EMDR Therapy Provided by Braden Counseling Center in Sycamore, IL.

Sycamore, Illinois -

Dr. Jayne Braden and Jessica Cash are part of the team at Braden Counseling Center who are trained in EMDR therapy. Dr. Braden is a licensed clinical psychologist while Jessica Cash is a PAIP facilitator and graduate counseling intern and is completing her Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Judson University.

Braden Counseling Center was established in 2002 with the goal of offering quality outpatient behavioral health programs and services. They are focused on responding to the needs of the community through their comprehensive counseling programs for chemical dependency, mental health services, and court-related services. Their counseling offices are conveniently located in Sycamore, Geneva, Elgin, Rochelle, and Bartlett.

Their multidisciplinary clinical staff includes licensed and/or certified counselors including their medical director, psychiatrists, licensed clinical professional counselors, psychologists, certified alcohol, other drug counselors and certified substance abuse professional (SAP) counselors, and licensed professional counselors. Furthermore, their clinical programs and services are linked by mutual referral agreements with psychiatrists, physicians, local hospitals, and other behavioral healthcare agencies to offer all levels of care needed by clients.

Braden Counseling Center utilizes EMDR therapy for several disorders, especially those associated with post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). This therapy is focused on modifying the way the memory is stored in the brain for the purpose of systematically decreasing the traumatic memory until the problematic symptoms are finally eliminated. EMDR therapy has a structured procedure that includes client preparation, assessment of traumatic memory, history taking, multiple steps to process target memory to adaptive resolution, and evaluation of treatment results. Those who would like to know more about this may want to view the company Facebook page.

The first phase of EMDR therapy is client history and treatment planning. One of the therapists will take the full history of the client, perform an assessment, and then collaborate to determine treatment targets, including current triggers, past memories, and treatment goals. In the next phase, the treatment is explained to the client, including the different procedures, including various imagery and stress reduction methods that may be utilized during and between sessions. The key goal of EMDR therapy is maintaining client equilibrium despite rapid, effective change.

In the third phase of the therapy, the goal is to activate the targeted memory by identifying and evaluating the components of the memory, particularly cognition, image, body sensation, and affect. During this phase, the Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD) and the Validity of Cognition (VOC) scales are used to assess changes in emotion and cognition.

With EMDR therapy, the client is asked to identify the vivid visual image that is linked with the memory; a negative belief regarding themselves, as well as associated emotions and body sensations. The client is also requested to identify a positive belief. After that, the client is asked to focus on the memory while applying those procedures designed to desensitize the memory so that it is no longer distressing. Next, the client is asked to focus on the positive belief, while the installation phase is designed to reduce the negative thoughts and strengthens the positive belief.

In the Body Scan phase of EMDR therapy, clients are asked to observe their physical response while thinking about the traumatic event and the positive cognition and to find out if there is any residual stress. If any residual stress is still present, additional procedures are applied. The EMDR session is finished by evaluating whether the targeted memory has been completely processed. If not, the therapist provides the client with specific instructions and procedures to follow to ensure their safety until the following session.

Those who would like to learn more about EMDR therapy may want to check out the Braden Counseling Center website or contact them via telephone, or email.