Large and small traumas can have a profound effect on our functioning including difficulty regulating emotions, irritability, increased worries, isolation, loss of interest in activities used to enjoy, and changes in sleep patterns. Exposure to traumas, even seemingly small traumas, can lead to negative beliefs about the self.

 What are Large and Small Traumas?

Introduction

My name is Valerie Ytzen and I help individuals struggling with anxiety, self-consciousness, and the effects of trauma feel confident, secure, and balanced. I am a licensed clinical professional counselor, certified EMDR therapist and registered art therapist with over 13 years of clinical experience working with adolescents who have experienced large and small traumas, anxiety, depression, identity issues, attachment issues, grief and loss, childhood neglect, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and PTSD.

My Approach

Within adolescent counseling sessions I like to incorporate the use of art, therapeutic games, and EMDR. I am a certified EMDR therapist and can provide this therapy in order to process through negative self beliefs, distressing memories, and past traumas. EMDR is an extensively researched therapy shown to be effective in helping individuals heal from anxiety, depression, distressing life experiences, PTSD, and trauma. Research has shown that EMDR can be an efficient and rapid treatment.

 How EMDR works

EMDR is a therapy that uses bilateral stimulation as a way to allow your brain to process through traumatic and distressing memories. When we experience trauma those memories often become stuck and we continue to react as if we are still experiencing the trauma. Following traumatic experiences or disturbing events we also often associate negative beliefs about ourselves as a result. EMDR helps to target those negative beliefs and disturbing memories in order to process through and remove the strong emotional reactions connected to those memories and replace the negative beliefs with positive beliefs.

EMDR sessions usually take place once per week and run 60 minutes in length. Many clients often see improvements within 6-12 sessions. Some people will require fewer sessions and some may benefit from additional sessions. Single traumatic events tend to have shorter treatment needs than complex trauma histories.