthy way both in and out of session.

Second session: If we didn't have time to go over how to deal with strong, negative emotions in a healthy and adaptive way, then that will be the primary focus of this session. If it was covered in the first session, or once it's covered in this session, we will jump straight into EMDR.

Subsequent sessions: Sessions will primarily focus on doing EMDR, although there may be interruptions for other things as needed such as processing difficult emotions or teaching important therapeutic skills. For example, if a client is having immediate difficulty with anger, therapy may briefly change focus to techniques for dealing with anger in a healthy way.

Completion of therapy: Therapy will be complete once you have worked through any distressing or traumatic memory, traumatic event, negative thinking patterns, beliefs, or feelings, or any other issue that has a disproportionate reaction to a situation resulting in heightened emotions that can be resolved with EMDR. You should experience long-term relief from your symptoms and feel happy in your daily life before the completion of therapy and your individual healing journey.

 

 

Timeline for Therapy

 

The timeline for therapy can vary depending on the individual. Most clients are able to work through one or more treatment goals simultaneously in about three to six sessions. People who have experienced a lot of trauma generally take slightly longer than average. EMDR does also tend to be slowest with the first targeted issue, with subsequent issues having the potential to be quicker. EMDR is different for everyone, and I've seen clients fully process trauma or self-esteem issues in under an hour, while others take around 6 sessions or more. Most clients average between 10-20 therapy sessions to complete therapy, no matter how many issues they initially wanted to work on.

 

Something else to keep in mind is that things may get worse before they get better. It is uncommon, but not rare, for clients to temporarily worsen their symptoms after the first session or two of EMDR but improve after that. Come into therapy with moderate expectations for the first couple of sessions because dropping out of therapy due to temporarily worsened symptoms is detrimental to mental health.

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Cost

 

Therapy is an investment in yourself and, unfortunately, is not cheap. The advantage of doing EMDR instead of other therapy techniques is that you cut down on your overall cost with speed and efficacy. EMDR works quickly and eliminates your negative emotional response entirely, rather than traditional methods of therapy which teach you techniques to manage your negative emotional responses.

 

Additionally, our goal at the EMDR and Counseling Center is to teach you how to do EMDR on yourself so that you leave with an invaluable skillset and feel confident in your ability to work through any future issues that arise on your own. Therapy is currently $150 a session. We do not accept insurance.

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How to Prepare for EMDR Therapy

 

At the EMDR and Counseling Center, we understand you may have many questions when preparing for EMDR therapy. We are here to help you make an informed decision about this type of therapy.

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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that uses eye movements and other bilateral stimulations like sounds or tapping to help people process traumatic memories, reduce distress and improve functioning.
 

Before starting your course of EMDR treatment, you can do a few things to get the most out of your sessions:
 

 

Do Your Research: Become Aware of All Available Treatment Options

 

Before starting any therapy program, being aware of all available treatment options is vital. EMDR is an effective treatment method but its different than traditional therapy and differs from what you would typically expect in therapy.  Each type of therapy has different methods of treating issues and have different success rates. It can be beneficial to understand the differences in order to set realistic expectations for treatment outcomes. Working with your therapist will give you more personalized guidance based on your individual needs so that you can choose the best course of action for yourself.

Before The First Session: Create a List of Treatment Goals

 

At the EMDR and Counseling Center, we understand you may have many questions when preparing for EMDR therapy. Before starting your course of treatment success, it would be helpful to come equipped with a list of pain points or goals you would like to work on during the session. This will help ensure your time in the session is spent productively and you can get the most out of each visit. Treatment goals should include but are not limited to anything that is distressing to you or makes you feel overwhelmed, any negative talk or beliefs, or anything else you are unhappy with or would like to change in your life.

Allow Time for Emotional Processing After Sessions

 

It is also recommended to take some time after your sessions to reflect on how you feel and what was discussed during the session. Doing this will allow you to better process emotions after a session and may lead to further treatment gains. Some people may find it helpful to journal or write down their feelings to help with emotional processing.

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At the EMDR and Counseling Center, we are dedicated to helping our clients feel supported and empowered throughout their treatment journey by providing holistic care tailored to their needs. We look forward to working with you soon!