If you are suffering from trauma or PTSD and have been told about EMDR Therapy, then I welcome you to contact me for help.
What EMDR is
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is a structured, eight-phase therapy for experiences that stay active in your system long after the event itself has passed. Using guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation, EMDR helps your brain finish processing a memory so it stops driving how you react in the present.
I've written a fuller explanation of how it works and what a session actually feels like on my main site.
The evidence behind it
EMDR carries a strong recommendation for adults with PTSD in the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Complex PTSD. It's one of five psychological treatments recommended as first-line options, alongside trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy.
Those guidelines also note that trained practitioners are in short supply. That's part of why I trained in it.
What I use EMDR for
PTSD and single-incident trauma — accidents, assaults, medical events, sudden loss
Childhood and developmental trauma
Birth trauma
Anxiety and panic that has held on through talk therapy
Grief that's stayed stuck
Phobias
Memories that intrude without warning
It also works well as one part of a broader course of therapy. Plenty of my clients use EMDR for a specific piece of the work and ordinary counselling for the rest.
How I work with it
EMDR follows an eight-phase protocol, and the preparation phases carry as much weight as the processing ones. Before we reprocess anything, we build the resources that keep you steady while we do it. How long that takes depends on you and on what we're working with.
The first session is still a working session. We'll start on something useful straight away, and I'll gather your history as we go.
You stay in control of the pace throughout. If something needs slowing down, we slow down.
How many sessions will I need?
A single distressing event, in a life that's otherwise steady, can shift in a handful of sessions, somtimes even just one. Childhood trauma, or anything that happened repeatedly over years, may take longer, because we spend more time building stability before we process.
I'll give you an honest sense of it once I've met you and understood what we're working with. Anyone quoting you a number before that is guessing.
EMDR online
EMDR adapts well to video sessions. Bilateral stimulation can be delivered on screen or through self-administered tapping, and it's been used this way at scale since 2020.
I see clients across Australia by video, which matters if you're outside Perth or if getting to Joondalup during business hours is the thing standing in your way.
Medicare rebates
I'm a Medicare registered provider under the Better Access to Mental Health scheme. With a mental health treatment plan from your GP, you can claim a rebate on each session, and that applies to EMDR sessions the same as any other.
Your GP can put a plan in place for you. It's worth asking at your next appointment.
Common questions
Will I have to describe what happened in detail?
Less than you'd expect. EMDR works on the memory itself, so you don't need to narrate it at length for the processing to happen. Some people find that a relief.
Can EMDR stir things up?
It can. Processing sometimes continues between sessions, and you might notice dreams, memories or emotions surfacing for a day or two afterwards. This is expected, it's part of why the preparation phases exist, and we plan for it. Tell me what comes up and we'll adjust the pace.
How is it different from talk therapy?
Talk therapy works largely through insight and understanding. EMDR works on how a memory is stored, which is why it can help people who already understand their patterns and still can't shift them.
Is EMDR covered by Medicare?
Yes, with a mental health treatment plan from your GP. The rebate applies to the session, whatever approach we use within it.
Can EMDR be done online?
Yes. I run EMDR by video for clients across Australia.
Do I need a referral?
Only if you want the Medicare rebate, which requires a mental health treatment plan from your GP. You're welcome to book without one.
Are you a psychologist?
I'm a counsellor and clinical social worker, registered with the Australian Association of Social Workers, and an accredited mental health social worker for Medicare purposes. That's what makes the rebate available.
Starting
Give me a call on 0410 461 588 and we'll talk about what's been going on and whether EMDR is the right fit. If it isn't, I'll tell you, and I'll point you toward what is.
I see clients in person at 96 Reid Promenade, Joondalup, and by video anywhere in Australia.