Photo of Michelle Hider, MA, LMFT, Marriage & Family Therapist
Michelle Hider
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified Verified
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in working with adolescents, adults, and older adults who present with addiction, anxiety, mood disturbances, acute and complex trauma, and relational issues. I am a trained Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and IFS therapist who integrates strength-based, mindfulness, and culturally sensitive modalities to help people heal and thrive. I support client's goals and believe connection, loving presence, and community are an integral part of healing and recovery. My main focus is to meet clients where they are by supporting changes they are ready to make.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in working with adolescents, adults, and older adults who present with addiction, anxiety, mood disturbances, acute and complex trauma, and relational issues. I am a trained Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and IFS therapist who integrates strength-based, mindfulness, and culturally sensitive modalities to help people heal and thrive. I support client's goals and believe connection, loving presence, and community are an integral part of healing and recovery. My main focus is to meet clients where they are by supporting changes they are ready to make.
(510) 650-1237 View (510) 650-1237
Photo of Christina Dughman, PsyD, Psychologist
Christina Dughman
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified Verified
5 Endorsed
Walnut Creek, CA 94596  (Online Only)
Waitlist for new clients
I believe that we are all intrinsically motivated to move towards health--physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Whether I am working with children, teens, or adults, I partner with my clients to better understand them as cultural beings and how their uniqueness is impacted by their experiences in the world. I offer a warm, nurturing, and accepting style and show deep interest in an authentic therapeutic relationship. My goal is to support my clients towards insight and overall balance.
I believe that we are all intrinsically motivated to move towards health--physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Whether I am working with children, teens, or adults, I partner with my clients to better understand them as cultural beings and how their uniqueness is impacted by their experiences in the world. I offer a warm, nurturing, and accepting style and show deep interest in an authentic therapeutic relationship. My goal is to support my clients towards insight and overall balance.
(510) 863-1459 View (510) 863-1459
Photo of Eva Gonzales - Gonzales Family Counseling, LMFT, Marriage & Family Therapist
Gonzales Family Counseling
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified Verified
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Waitlist for new clients
At Gonzales Family Counseling, it is our honor to develop a client centered relationship in order to promote hope, healing, and accessing one's best self. We work with children, adolescents, young adults, adults, couples, parents, and families.
At Gonzales Family Counseling, it is our honor to develop a client centered relationship in order to promote hope, healing, and accessing one's best self. We work with children, adolescents, young adults, adults, couples, parents, and families.
(707) 267-2477 View (707) 267-2477
Photo of Lisa Olson, MA, LMFT, PPS, Marriage & Family Therapist
Lisa Olson
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT, PPS
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
You're lost in the weeds of to-do's, obligations, & responsibilities; your mind a cacophony of distractions clamoring for your attention. At some point, this life you built got so busy that you're no longer enjoying it. Instead, you're overwhelmed by the anxiety of it all; sure that something will go horribly wrong. You tell yourself that these worries aren't real, just scary stories you contemplate- your own "monster under the bed". So you push them to the back of your mind and slap a smile on your face, forging on. Unfortunately, until we open the door to face the boogeyman, that gnawing feeling of dread won't ever really go away.
You're lost in the weeds of to-do's, obligations, & responsibilities; your mind a cacophony of distractions clamoring for your attention. At some point, this life you built got so busy that you're no longer enjoying it. Instead, you're overwhelmed by the anxiety of it all; sure that something will go horribly wrong. You tell yourself that these worries aren't real, just scary stories you contemplate- your own "monster under the bed". So you push them to the back of your mind and slap a smile on your face, forging on. Unfortunately, until we open the door to face the boogeyman, that gnawing feeling of dread won't ever really go away.
(530) 464-6407 View (530) 464-6407
EMDR Therapists

Who is EMDR for?

EMDR was initially developed as a treatment for individuals with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for whom memories of a deeply distressing experience can be inadvertently triggered by random everyday events. The procedure has since been applied in the treatment of many other conditions. For example, it is used by some therapists to treat anxiety disorders including panic and phobias, depression, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and some personality disorders. It is suitable for adolescents and adults.

Why do people need EMDR?

People need EMDR as a way to manage distressing memories that in some way hamper the ability to function in the present. The procedure is believed to target the way memories are stored in the brain. Evidence indicates that past disturbing experiences cause ongoing distress because they were not adequately processed, and when such memories are triggered in the present, they are accompanied by all the emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations as the initial experience.

What problems does EMDR treat?

First and foremost, EMDR is intended as a treatment for PTSD, to defuse distressing memories that intrude on and impair everyday functioning. It is also often used to help those who are subject to panic attacks, phobias, and other forms of anxiety. In addition, EMDR has been used to treat individuals with depression, eating disorders, and personality disorders.

What happens in EMDR therapy?

First the therapist takes an individual’s history, and then the therapist and client decide which distressing experience(s) will be the target(s) of the exercise, delivered via a side-to-side visual stimulus requiring lateral eye movements. The client will be asked to activate thoughts, feelings, and any body sensations related to the troubling experience. The eye movements are said to reduce the emotional charge of the memory, so that the experience can then be safely discussed with the therapist and digested, minimizing its ability to trigger anxiety.