Brittani's Services

Treatment Modalities

  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) - EMDR is a way to help individuals heal from the impact of traumatic memories. It was developed in 1989 by Francine Shapiro and is used by tens of thousands of clinicians today. It uses eye movement, finger tapping or other methods to activate both sides of the brain while processing trauma. Traumatic material is stored differently in the brain than other memories. That is why a traumatic memory can continue to impact us so intensely, sometimes as if the event is happening in the present. EMDR enables the individual change that and to turn a memory that still causes intense emotions and reactions to one that doesn’t. EMDR can treat any type of trauma, even those the individual might dismiss as “too small”.

  • Dissociative Disorder Treatment - Dissociation is something we all experience to some degree. If you are driving home and all of a sudden realize you didn’t notice the last few miles of your trip, you were dissociating. Dissociation occurs on a spectrum and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is at one end of that spectrum. DID is a normal response to significant trauma at a young age. The identity is fragmented, with different parts responsible for different needs the individual has. Although the dissociation likely saved the individual’s life, it can greatly impact their ability to function. Dissociative disorders are treated using a three phase treatment outlined by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). The goal is integrated functioning, in which the parts work together effectively to achieve a life they want to live. The three phases are:

    • 1. Establishing safety, stabilization and symptom reduction (including improvement of internal communication)

    • 2. Confronting, working through, and integrating traumatic memories

    • 3. Integrated functioning and coping with daily life

  • Attachment Based DBT/CBT informed Psychotherapy - I tailor individual therapy to each client to meet their unique needs. I employ concepts and strategies from the following modalities:

    • Attachment Therapy is based on a scientifically proven theory that the ways we form and conduct early relationships affect the ways we form and conduct relationships throughout our lives.  Hope springs from the fact that we can change our attachment style through healthy relationships and/or the therapeutic process.  I use attachment theory with every client I see, to use our relationship as a healthy model and as an active agent for change.

    • CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is based on the principle that thoughts, behaviors, emotions and body sensations all impact one another.  Changing one can change the others.  This therapy utilizes strategies that challenge negative thoughts and core beliefs and activate behaviors to improve emotional functioning.  An evidence based treatment for depression, anxiety and many other mental health issues.  I use CBT to help clients change thoughts and beliefs that may be holding them hostage.

    • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) draws from mindfulness, behavioral psychology, CBT and a dialectical approach (the belief that multiple opposing truths can all be valid and that a synthesis can be found) to build skills to help people regulate emotions, tolerate distress and improve relationships.  An evidence based treatment for borderline personality disorder, mood disorders and other issues related to emotion regulation.  I use DBT to provide clients skills in areas they may need them and to help them analyze and alter behaviors they want to change.

    • Existential Therapy was founded on the belief that existence can only be understood by examining our own experiences.  It focuses on our struggles related to death, freedom, responsibility and the meaning of life.  I use concepts from existential therapy primarily when clients bring these issues to our work together, which they often do.

    • Person-Centered Therapy is based on the work of Carl Rogers, this approach argues that each individual has in them the capacity to fulfill their own potential, that the clients are experts on themselves and that the therapist uses genuineness, empathy and universal positive regard to facilitate change.  I agree wholeheartedly and these ideas inform my approach in every session with every client.

  • CogMod (Cognitive Modification) - CogMod is a group therapy I developed to help change negative core beliefs that impact us in a multitude of ways every day. Core beliefs are deeply held beliefs we have about ourselves others and the world. They can be positive, negative or neutral. In CogMod, each client presents a negative core belief they want to change and why they believe it and as a group we provide a variety of challenges to each belief. When someone hears someone else’s negative core beliefs and realizes that person’s beliefs aren’t true, it makes them more able and willing to accept that their own negative beliefs might not be true either. This process can help change neural pathways that have existed sometimes for decades.

Treatment areas include:

  • Trauma

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Dissociative Disorders including Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

  • Borderline Personality Disorder

  • LGBTQ-related issues

  • Depression

  • Mood Disorders

  • Anxiety Disorders

  • Low Self Esteem

  • Relational Issues