Dr. Marianne DuMond EdD, LPCS, EMDR, CCTP, CFRC, CISM

I have been working with Veterans and their family members for 20 years for issues associated with PTSD, anxiety, depression, self-medication, and childhood issues that exacerbate problems that develop while serving. We work holistically to build resilience and develop tools to reduce issues that disturb them. Our job is to uncover strengths and assets they already possess to help them make their lives better.

Working with Veterans, First Responders and their family members in an honor and a privilege. PTS invades nearly every aspect of their lives. We work with Re- my favorite word in the English language, you know reinvent, rebuild, recreate, reestablish, etc. The PTS Veterans deal with is bad enough. First Responders deal with it day in and day out without much reprieve. Going home, sitting in the chair with the clikcer in your hand not involved much with family members or friends.

Self-medication has a drastic effect on relationships, education, empolyment, and society at large. When a person gets a DUI charge it will cost them at least $15000. Then there's probation, time off from work on top of the physical damage. God forbid you should get hurt or hurt someone else. That's a whole 'nother ball of wax. We work together to build tools to reduce and stop consumption, to restore a sense of peace, and rebuild relationships.

Working with creative methods provides a way to express yourself when words won't work. There are things that come out in your creations that inform us about what you are dealing with. The art becomes another member of our sessions. It can be revisited, recreated and reflected upon. There is a language all it's own. Besides creating can be fun - you remember fun? The art tells a narrative of where you are, where you are going and where we are in our work together. Let's create together!

The beauty of Solution Focused Brief Therapy is that it is brief. We search for and build upon strengths and assets you already possess, have gone undiscovered or forgotten about. We utilize tools like the Miracle Question to discover what will be different when the miracle happens, who will notice first, what they will notice and moments when the miracle is already happening in your life. If it works do more of it and if it doesn't do something different.

EMDR engages the right and left hemispheres of the brain creating new neuronal pathways through bilateral stimulation with tappers, headphones and/or lightbars. We install tools like Body Scan and Light Stream, the Butterfly Hug, and Your Calm Place as resources. Adaptive Information Processing proposes memories are stored by association and form networks between past and present experiences which can be easily triggered. We identify targets to address and use reprocessing to mitigate them.