Leslie Relkin
My name is Leslie Relkin. I am a trauma certified therapist who specializes in EMDR and grief work. I have been practicing for over 13 years working to help people heal from some of the worst events of their lives. It is my goal to help people learn to take their power and self-esteem back and learn to thrive again after trauma.
First session
My first session involves a lot of relationship building and getting a proper history. My first goal is to make someone comfortable enough with me to be willing to open up and talk about what they need. The more I know about my clients, the better I can help them
Strengths
I believe strongly in the therapeutic relationship so I spend a lot of time getting to know my clients and making them feel comfortable with me. I get a thorough history because the more I know about my clients, the better I can help them. I start where my clients are and go at the pace they feel comfortable with. I spend a lot of time explaining the modalities I use, such as EMDR. I feel the more the client understands the process, the more willing they will be to engage. My goal is to make clients feel comfortable enough to do the hard work. I will be with them every step of the way.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is someone who has dealt with trauma in their life and is still struggling to heal. They are ready to learn to take back their power and have a future where they are able to smile and thrive. I have worked extensively with domestic violence and child abuse survivors as well as clients dealing with grief and loss
Origin story
20 years ago I suffered my own trauma. My husband was killed in a car accident when I was 7 months pregnant with our child. I was devastated. Thankfully I was lucky to be connected to an amazing therapist who helped me get back on my feet again. The experience left me wanting to give back so now I have dedicated my life to helping other people heal from their worst moments.
Ongoing work together
I work with my clients to put a plan together based on what they need. If I am doing EMDR I help clients break their trauma into smaller pieces and we slowly work through one piece at a time until the client feels ready to move forward. The client always sets the pace and there is never any pressure to move faster then they are ready.
Treatment methods
EMDR
When we experience trauma, the part of the brain that controls logic, reasoning and decision making and the part of the brain that controls emotion stop communicating properly. When this happens we don't think straight, don't make the best decisions, we are not emotionally regulated and things are just harder to accomplish. People in trauma mode have a more difficult time telling the difference between a big deal and a little deal so everything feels like a crisis. EMDR helps retrain the brain to let the logical and emotional sides of the brain cooperate the way they are designed to
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Doesn't specialize in
Licensed in
- ArizonaLicense LPC-19171