Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy in Riverside, CA

I integrate trauma-informed and evidence-based modalities, including EMDR, IFS, CRM, and EFT, tailored to each client’s needs. This allows for deeper emotional processing alongside practical coping skills.

I use EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and supportive counseling techniques. Each approach addresses different aspects of healing and growth.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy developed to help people process traumatic memories and distressing experiences that feel "stuck" in the nervous system. During EMDR, I guide you through a series of structured phases that include bilateral stimulation — typically eye movements, tapping, or audio tones — while you hold a difficult memory in mind. This process appears to help the brain update how the memory is stored, reducing its emotional intensity and shifting any negative beliefs connected to it. Research consistently supports EMDR as one of the most effective treatments for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms, and it is endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychological Association (APA). Sessions are available in-person in Riverside, CA and online throughout California.

Traditional talk therapy works primarily through insight and conversation — understanding why you feel the way you do. EMDR works at the level of how memories are stored in the brain and nervous system. This means you don't have to fully articulate or re-tell your experiences in detail for it to work. EMDR can reach the emotional and somatic residue of past experiences that insight alone often can't touch. For people who have tried talk therapy and found it helpful but limited, EMDR is often described as the thing that finally "moved" something that had been stuck for years.

The number of sessions varies depending on what you're working on, how complex the history is, and how your nervous system responds. Some people notice significant shifts in 6 to 12 sessions, particularly for a single-incident trauma. Complex or developmental trauma — the kind that builds up over years — typically takes longer, often 20 to 40+ sessions. We always go at your pace, and I check in regularly to assess how the work is progressing. I will never push you to move faster than feels right.

Yes. I offer EMDR therapy online throughout California via secure telehealth. Online EMDR uses adapted bilateral stimulation techniques that work effectively through a screen, and research supports the efficacy of online EMDR for trauma and PTSD. Many clients prefer the flexibility and comfort of doing this work from their own home. All telehealth sessions are conducted using a HIPAA-compliant platform.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz that understands the mind as made up of distinct 'parts' — inner voices or sub-personalities that often carry extreme beliefs, emotions, or protective roles as a result of past experiences. IFS also recognizes a core 'Self' that is naturally calm, curious, and compassionate. In IFS therapy, we get curious about the different parts of you — including the ones that seem to work against you — and work toward greater internal harmony and self-leadership. It is particularly effective for trauma, self-criticism, perfectionism, and internal conflict.

The Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM) is a trauma-processing approach developed by Lisa Schwarz that integrates attachment theory, neuroscience, and somatic (body-based) principles. CRM works by helping the nervous system build deep internal resources — including breathwork, connection to nature archetypes, and attachment figures — before approaching traumatic material. This makes it especially effective for people with complex or developmental trauma where traditional approaches can feel too activating. I completed 60 hours of CRM training directly with the model's creator.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based approach that focuses on attachment needs and emotional bonds — how we connect with others and what happens when those bonds feel threatened or broken. In individual therapy, EFT helps you understand the emotional patterns and attachment strategies you developed in early relationships and how they show up now in your closest connections. It is helpful for people who struggle with intimacy, fear of abandonment, or patterns of pushing people away even when they want closeness.

Yes. Trauma is not defined by extreme events alone. Even everyday stressors, relational challenges, or chronic emotional neglect can impact your nervous system and mental health.

A trigger is a stimulus in the present — a sound, smell, person, place, or situation — that activates the nervous system's threat response because it is associated with a past difficult experience. You might feel sudden anxiety, anger, shame, or the urge to withdraw without fully understanding why. A flashback is more specific: it involves re-experiencing the past traumatic event as if it is happening now, often with vivid sensory or emotional components. Flashbacks can feel like being pulled directly back into the original experience rather than simply being reminded of it. Both are nervous system responses to unprocessed trauma, and both can be addressed through trauma-focused therapy.