EMDR For Veterans and Their
Families


 

“I wanted to thank EMDR for helping my son.  I was grasping for something to help him recover from his time spent in Iraq and as his mom, knew not what to do.  EMDR was referred to me by a dear friend and I put my faith in it.  I saw my son for the first time since his initial visit with you and he is a changed man.  He has color in his face and the shallow, pale, distraught look is gone.  EMDR gave me back my son.  Thank you!  I wanted you to know that this procedure has helped save a young soul from a lifetime of problems.” SK

This program is dedicated to helping military veterans find out about and access the benefits of EMDR Processing to get relief from their wartime experiences.  We also want to get the word out to family members of veterans, as well as First Responders.

What Vets should get help using EMDR?

  All vets from any war probably need help with finding better ways to cope with the stresses of their wartime experiences.  Problems such as an exaggerated startle response, nightmares, anger and agitation can all be helped through the use of EMDR counseling.

What about family members?

  Family members of combat Veterans and First Responders also experience severe stress and suffer from PTSD.  They need to know about EMDR so they can get they relief they need, as well.

What about First Responders?

  First Responders are people who arrive first at the scene of emergency, crises situations.  They can be Firemen, Police officers and/or Para-medics.  After a long enough time in a job like that, the bad memories will start to accumulate and start to get triggered more easily, and the effects will be increased drinking, even more anger, irrational behavior and generally not getting along as well as you know that you can.

  First Responders would also include dispatchers and office support personnel.  Being involved in a trauma in any capacity can cause your nervous system to increase production of the chemicals that cause the brain to start storing the memories (emotions, body sensations, thoughts) implicitly.

  When memories are stored as ‘implicit memories’ they are immediately accessible and easily triggered.  When they are triggered, they are retrieved in the original form, such as, emotions (fear,anger or grief), body sensations (tightness, tension, nervous stomach) or thoughts (unfairness, self-depreciating, or awareness of existential aloneness).

 

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Dr. Amber Quaranta-Leech, LPC-S

Amber holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Texas and Oklahoma and holds Supervisor credential for Texas. Amber is an EMDRIA consultant and trainer. She has over a decade of experience in the trauma field in work with uniformed services, domestic violence, childhood trauma and abuse, and recent mass trauma events. Amber provides consultation for EMDRIA certification, for consultants-in-training, and supervision for LPC-Associates. Amber continues to research the benefits of EMDR therapy with a variety of populations. Her goal is to help build strong clinicians who are well versed in trauma interventions to better support their clients. Amber sees a limited number of clients with a focus on trauma work, she is also a Certified Career Counselor and Certified through EAGALA to provide equine-assisted therapy. 

Dr. Jose Carbajal, LCSW

Dr. Jose Carbajal, a U.S. Army veteran, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and a master’s in theological studies from Baylor University, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. With over 15 years of clinical experience and extensive teaching experience, Jose specializes in trauma, sexual abuse recovery, domestic violence, and substance abuse. His research focuses on trauma interventions, neuroscience, and faith. He is EMDR Certified, an Approved Consultant, and an EMDRIA Approved Trainer, with numerous publications and professional presentations to his name.

Dr. Amanda Martin, LMFT-S, LPC, BCN

Amanda Martin holds a PhD in Family Therapy and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. With over 14 years of experience, she specializes in trauma therapy for individuals and families in residential and outpatient settings. Amanda also provides supervision for EMDR certification, EMDR consultants-in-training, and LMFT-Associates. Her mission is to help people find a healthy, joyful, and fulfilling path in life. Her warm, supportive, and interactive counseling style incorporates Symbolic Experiential Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, HeartMath, Animal-Assisted Therapy, Neurofeedback, and Collaborative Problem Solving.