Therapists in Minneapolis, MN

Welcome. I'm Dr. Deborah Simmons. I specialize in infertility, third party reproduction (use of donor sperm, donor eggs, and surrogacy), miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal anomalies, postpartum depression. As a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, I collaborate with OB/GYN practices, fertility clinics, and fertility agencies in the Twin Cities and around the country. I also work frequently with individuals and couples to treat depression, anxiety, trauma, and medical trauma. I use clinical hypnosis and EMDR. My philosophy: Compassion+Action=Real Healing. You are not alone. I wish you well and look forward to meeting you soon.

Are you struggling in your relationship to yourself or others? Would you like to feel better about yourself and life in general? Have losses taken the joy out of life? Are you a survivor of traumatic experiences? Would you like to make changes and are unsure where to begin? My approach is collaborative and gentle, tailored to your needs and issues. Let's work together towards reconnecting you to your own inner wisdom! I would love to help you in developing your strengths, internal resources and coping skills for the challenges in your life.

Are you struggling with the effects of difficult past experiences, or transition, change or loss in the present? Would you like more freedom to engage fully in your relationships and the activities that matter most to you? Over the years, I’ve had the gift of walking alongside many people, and supporting them during transitions, times of loss, and times of uncertainty. I am honored to listen fully, welcoming your full experience. I offer models for healing from trauma and loss, supporting you in regaining your footing and your capacity for joy. I aim to align with and support you in your goals and hopes for your life.

It is my experience that the fullest, most satisfying healing involves our whole person, mind, body, and spirit. By focusing on patterns of movement in the body as well as thinking, we work together to achieve your goals for therapy. A body based and energetic focus is often a new and effective way for people to resolve issues that only talking about them did not reach. I look for resistance and protective actions that no longer serve a person. I emphasize developing aliveness in the body, feeling joyful, free, and peace.

I work with families who have experienced a variety of traumas in my work at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Much of the that job involves counseling parents who have lost an infant or child, or who have a child with chronic health problems, or whose child has a life threatening condition. In addition, couples who try to have another child after a loss have specific needs. When interventions are available to address the trauma of child illness or death right away, we can sometimes reduce the severity of the struggles with their trauma.

My work is rooted in a life-long desire to understand more fully who we are and why we are who we are. I work to help clients reflect on patterns of thinking, feeling, behaving, reacting emotionally, struggling with internal conflicts, and using psychological defenses that seem to protect but are often limiting and out of conscious awareness. My training is rooted in Family Systems Theory, Relational Therapy, Marriage and Family Therapy, Experiential Therapy, Psychodynamic Theory, Attachment Theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Neuroscience. I believe that each person I work with is unique and we have to have a relationship that fosters safety and trust.

Understanding the self is the first step toward change. Through compassion, reflection and skill development one has the opportunity to remove obstacles in the form of beliefs, mobilize one's inner resources, reduce suffering and create a more meaningful life. I have worked with adults who have survived trauma/abuse, struggled with problems in mood and thought and experienced self-worth injuries.

I offer a unique blend of alternative therapies combining some of the newest discoveries in neuropsychology, mind-body integration and mindfulness. I do my best to work from a place of intuitive, compassionate, heart based support. Working together, we can explore your issues and uncover the root causes of your suffering using the subconscious, breath-work, mind-body awareness and many other transpersonal therapy methods. I believe therapy is the courageous process of exploring and releasing old wounds, discovering the 'greater' self and learning to make conscious choices with compassion and forgiveness.

Currently, I am working with adults and couples with varying concerns including: grief and loss, depression, anxiety, PTSD and trauma, addiction and substance use, sexual addiction and integrity, faith and spirituality, chronic health issues, OCD and scrupulosity, and relational and family issues.

I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) serving the Twin Cities area, passionate about helping and supporting people. I believe that as humans we are always evolving from the experiences that life offers, which has steered me to believe in the interconnectedness of all life, and therefore my practice operates from a framework honoring the unity of the mind, body and spirit. I believe that each person is unique and that there is no one approach to the problems they present.

I love working with clients who are interested in developing a therapeutic relationship to improve their mental health symptoms. Clients who are insightful and reflective, but are also really wanting to feel better. There is so much that can be done to improve symptoms related to trauma, anxiety, and depression.

Choosing a therapist that is a good fit for your specific needs, values, and methods for change can be challenging. There needs to be a comfort level and fit that will foster a positive and effective working relationship. The therapist's education, experience, competency, and certification, are essential to promoting positive outcomes. I have been working with women, men, couples, and families for 20+ years and have learned so much from clients regarding their concerns, hopes, dreams, and methods of change. My approach is Collaborative, Strengths-Based, and Solution-Focused.

Whether it's a sounding board or a more intensive and specialized therapy approach that you are seeking, I invite you to contact me. Together let's identify what you want to get from therapy and how we will know when therapy is working for you. I would like to assist you as you take your next steps towards healing, resiliency, and balanced mental health. I can help assist you in alliviateing suffering from problematic mental health symptoms interfering with your daily life. Let's work towards achieving the life and the goals that you desire.

I believe in encouraging clients to find their inner strength, resilience, and confidence. My approach to therapy includes offering hope and the skills to overcome struggles, no matter how difficult they might seem. Engaging in therapy will work to develop your own strengths and allow you to feel more comfortable in your own skin, leading to a greater sense of vitality and peace of mind. When you are ready to open yourself to these changes, don't wait. Call me today. I currently have openings in my schedule for day appointments and can get an appointment setup quickly.

I am accepting new clients at this time. I specialize in trauma and also work with individuals coming to therapy with a wide spectrum of concerns. My goal is to help clients reduce, manage, and resolve their issues. Clients learn to increase their emotional IQs and emotional regulation skills, develop better communication skills, strengthen their most resourced self, and manage ego states (my anxious part, depressed part, my angry part, etc.). I use cognitive behavioral therapy, Internal Family Systems (parts work), and other therapies and modalities. In session, treatments are offered and practiced, such as EMDR.

I work with adult and adolescent clients who are experiencing difficulty in managing anxiety, anger, trauma, depression and relationship-based concerns. I invite you to consider the idea that you are the author and director of your thoughts and emotional responses. Put differently, you have within you the power to rewrite the "script" on how you see yourself and the role that you play in your life, regardless of what you may have experienced in your past. In our shared journey, I hope to help you feel more empowered as an active agent of change in responding to suffering, depression, anxiety and trauma.

I began working as a therapist in a Community Health Center seeing individuals, couples and families with minor to severe mental health issues, many suffering from past trauma. This led me to seek more education, supervision and training to help treat those reporting trauma and dissociative symptoms. Now, I mainly work with individuals dealing with complex trauma and dissociative disorders, though I still see some couples/families where one member is dealing with trauma-related dissociative symptoms. I work collaboratively, partnering with people to help resolve lingering past and current issues to achieve their stated goals.

Albert Einstein remarked, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”. At various times in our life we find ourselves challenged to do just that as we struggle to make it through the day. Using a strengths-based perspective, I will collaborate with you to understand and confront your unique challenges and empower you to find the inner strength and resources to facilitate positive healing change so you can keep moving forward. I firmly believe that while change is inevitable, being paralyzed by change is not and you have the power to construct your own unique pathway to optimal health and wellness.

Open for New Clients. Clients seeking therapy can come as they are. It is my goal to have the education and tools to facilitate their process. I work with individual adults, couples, families, teens, and children in a variety of areas, including mental health therapy, substance use disorder, EMDR trauma therapy, hypnotherapy, quitting smoking, phobias, confidence, and equine-assisted therapy. I have been a life coach and hypnotist for 11 years, substance use disorder counselor for 5 years, and I am a pre-licensed mental health therapist under supervision.