Hannah Dunsmore, M.A.

Do you feel stuck in patterns that you know aren’t working for you anymore, but feel powerless to change them? Have you experienced persistent anxiety or depression for so long it’s starting to feel impossible to find relief? For clients who have trauma histories, sometimes talk therapy isn’t enough to fully heal from the past. Traumatic experiences can get stuck in our nervous system, sending a constant signal to our bodies that we are in danger, even long after the danger has passed. Unfortunately, what we know on a mind level we don’t always feel in our bodies. I practice attachment focused EMDR, a treatment that allows the body to release past pain and leads to healing on a deeper level. I enjoy utilizing EMDR with clients who have experienced acute traumatic events, or complex trauma (repeated neglect or abuse over a long period of time.) Feel free to reach out to me with any questions about the EMDR process, or how it could aid you in your healing journey. It is my belief our body has an amazing capacity to heal itself when given the correct tools to do so.

Amora Freire Leite, LMFT

Do you notice that you are emotionally dysregulated often or that you become shut down and disconnected from your emotions? When we go through trauma, we may learn ways to cope that no longer serve us. Difficult experiences can also shift the ways we perceive ourselves and our relationships leading to feelings of shame and inadequacy. As a therapist, I strive to create a safe and nonjudgmental space for you to develop a curiosity about your past experiences that will lead to more self-awareness and a feeling of empowerment. I utilize somatic based interventions to help you reconnect with your body as a place of safety and learn to access your inner wisdom. This can bring you into a state of increased self-compassion and expand your ability to find calmness, joy, and meaning in the present moment.

Alyssa Durdunji, LMFT

Our brains are powerful, protective, adaptive, and inclined to heal themselves. However, when we experience trauma, it gets stored in a way that often leads us to be in a perpetual state of fight, flight, or freeze. The saying goes, “If it’s hysterical, it’s historical”, meaning if the intensity of your reaction does not seem to match the precipitating event, it is probably activating something from your past. Eye Movement Desensitization Re-processing (EMDR) is an empirically supported approach that allows us to access the memory networks where the trauma is stored and rightfully place them as past events rather than present threats. I’d be happy to do a short phone consultation to further discuss EMDR and determine whether or not it could be beneficial in your therapeutic work.

Winn Simmons, LMFT

I work with adults struggling from painful childhoods, trauma, past sexual/physical/emotional abuse, shame and low feelings of self-worth. Trauma and painful experiences change the brain and nervous system, blocking your ability to move forward. The way forward might mean addressing difficult experiences from the past or overcoming feelings of anxiety or depression that don't seem to go away.

Each year I am honored to conduct therapy with trauma survivors, street children and teenagers, in Kenya. We work together through their painful trauma to alleviate disturbing symptoms they are experiencing and learn to move forward without their pain. This experience working in a high stress environment with an underserved population initiated my passion for trauma work with clients.

My primary goal as we work together, is to provide a non-judgmental environment where you can feel safe to open up and work through your past or current difficulties in a collaborative way. I have seen trauma therapy work in powerful ways to heal clients from trauma and repeated painful life experiences. Getting to the root causes and alleviating the disturbing symptoms allows clients to create a life of purpose and clarity without the old patterns that no longer serve you.

Alyssa Birmingham, LMFT

Your past shapes you, but it doesn’t have to define you. Trauma can come in many forms: whether through physical or sexual abuse, a toxic relationship or workplace, a childhood marked by neglect, the loss of a loved one, or witnessing a distressing event. These experiences alter us physically and emotionally. I’m here to provide a supportive environment for you to navigate your trauma—I’ll validate your experience and use the latest research-based techniques to guide you toward healing and transformation. It takes immense courage to confront your past, and I’m honored to support you ever step of the way.

I am trained in Brainspotting, and can incorporate this treatment if appropriate.

Russell Durdunji, LMFT

Is something from your past keeping you from enjoying the present or being excited about the future? With EMDR, I can help you address and process through emotions tied to past experiences by processing them in a healthy way and ultimately reducing your symptoms. We will implement specific techniques to activate the memory of the traumatic experience and help you then reintegrate it in a more adaptive way.

Together, we can use EMDR to target your past experiences, current triggers, and potential future challenges. Possible outcomes you may experience can include a decrease or elimination of distress from a disturbing memory or memories, an improved view of yourself, relief from bodily disturbances, and resolution of present and future anticipated triggers.

Overall, EMDR is a heavily research-supported approach that aims to alleviate human suffering. It’s time we alleviate yours. Connect with me today and let’s get started.

Wynne Whitley, Intern

Hi, I’m Wynne, and I’m trained in Brainspotting for children, adolescents, and adults. Brainspotting is a profound and targeted therapeutic approach that focuses on identifying, processing, and releasing the deep-rooted neurophysiological origins of emotional and physical pain, trauma, dissociation, and various challenging symptoms. What makes Brainspotting truly unique is its utilization of the natural connection between where you look and how you feel, as it aligns specific eye positions with unresolved issues and bodily sensations. This results in a rapid and highly effective mind-body centered therapy that goes beyond cognitive understanding, tapping into your body's inherent wisdom for self-healing. If you’re interested in Brainspotting, I’d be honored to embark on a healing journey with you.

Stephanie Bashirian, LMFT

What if I told you that there’s nothing wrong with you, but rather, are functioning in a way that is entirely understandable given your story and our evolutionary processes? But the thing is, those survival mechanisms tend to get in the way of us living the lives we want to live. Whether your story involves an abusive or neglectful childhood, the loss or absence of a healthy attachment figure, sexual or physical violence, a failed relationship, harassment or bullying, the death of a loved one, or even repeated exposure to trauma such as that experienced by first responders, your coping mechanisms are valid, and your reality matters. Together, we will work to re-process your experiences through trauma-informed cognitive-behavioral therapy and narrative development in order to move you out of survival mode, and into a place of greater health, meaning, and peace.