Virtual EMDR & Trauma Therapy for Adults in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Serving East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Ada, Rockford & Byron Center
When insight hasn’t been enough — and trauma still shows up in your body, relationships, or inner world — deeper work may be needed.
I provide trauma-informed therapy and EMDR for adults in Grand Rapids, Michigan (and across the state) through secure telehealth.
This work is designed for thoughtful, high-functioning adults who have already tried to understand their trauma but still feel stuck in reactions that don’t shift with logic, self-awareness, or coping strategies alone.
If this resonates, you’re not broken — and you’re not alone.
Who This Work is For
Many of the adults I work with in East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Ada, Byron Center, and Rockford are capable, reflective, and outwardly successful.
They manage careers, families, responsibilities, and expectations well. From the outside, life looks stable.
Yet internally, they may notice:
Emotional shutdown or withdrawal in relationships
Persistent anxiety or overthinking
Difficulty relaxing, even when life is objectively “good”
Feeling disconnected from themselves or others
Patterns of people-pleasing, perfectionism, or hyper-independence
Reactivity that feels out of proportion to the present moment
Complex or relational trauma often lives below conscious awareness, stored in the nervous system rather than in words.
This work may be a good fit if you:
Notice persistent relationship patterns that don’t change
Feel like previous therapy helped you understand things, but didn’t go far enough
Experience emotional triggers or shutdown that don’t respond to insight alone
Want trauma therapy that addresses the nervous system — not just symptoms or coping strategies
If you live in the Grand Rapids area and have learned how to function well despite anxiety, emotional neglect, or relational trauma — but still feel shaped by long-standing patterns — this work is for you.
I offer EMDR and trauma-informed care via secure telehealth for adults throughout Kent County and across Michigan, with a focus on lasting nervous system integration — not just symptom management.
When therapy hasn’t gone far enough, you’re in the right place.
How EMDR Therapy Helps
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a specialized trauma therapy that works directly with how experiences are stored in the brain and nervous system.
Unlike approaches that rely only on talking or cognitive insight, EMDR helps process experiences that are still being held as “unfinished” — even years or decades later.
Many adults in Grand Rapids and surrounding suburbs seek EMDR after traditional talk therapy helped them understand their trauma intellectually, but didn’t help their body release it.
Through EMDR, clients often experience:
Reduced emotional reactivity and overwhelm
Less rumination and mental looping
Greater ease in close relationships
Increased ability to tolerate vulnerability
A stronger sense of internal safety and agency
Feeling forward-moving instead of stuck in the past
EMDR is not about reliving trauma or endlessly analyzing childhood.
It’s about helping the nervous system complete what it couldn’t at the time — so the present no longer feels hijacked by old experiences.
What You Can Expect from Trauma Therapy With Me
My approach is trauma-informed, relational, and paced with care.
Therapy isn’t about pushing or fixing. It’s about creating the conditions where your nervous system can reorganize safely.
In our work together, you can expect:
An EMDR-specialized approach tailored to your history and nervous system
Support for complex, developmental, and relational trauma
Attention to attachment patterns and emotional regulation
A calm, steady space where your experience is met without judgment
A pace that prioritizes safety, consent, and trust
Over time, you may notice:
You stop replaying conversations for days
You feel less defensive in your marriage
You feel more present with your children
You recover more quickly after criticism
You trust your reactions instead of doubting yourself
Your nervous system feels quieter
You feel less alone inside your own life
The goal isn’t to change who you are.
It’s to help your system feel safe enough to respond differently.
Why Work With Me as a Grand Rapids EMDR Therapist
Many adults in affluent Grand Rapids communities are high-functioning and self-aware — yet still shaped by trauma in ways they can’t simply think their way out of.
My work focuses on depth rather than quick fixes.
I combine EMDR expertise with a trauma-informed, relational approach that honors both your lived experience and your nervous system’s intelligence.
We move at a pace that allows trust to build. You don’t have to perform healing or prove anything.
Change begins through being met.
If you’re curious whether EMDR therapy could help with long-standing relational trauma, emotional neglect, or patterns that haven’t shifted despite insight, you’re welcome to reach out for a free 15–30 minute video consultation.
This is a space to ask questions, get a sense if this is a good fit, and explore next steps — without pressure.
Why Telehealth Trauma Therapy Works
Whether you call it online therapy, teletherapy, or telehealth, virtual EMDR allows trauma work to happen in an environment where many people feel safer and more grounded.
Research consistently shows that therapeutic alliance — one of the strongest predictors of outcome — is comparable between telehealth and in-person therapy. EMDR delivered via secure video is also shown to be highly effective.
Benefits of Telehealth EMDR Therapy
No commuting through Grand Rapids traffic
Greater privacy for professionals in smaller communities
Sessions that integrate easily into work and family schedules
The ability to attend therapy from a familiar environment
Consistency during busy seasons or transitions
Access to specialized trauma and EMDR expertise without being limited by location
Telehealth makes it possible to work with a therapist who truly specializes in relational and developmental trauma — not simply the closest provider geographically.
If you’re in East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Ada, Byron Center, Rockford, or anywhere in the Grand Rapids metro area, and you’re ready for trauma therapy that goes deeper than insight alone, I invite you to reach out.
Healing is possible — not by pushing harder, but by helping your nervous system finally feel safe enough to soften.
About Barb
I’m Barb, a licensed professional counselor with over five years of experience in private practice, specializing in trauma-informed therapy and EMDR.
I work with adults who feel stuck in patterns that once helped them survive, but no longer fit the life they want to live. My approach is calm, collaborative, and grounded in respect for your nervous system and lived experience.
I’m based in the Grand Rapids area and licensed in Michigan and Ohio, offering secure telehealth therapy to adults across the state — including clients in the Detroit area.