EMDR Therapy in Vancouver, WA

Moving beyond ‘just talking’ to help your brain and body finally heal from the effects of trauma, anxiety, and stress with specialized EMDR therapy for adults.

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You Can’t Just “Get Over It“

If you’ve tried talk therapy that didn’t work, it’s not your fault. You just need a better approach. 

Trauma and overwhelming life experiences need specialized therapy that works in the right part of your brain.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a specialized and structured psychotherapy method designed to help resolve symptoms caused by traumatic events and adverse life experience like neglect or long-term exposure to stress. 

Our minds can heal from psychological injuries like our bodies can heal after physical injury.

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How Does EMDR Work?

EMDR uses eye movements, hand-held buzzers, or sound during therapy sessions to help facilitate healing quickly by working with both sides of the brain. Facing trauma can be challenging or scary, but EMDR helps create the sense of safety needed to process those events by protecting against overwhelm and re-traumatization.

When therapy is complete, clients experience relief from distress symptoms like: 

  • disturbing images or body sensations
  • triggering sounds, smells, and places
  • nightmares
  • avoidance of places, people, or feelings
  • distorted beliefs that cause more emotional pain
  • intense emotions

As trauma gets unstuck or is resolved, clients gain more freedom and new insight. Post traumatic growth is possible!  

What Can EMDR Treat?

EMDR can be used to treat single event traumas like motor accidents, disasters, experiences of violence or sexual assault, or other exposure to trauma. It is also found to be highly effective in treating painful childhood experiences and unmet needs. 

EMDR can be used to work with anxiety, depression, phobias, as well as relationship trouble or attachment wound healing. Grief and complicated or prolonged grief can be treated and resolved with EMDR treatment. 

EMDR can be a great option for working with creative blocks, relationship challenges, lowering performance anxiety and moving ahead with goals.  

When the nervous system can let go of old experiences and restore a sense of safety, it has more room for joy, connection, and creativity.

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Introduction to EMDR

Have More Questions?

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Why Choose Refuge Counseling & Wellness

At Refuge, you’re not just another number—you’re the most important person in the room. You’ll find support and belonging in our deeply hospitable and judgement free therapeutic center.

We’ve designed our center to be more than just a clinic; it’s a dedicated space for the residents of Vancouver, WA and surrounding Clark County to disconnect from the noise and reconnect with themselves. Our trauma-informed guides are local experts committed to our community’s wellness.

Refuge is designed to cut through the noise of shallow, impersonal mental health and wellness services. We take our time to know you and your priorities in order to curate a custom counseling and wellness strategy to help you achieve your goals.

While our clients are responsible for doing the work of change, our therapists and practitioners are the highly skilled, trauma informed guides you want to help you on your way.

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Renee Thompson

Founder & Therapist, MA, LMHC, CPC

Therapists Offering EMDR Therapy

Renee Thompson
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How EMDR Therapy Works at Refuge

We get to
know you

Taking time to understand your unique story

We Make
a PLAN

Creating a customized therapy approach that works for you

We help
you GROW

With guidance and support, you’ll work toward healing and meaningful change

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Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR Therapy

Most talk therapies are “top-down,” meaning they focus on your logic and thoughts. EMDR is a “bottom-up” approach. It works directly with how your brain and nervous system store memories. Instead of just talking about the past, EMDR helps your brain reprocess it so that the memory no longer feels like it’s happening in the present.

One of the biggest reliefs for our clients is that EMDR does not require you to describe every painful detail out loud. While you will focus on the memory internally, the healing happens through the processing, not the retelling. This makes it a powerful option for those who find talking about their past too overwhelming or “re-traumatizing.”

In a typical session at our Vancouver office, your therapist will guide you through “bilateral stimulation” (usually following a light bar with your eyes or using handheld tappers). You’ll be fully awake and in control the entire time. Many people describe the feeling as being on a train—you are observing the memories as they pass by, but you aren’t “in” them.

Not at all. While it is the gold standard for PTSD, we use EMDR at Refuge to treat “small-t” traumas, performance anxiety, phobias, and deep-seated beliefs like “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not safe.” If you feel “stuck” in a certain emotional pattern, EMDR can likely help.

We support adults ages 18 and up. We work with young adults, folks in mid life, and seniors.

Refuge is private pay only and does not accept insurance.

Refuge Counseling & Wellness is out of network and therefore does not accept or bill any insurance. See each practitioner or service for current fees. A full, transparent breakdown of pricing will be provided for all clients.

Refuge Counseling & Wellness accepts credit card and cash payments. Payments are due at the time of each service. 

Super Bills
Counselors at Refuge are able to supply you with a super bill. Super bills are a receipt with your diagnosis code that can be submitted to insurance for partial or full reimbursement for therapy services. Not sure if you qualify? Call your insurance provider and ask whether they will reimburse you for an out of network therapist. 

Health Savings Accounts (HSA)/Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) 

HSAs and FSAs can help you pay for therapy. Check your individual plan for details. 

Care Credit
Care Credit may be used to help with the cost of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy or Intensives. Individuals must apply. Ask your therapist for more information. 

Everyone can benefit from having a dedicated safe space to process their life. Therapy is especially helpful for people dealing with unwanted symptoms from trauma, burnout, anxiety, or depression, for example. 

But you don’t need a diagnosis to come to therapy. Whether you’re suffering from PTSD, working through grief, or simply want to get to know yourself better, therapy is an investment in your personal growth and wellbeing. 

We offer EMDR therapy at our office in Vancouver, Washington as well as provide online EMDR therapy across Washington State. This ensures that deep, transformative healing is accessible to you, whether you’re in Vancouver, Ridgefield, or anywhere in the state.

Our office is located at 13912 NE 20th Ave. Suite 204 Vancouver, WA 98686.

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