Heal from Trauma, Find Your Way Forward

EMDR and IFS therapy for trauma and anxiety
Online therapy for adults throughout California

Welcome, I’m glad you’re here.

Many people come to therapy feeling stuck with anxiety, painful memories, or patterns that don’t make sense but are hard to change. You may have tried to “push through,” but something still feels unresolved.

I specialize in helping people process trauma and reconnect with a sense of steadiness and clarity using EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.

These approaches help your nervous system and mind actually process what happened, so the past stops feeling like it’s still happening now.

EMDR can be especially helpful for experiences such as:

• Car accidents or medical emergencies

• Sexual assault or unwanted sexual experiences

• A frightening event at work or in public

• First responder or healthcare trauma

• Witnessing violence or a sudden death

• Panic attacks that seemed to come out of nowhere

• A specific memory that still feels vivid or upsetting

• Intrusive imagery from social media content

Many people notice that after processing these experiences, the memory becomes something that happened in the past, rather than something that still carries emotional charge.

My approach

Therapy with me is collaborative, thoughtful, and paced with care.

Internal Family Systems helps us understand the different parts of you that developed to protect, cope, or survive difficult experiences. EMDR helps the brain resolve memories that remain stuck.

Together, these approaches can help you:

• feel less reactive to painful memories

• reduce anxiety and emotional overwhelm

• understand yourself with more compassion

• move forward with greater confidence and clarity

You can learn more about these approaches on the EMDR and IFS pages of this site.

A therapy experience that is steady, respectful, and focused on real change

Healing from trauma doesn’t require reliving everything in detail. Much of our work focuses on helping your nervous system feel safer while your mind processes what it needs to.

Many clients come to me after realizing that talking about the problem alone hasn’t been enough. Approaches like EMDR allow therapy to work at the level where trauma actually lives - in memory, emotion, and the body.

What do I need for online therapy?

Online therapy is designed to be simple and accessible. Most people already have everything they need.

For our sessions together, it helps to have:

A stable internet connection
A reliable internet connection helps sessions run smoothly without interruptions.

The ability to join a video call
Sessions take place over secure video. Your device will need a working camera, microphone, and speakers so we can see and hear each other during our appointment.

A private space for sessions
Choose a quiet place where you feel comfortable speaking openly and won’t be interrupted during the session.

Headphones (recommended)
Headphones can improve sound quality and help protect your privacy, especially if others are nearby.

A laptop or computer (recommended)
A laptop or desktop computer generally works better than a phone. The larger screen allows for a wider range of motion for the eye movements used during EMDR therapy.

Ready to get started?

If you’re looking for online trauma-focused therapy in California and feel that my approach may be a good fit, please reach out.

You can learn more about my background on the About page, explore how EMDR and IFS work, or contact me to schedule a consultation.

There are three convenient ways to reach out to me:

by Phone:  (707) 992-5008 (please leave a message if my voicemail greeting indicates I am accepting new clients)

by Email: tara@athenacounseling.com

by Contact Form