Carrie Likeness

(she/her)

LMFT, 13 years of experience
Warm
Authentic
Empowering
VirtualAvailable

Do you carry the weight of your job home? Does it impact your relationships or sense of peace? Growth and healing take courage, and I admire your effort to prioritize self-care. My practice supports the first responder, public safety, and public-facing community—including EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement, Corrections, Dispatch, and Judicial professionals—alongside those in Healthcare, Mental Health, and Education. My dual Master’s (MFT and Trauma & Related Conflict) combined with lived experience allows me to offer a culturally competent lens for these high-pressure roles. Together, we address operational stress and build resiliency. I specialize in trauma-informed care for those in high-intensity community-facing roles. I recognize the heavy caregiving burden and emotional labor involved in your work. Utilizing EMDR and evidence-based modalities, we process burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. My goal is to help you move past survival mode and reclaim your personal life. You deserve a space where you don’t have to "filter" your experiences or explain the basics of your professional culture. I provide a confidential, welcome environment grounded in compassion, clinical expertise, and deep respect for your service. You have spent your career looking out for others—it is okay to have someone look out for you. Reach out today.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Our work together begins with collaboration. During your first session, we’ll review your intake, talk through your history and symptoms, complete an assessment, and co-create a treatment plan.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

I show up in therapy as I do in life, authentically. I have a deep appreciation for diversity, as a native of San Jose and Santa Cruz, California, I also lived in SLO County and Los Angeles. I am rooted by my upbringing within a multicultural, blended family that includes generations of Veterans, First Responders, homemakers, and blue-collar workers. Clients often describe me as collaborative, grounded, direct when needed, and deeply empathic. I am extensively trained in EMDR and offer this modality via telehealth and in-person. My expertise includes treating complex trauma, vicarious stress, and various non-trauma related issues. I am committed to providing evidence-based care tailored to the unique operational demands of those in high stress professions. In addition to my experience in private practice and group settings, I invite you to view my photos for a CV detailing my professional clinical employment history. This background provides a foundation of diverse experience across various levels of care and professional environments. This, and more information about my practice, can be viewed by visiting my profile on Psychology Today.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

I work best with clients motivated to therapy. I offer a variety of evidence-based therapies alongside complementary and eclectic modalities. Many clients seek me out for EMDR to address everything from healing past trauma to resourcing for resilience when navigating high-stress life challenges. We will collaborate to select the specific modalities that best align with your unique therapeutic goals and professional needs.

Specialties

Top specialties

Anxiety

Trauma and PTSD

Other specialties

Depression

Grief

I identify as

Serves ages

Licensed in

Location

Virtual

My treatment methods

EMDR

I am fully trained in EMDR and use this modality from reprocessing trauma to addressing past adversities and core-belief-shaping experiences to resourcing. My approach prioritizes safety, pacing, and transparency. I inform clients at each step, explaining the “what” and “why” of EMDR. Many clients seek me specifically for EMDR, and upon request (and my review), I may provide EMDR as supplemental therapy for individuals who wish to continue ongoing treatment with another therapist.

Acceptance and commitment (ACT)

As an evolution of CBT, ACT helps increase psychological flexibility by connecting you with your values, broadening perspective, and accessing internal strengths to get unstuck. I provide psychoeducation and can offer worksheets, guided exercises, and ACT-aligned homework when desired.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy

Mindfulness can take many forms. My orientation is gentle, supportive, and experiential — often incorporating grounding, breathwork, visualization, guided meditation, or focused awareness. I may also provide resources for between-session practice (e.g., apps, worksheets, videos, or personalized prompts). Mindfulness builds the internal awareness necessary for change, growth, and healing.

Existential

My BA in Liberal Studies with concentrations in creative writing and psychology cultivated a deep connection to the humanities and a curiosity about meaning, identity, and the human experience. My study of myth, symbolism, life-death-life cycles, patterns, and the cosmos often informs a client-requested existential lens. I draw inspiration from Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Carl Sagan, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Viktor Frankl, and others. This approach is used when appropriate and is secondary to primary evidence-based modalities (e.g., EMDR, ACT, CBT, DBT, IFS).

Solution Focused Brief Treatment

I am a solution-oriented thinker and support clients who want efficient, focused work to improve well-being. This modality allows us to identify strengths, highlight what’s already working, and move toward concrete, actionable change. My approach is eclectic and always client-centered, tailored to your unique needs and goals.

, 51 ratings

13 ratings with written reviews

May 11, 2026

Carrie is rhe consumate professional. She is down to earth, intelligent and quit witted. She is always helpful, and her insight is unmatched. I'm beyond satisfied having her as my therapist.

Verified client, age 55-64
Review shared after session 25 with Carrie

November 26, 2025

Caring and throughly good at what she does.

Verified client, age 55-64
Review shared after session 1 with Carrie

August 29, 2025

I wish I could select more options for what stands out about Carrie! She's intelligent, authentic, warm, empowering, solution-oriented, and open-minded. Every session, I come away with feelings of hope, calm, and empowerment. I find myself looking forward to our next session and thinking of "wins" to share with her throughout my week. She leads with curiosity and care, and I feel very lucky to have her in my corner!

Verified client, age 35-44
Review shared after session 8 with Carrie