Michelle Gagnon (She/Her)

I specialize in treating PTSD through EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a research-backed approach that helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they no longer feel overwhelming. My training includes trauma-focused work with unhoused foster youth at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, where I used EMDR to help clients heal. I take a polyvagal-informed approach, meaning we move at a pace that respects your nervous system, building safety before processing trauma directly.

I help clients build practical, personalized systems for managing ADHD — not generic productivity hacks, but tools that actually work with your brain. We’ll explore strategies for focus, time management, organization, and emotional regulation, drawing from CBT and DBT skills. My approach is collaborative and judgment-free: we’ll experiment together to find what sticks, building sustainable habits and self-compassion along the way, rather than chasing a one-size-fits-all system.

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 specialize in treating PTSD through EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a research-backed approach that helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they no longer feel overwhelming. My training includes trauma-focused work with unhoused youth at the LA LGBT Center, where I used EMDR and TF-CBT to help clients heal. I take a polyvagal-informed approach, meaning we move at a pace that respects your nervous system, building safety before processing trauma directly.