Stefani Tountzios
I’m Stefani, and I help adults navigate trauma, grief, anxiety, and the patterns that can leave them feeling stuck. Using EMDR, IFS, and somatic approaches, I help clients understand why certain responses and patterns persist, work through difficult experiences, and create meaningful change.
Understand Your Patterns. Find a Way Forward.
Together, we’ll explore what’s beneath the surface, develop practical tools for navigating life’s challenges, and build a more compassionate understanding of yourself.
First session
Our first session is about getting to know you, not forcing you to tell your entire story before you’re ready. We’ll talk about what brought you to therapy, what’s been difficult, what you hope will change, and what you’ve tried before. Together, we’ll begin making sense of what’s been happening and identify goals that feel meaningful to you. You’ll have an opportunity to learn how I work, consider what we might focus on together, and begin identifying a direction for our work.
Strengths
I’m curious about what’s underneath the pattern, not just what’s happening on the surface. I help you slow things down, make sense of your reactions, and explore how past experiences may be shaping the way you respond today. My approach is compassionate, curious, and practical—helping you understand yourself without judgment while building tools you can actually use outside of session.
Ideal clients
I work especially well with adults who have spent a lot of time trying to understand themselves but still feel stuck in patterns they can’t seem to change. Maybe you understand why you react the way you do, but your body still goes into overdrive. Maybe the ways you’ve learned to cope no longer seem to work. Or maybe you’re carrying grief, relationship wounds, anxiety, shame, or painful experiences that still affect your life today. You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting therapy. I work well with people who are open to exploring what’s beneath the surface and trying new ways of responding. Together, we’ll work toward changes you can feel in your everyday life, not just understand intellectually.
Treatment methods
EMDR
I use EMDR to help clients work through distressing or traumatic experiences that may still feel emotionally or physically “stuck.” We work at a pace that feels manageable, using structured techniques to help lessen the intensity of difficult memories, triggers, and emotional responses while building a greater sense of safety and stability in the present. EMDR isn’t about forcing you to relive what happened or going deeper than you’re ready for. It’s about creating space to process difficult experiences in a way that feels supported, manageable, and meaningful.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I use IFS to help clients explore the different parts of themselves that can develop in response to difficult or overwhelming experiences. We approach these parts with curiosity rather than judgment, exploring what they may be trying to protect and why certain patterns continue to show up. The goal isn’t to get rid of these parts, but to better understand them and develop more choice in how you respond to yourself and the world around you. Over time, this can support greater self-understanding, self-compassion, and flexibility.
Somatic
I use somatic approaches to help clients notice how stress, emotions, and past experiences can show up in the body. In session, we may pay attention to physical sensations, tension, activation, or impulses and explore how these experiences may connect to what you’re feeling or going through while practicing ways to respond with greater awareness and regulation. The goal is to help you feel more connected to your body, better understand your responses, and develop more flexibility in how you respond to yourself and the world around you.
Grief Therapy
I use grief therapy to help clients process the emotional, relational, and practical impact of loss. My approach is informed by contemporary grief theory and my advanced study in thanatology, with the understanding that grief is not a linear process or something a person simply needs to “get over.” We explore how loss can affect identity, relationships, daily life, and meaning while making space to honor what and who has been lost. My goal is to help you find ways to carry your grief while continuing to build a life that feels meaningful to you.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help clients understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and what’s happening around them. Together, we’ll identify patterns that may be keeping you stuck, explore whether those patterns are actually helping, and develop practical ways to respond differently. The goal isn’t to force yourself to “think positive.” It’s to build more flexibility in how you understand what’s happening, how you respond, and what choices are available to you.
Location
Virtual sessions
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Licensed in
- IndianaLicense 34012606A