Chelsea McDonald

My focus is treating complex PTSD, trauma, and abuse, as well as anxiety, postpartum, disordered eating, and dissociation. I am EMDR certified, and trained in Brainspotting, Ego State Work, Dialetical Behavioral Therapy, and Reiki. I view therapy from an attachment perspective (psychodynamic) meaning I believe the attachment/relationship we have with our caretakers growing up, greatly influences and molds us into who we are today. Relational wounds that are left unhealed (ex: divorced parents, abuse, bullying, multiple moves, etc.), often become recycled causing mistrust, isolation, relationship difficulties, high anxiety, low self-worth etc., and further perpetuate a sense of suffering in the present. Through the use of healing modalities, such as the ones listed above, my client's have been able to feel grounded in themselves, thus allowing them to experience the world with curiosity.

I believe that the behaviors that are presently causing us distress, such as anxiety, addiction, self-criticism, self-sabotage, pushing people away, etc., were all behaviors once developed to keep ourselves safe. Our bodies did the best they could with what they had, to protect us from rejection, abandonment, and feeling hopeless. However, the brain and our bodies often have a hard time knowing when we are safe again and the chaos has stopped, and so behaviors that were once protective, now become intrusive, distressing, and interfering. Through healing, we can help you find self-acceptance, a passion for life, and feeling centered in who you are. Together we can transform you into the best version of yourself.