LMFT, 8 years of experience
Hi! I am Carina Bedolla. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and have a Doctorate in Social Work. My educational background has strengthened my clinical skillset while also allowing me to consider all perspectives to support whole-person care. I have served as a therapist for 8 years and have spent the majority of my time serving the substance-use population. My time serving this population inspired my pursuit of becoming EMDR trained, given the degree of stressors and trauma this population is impacted by.
Our first session together may be a bit more formal in nature. We'll start with brief introductions and informed consent. Once reviewed, we will then dive into your specific motivation for treatment, exploring current challenges and overall goals for therapy. This information will allow us to collaborate on an appropriate plan and treatment goals for continued engagement.
As a clinician, it is my goal to ensure the therapeutic space is safe, welcoming, collaborative, and nonjudgemental. In this space, I can provide empathic support and compassion to my clients, while remaining authentic and genuine with my direct, kind, and curious approach. This approach, in my experience, welcomes and encourages exploration, inquisition, healing, and personal growth.
I enjoy working with clients who are motivated and ready to begin their healing journey! Taking the step to seek therapy can feel overwhelming, but when you are ready, I am excited to walk alongside you, providing psychoeducation and ensuring you are comfortable with the process and with the discomforts that may accompany the therapeutic process. As I often say, we are on the journey of healing...you are driving the car, and my role is to be in the seat next to you, providing a bit of direction, as we navigate the journey.
I am a trained EMDR therapist who has been using this treatment method for one and a half years. During this time, I have had the privilege of supporting clients in processing their trauma and stressors and beginning the healing journey in their lives. We will use EMDR's 8-step, 3-prong process to identify targets that continue to impact your life, begin processing these targets more adaptively, and begin your own healing journey.
I have been utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with clients throughout my entire therapeutic career. CBT is a great tool to support healing and challenge maladaptive thinking patterns to support increased overall functioning and healing.