Michelle Gagnon LMFT #164065

I use EMDR to treat OCD by working on two levels at once: addressing present-day symptoms like checking behaviors directly, while also processing the earlier experiences and roots that helped create them. Rather than just managing compulsions in the moment, this dual approach helps resolve the underlying material driving the anxiety — so relief isn’t just symptomatic, but lasting. It’s a collaborative, pattern-focused process tailored to how OCD shows up specifically for you.

I’m an EMDRIA-certified EMDR practitioner, trained in both EMDR and EMDR 2.0, along with specialized protocols like DeTUR. While EMDR is best known for treating trauma, I’ve used it successfully across a wide range of issues — from writer’s block and OCD to specific phobias like fear of flying. Its versatility lies in how it targets the neural networks underlying distress, whether that distress stems from a single traumatic event or a more diffuse pattern like creative blocks or anxiety.

I’m trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS), an approach that views the mind as made up of different “parts” — some protective, some wounded — all working to keep you safe. IFS helps you build a compassionate relationship with these parts rather than fighting them. I often integrate IFS with other modalities like EMDR, using it to identify and befriend protective parts before processing trauma, which creates a gentler, more sustainable path toward lasting change.

I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and shift unhelpful thought patterns that drive anxiety, low mood, and stress. CBT offers practical, structured tools you can start using right away between sessions. I often use it on its own for clients seeking a more direct, skills-based approach, or in combination with EMDR — pairing CBT’s present-focused tools with EMDR’s deeper reprocessing work for a more comprehensive path to lasting change.

I know anxiety and panic from the inside. I've struggled with both myself, so I understand how hard it is to live with them. I treat anxiety with evidence-based methods: EMDR, CBT, and mindfulness. CBT and mindfulness give you tools to calm racing thoughts and ride out panic, while EMDR processes the earlier experiences that taught your nervous system to stay on guard. This combined approach goes beyond managing symptoms to resolve what's driving them, so relief lasts.

Whether you're struggling to communicate or can't seem to stop fighting, you're not alone, and it's not hopeless. I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to help you and your partner get to the root of what's really going on, calm the storm, and find your way back to each other. Rather than just fixing the argument of the week, we'll work on the patterns underneath, so you both feel heard and come away with a renewed appreciation for the relationship and for each other.