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I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the State of California, and an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist — the highest credential the EMDR International Association issues. I’ve completed advanced training in Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR), and I maintain continuing education requirements through both the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and EMDRIA.
Since 2003. Over twenty years in clinical practice, with EMDR at the centre of the work for most of those years.
I’m out-of-network for all insurance plans. I provide a superbill on request for clients to submit to their insurance for partial reimbursement under their out-of-network mental-health benefits. I can walk you through how to use yours on the free consult.
12011 San Vicente Boulevard, Suite 305, Los Angeles, CA 90049 — in Brentwood, between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. I also offer secure telehealth across California.
Because specialisation matters in trauma work. Trauma changes how memory, emotion, and the body interact — treating it well requires modalities built for that specifically, and significant training and experience in those modalities. A generalist therapist with a passing familiarity with EMDR isn’t the same as a specialist whose practice is built around it. The narrowing of my practice is deliberate, and matches what the research says about who gets better with what.
EMDR is most helpful when you’ve already done some talk therapy and still feel stuck — when a memory, pattern, or reaction won’t move despite everything you understand about it. It’s evidence-based for trauma, PTSD, and anxiety, and is recognised by the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organisation. A free 20-minute call is the cleanest way to find out if it’s the right next step for you.
Yes. I’m an EMDRIA-certified therapist since 2003.
I’m out-of-network for all insurance plans. I provide a superbill on request that many clients submit to their insurance for partial reimbursement under their out-of-network mental-health benefits. I can walk you through how to check your coverage on the free consult.
Both. My office is in Brentwood (12011 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 305), and I see clients in person there. I also offer secure telehealth across California for clients who prefer it or live further away — EMDR works well online for most people.
It depends on what you’re working on. Single-incident trauma (one specific event) often resolves in 8–12 sessions. Complex trauma, attachment wounds, or longer-standing patterns typically take several months. We’ll get clearer about your particular timeline after the intake session, and you stay in control of the pace throughout.
Single-incident trauma (one specific event) usually resolves in 8–12 EMDR sessions. Complex PTSD, attachment wounds, and long-standing patterns typically take longer — three to nine months is common. EMDR works in a defined arc; it’s not designed to be open-ended.
Yes. EMDR is recognised as a first-line treatment for PTSD by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organisation, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense. Over 30 randomised controlled trials support its efficacy for trauma.
No. One of EMDR’s distinguishing features is that you don’t have to verbalise traumatic memories in detail for the treatment to work. Your brain does the reprocessing internally. We talk about what comes up in your own time and language.
Three things. First, EMDRIA certification — the highest credential the EMDR International Association issues, which a minority of EMDR therapists hold. Second, 20+ years of clinical experience as an LMFT. Third, training in Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR) — a specialisation that reaches relational wounds standard EMDR doesn’t.
Yes. EMDR over secure video is well-established and effective for most clients. I see clients in-person at my Brentwood office and via telehealth anywhere in California.
Yes, with the right preparation. The eight-phase protocol is specifically designed to keep complex-trauma clients resourced before and during processing. We don’t begin desensitisation until you have the internal capacity to handle it — that’s what Phase 2 is for.
Yes — and AF-EMDR was specifically developed for you. Many people with developmental trauma carry wounds rooted in what was missing (attunement, protection, soothing) rather than a discrete event. AF-EMDR uses imagination, bilateral stimulation, and resourcing to help build those missing inner experiences while also processing what did happen.
This is a reasonable concern and one I take seriously. In AF-EMDR we spend extended time in preparation and resourcing before any trauma work begins, use shorter processing sets, and continuously monitor your nervous system. Every session ends with closure — you leave grounded, never raw.
Difficulty with trust is often part of what we’re treating, not an obstacle to it. AF-EMDR treats the therapy relationship itself as a place where attachment patterns can be noticed, named, and gently repaired. We move at the pace your system needs.
Yes. You don’t need detailed memories to do this work — the body and nervous system hold the imprint, and AF-EMDR can work with felt sense, body sensations, present-day triggers, and imagined developmental repair. Memories sometimes return during the work; they don’t have to.
Standard EMDR is built to reprocess specific traumatic events. Attachment-Focused EMDR adds a layer: it targets the relational wounds that shaped how you feel about yourself and how you connect with others. The therapist is more actively present and attuned during AF-EMDR, and resource installation is more extensive. The result is that AF-EMDR reaches developmental and relational material that standard EMDR alone often doesn’t.
AF-EMDR builds on standard EMDR with additional training that integrates attachment theory and interpersonal neurobiology into the core EMDR protocol. Clinicians who practice AF-EMDR have completed advanced training beyond basic EMDR certification, with an emphasis on resource installation, relational attunement, and the application of EMDR to developmental and relational wounds.
No. AF-EMDR is particularly powerful for developmental and relational trauma, but it’s also effective for any client whose work involves patterns in connection, self-worth, or felt safety. Many clients come to AF-EMDR after standard EMDR or talk therapy has helped with discrete events but hasn’t shifted the underlying relational template.
AF-EMDR generally takes longer than EMDR for a single-incident trauma, because relational wounds are typically more diffuse and built over years. A typical course is several months to over a year. We work in defined phases with check-ins, and you stay in control of pace throughout.
Yes. You don’t need prior EMDR experience to begin AF-EMDR. Many clients start here because they recognise that their work is more relational than event-based. We’ll always start with the same eight-phase framework, adapted for attachment focus.
Yes. I offer AF-EMDR via secure telehealth across California, in addition to in-person sessions at my Brentwood office. AF-EMDR works well over video — the relational attunement that makes it powerful comes through clearly on screen.
Standard EMDR follows a tightly scripted protocol designed primarily for single-incident PTSD. AF-EMDR adapts that protocol for complex and relational trauma by adding extended resourcing, developmental repair through imagination and bilateral stimulation, a more relational stance from the therapist, and flexibility in pacing.
Yes — extensively. EMDR is recognised as a first-line treatment for PTSD by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organisation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense. Over 30 randomised controlled trials support its efficacy. For many PTSD presentations, EMDR works faster than traditional trauma-focused CBT.
Yes, with appropriate pacing. Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) — trauma that was chronic, relational, and often began in childhood — requires more preparation than single-incident PTSD. The eight-phase protocol is specifically designed to keep complex-trauma clients resourced before processing begins. AF-EMDR layers in additional attachment work for clients whose trauma was developmental.
No. One of EMDR’s distinguishing features is that you don’t have to verbalise or re-experience the trauma in detail for it to work. You stay grounded in the present while your brain does the reprocessing internally. We pace the work so you remain regulated throughout — that’s non-negotiable.
Single-incident PTSD often resolves in 8–12 sessions. Complex PTSD and developmental trauma typically take longer — three to nine months is common, sometimes longer. We’ll get clearer about your particular timeline after the intake.
Dissociation requires careful preparation but doesn’t rule out EMDR. We spend additional time in Phase 2 (preparation) building grounding and dual-attention skills before any reprocessing begins. For some clients with severe dissociation, we’ll start with a more structured stabilisation phase before EMDR proper.
No. EMDR helps with trauma symptoms whether or not they meet the formal threshold for PTSD. Many clients have what’s sometimes called “subclinical” trauma — significant impact, doesn’t quite check every diagnostic box. EMDR is appropriate either way.
Yes. EMDR works particularly well for anxiety that has roots — anxiety connected to earlier experiences, even if you can’t always trace the connection consciously. Most chronic anxiety has roots like this. EMDR addresses what your nervous system learned to fear, not just the present-day trigger.
Generalised anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, performance anxiety, specific phobias, health anxiety, separation anxiety, and the chronic hypervigilance that often follows trauma. EMDR is also effective for the anxiety that develops around a difficult life event — a diagnosis, a loss, a betrayal — and won’t quiet after the event has passed.
CBT helps you identify and challenge the thoughts that fuel anxiety. It’s effective for many people. EMDR works at a different level — it addresses the underlying nervous-system imprint that’s generating the anxious thoughts in the first place. For some clients, CBT is enough. For others, the anxiety responds to EMDR after CBT has only managed it.
It depends on whether the anxiety is acute (recent onset, identifiable trigger) or chronic (long-standing, pervasive). Acute anxiety often responds in 6–12 sessions. Chronic anxiety with deep roots typically takes longer — three to six months is common. We’ll have a clearer picture after the intake.
Sessions can bring up uncomfortable sensations — that’s part of the work. But the eight-phase protocol is specifically designed to keep you regulated throughout. We don’t begin reprocessing until you have the resources to handle it, and we close every session with you stable. Activation in service of release is different from activation that destabilises.
Yes. Specific phobias — flying, driving, medical procedures, public speaking, animals — often have a discrete origin event that EMDR can target directly. Phobias are frequently among the fastest things to resolve with EMDR when there’s a clear root.
Trauma therapy uses approaches specifically developed to address how trauma is stored in the nervous system, not only how it’s understood cognitively. Standard talk therapy can be helpful for understanding what happened — trauma therapy is built to actually dissolve the body-level imprint. My primary modality is EMDR, an evidence-based, eight-phase protocol recognised by every major mental health organisation as a first-line treatment for PTSD.
Yes. Complex PTSD — trauma that was chronic, relational, and often began in childhood — is one of my core areas of work. C-PTSD requires more preparation than single-incident trauma, and often benefits from Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR) layered in. The arc is longer than for single-incident PTSD, but the principles are the same.
Common signs include intrusive memories or flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of reminders, hypervigilance, sleep disruption, emotional numbing, and somatic reactions to triggers. You don’t need a formal diagnosis to benefit from trauma therapy — many clients have significant trauma impact without meeting every PTSD diagnostic criterion. We’ll get a clearer picture in the intake session.
Single-incident trauma often resolves in 8–12 EMDR sessions. Complex PTSD and developmental trauma typically take three to nine months, sometimes longer. Trauma therapy isn’t designed to be open-ended — there’s a defined arc, even when that arc is long.
I’m out-of-network for all insurance plans. Most clients with PPO plans receive partial reimbursement through their out-of-network mental health benefits. I provide a superbill on request to submit for reimbursement. We can talk through how to check your specific coverage on the free consult.
Yes. I see clients in-person at my Brentwood office and via secure telehealth across California. EMDR works well online for most clients — many actually prefer it for the comfort of being in their own space.
Primarily EMDR-based, integrated with nervous-system regulation work and psychodynamic understanding. I work at the root — the experiences and templates that taught your nervous system to stay alert — rather than only managing the surface symptoms. For many clients, that’s what makes the change durable rather than temporary.
Yes. EMDR is one of the most rigorously researched psychotherapy treatments in existence, recognised as a first-line treatment for PTSD by every major mental health body. Its application to anxiety more broadly is well-established — chronic anxiety often has trauma-spectrum roots that respond to the same protocol.
CBT teaches you to identify and challenge anxious thoughts. It’s effective for many people, particularly for acute, situation-specific anxiety. EMDR works at a different level — it addresses the nervous-system imprint that’s generating the anxious thoughts in the first place. For chronic anxiety with deep roots, EMDR often reaches what CBT can’t.
Yes. Panic responds well to EMDR when there’s a clear precipitating event (a medical emergency, an attack, a moment of acute helplessness) and also to a more nervous-system-focused approach when the roots are diffuse. We’ll identify which fits your particular presentation.
Yes. Telehealth across California, in addition to in-person sessions at my Brentwood office. EMDR for anxiety works well online.
Acute anxiety with an identifiable trigger often responds in 6–12 sessions. Chronic, lifelong anxiety with developmental roots typically takes longer — three to six months is common. We get a clearer picture in the intake.
Relationship trauma is the lingering nervous-system and psychological impact of relational harm — betrayal, infidelity, emotional abuse, narcissistic relationships, sudden breakups, prolonged conflict, or the accumulated weight of being unsafe with someone you loved. It can also include earlier relational wounds — caregivers, family dynamics, formative friendships — that shaped how you do closeness now.
No. This is individual therapy for the impact relational harm has had on you — your sense of self, your nervous system, your patterns. Couples therapy is a different modality with a different focus. I’m happy to refer you to qualified couples therapists if that’s what you’re looking for.
Yes — particularly Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR). Standard EMDR processes specific events well; AF-EMDR is specifically built for the relational and developmental layers, which is most of what relationship trauma is. It addresses both the events and the templates they left behind.
No. Healing relationship trauma is not the same as forgiveness, and it doesn’t require it. The work is about freeing your nervous system from continuing to bear the impact — what you do with the relationship itself, what you feel toward the person, and whether forgiveness ever has a place is entirely yours.
It depends on whether the trauma is event-based (a specific betrayal or breakup) or pattern-based (developmental, layered over years). Event-based work often resolves in three to six months. Pattern-based work is typically six months or longer. We get a clearer picture in the intake.
Yes. Recovery from narcissistic, emotionally abusive, or coercively controlling relationships is a particular area I work with. The trauma there is real, often misunderstood, and tends to respond well to a combination of trauma processing and re-establishing your own internal compass.
Self-worth therapy is foundational work on the underlying belief you hold about your own value — not the surface self-talk, but the structural assumption that runs underneath. The version that doesn’t argue away no matter how many achievements or affirmations you stack on top. In my practice, self-worth therapy uses primarily Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR) to address where the belief actually lives.
Yes — but not usually through insight alone. If insight were enough, most people who can intellectually identify their negative self-beliefs would already be free of them. AF-EMDR addresses the belief at the level it was formed — usually pre-verbal, somatic, relational — which is why it tends to reach what other approaches can’t.
CBT and affirmations work at the cognitive level — restructuring thoughts, repeating new beliefs. For many people that’s helpful. For others — particularly those with deep developmental self-worth wounds — the cognitive layer is the surface, and the core belief sits underneath it. AF-EMDR reaches the underlying material. Many clients describe it as “my body finally believing what my mind has been trying to tell it for years.”
Self-worth work is generally longer-arc than single-incident trauma processing because the belief was usually built over years, not minutes. Six months to over a year is common. We work in defined phases and you stay in control of pace throughout.
No. AF-EMDR is built precisely for work that isn’t event-based. We target the underlying belief, the formative experiences that shaped it, and the somatic templates that hold it in place. Discrete memories may emerge in the process, but they’re not a prerequisite.
Yes. Self-worth work via AF-EMDR works well over secure video. I see clients in-person at my Brentwood office and via telehealth across California.
My office sits on San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood minutes from Santa Monica, West LA, and Beverly Hills.
For clients across California, telehealth makes the same work possible from home.
Primary office · 90049
20 min · Telehealth
20 min · In-person
20 min · Telehealth
20 min · Telehealth
20 min · Telehealth
No commitment, no paperwork. Twenty minutes to see if
EMDR and working with Susan is the right next step.