Brittni Brooks (she/her)

Abusing alcohol can severely interfere with our ability to function at our highest capacity. It can affect our physical and mental health as well as our relationships and work. I believe that each person should have a unique approach to resolving alcohol abuse/dependency. Some people require complete abstinence while others do best with a harm reduction model. In each case, most individuals with addiction tendencies need support in healing from past traumas and maladaptive coping skills.

Anxiety is the "anticipation of future threat" as opposed to fear which is "an emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat". Anxiety disorders can take different forms, but all are treatable. Each person's anxiety disorder will require a different approach but some effective modalities include supporting the nervous system via psychoeducation, polyvagal exercises, and talk therapy. I often use EMDR to address past trauma, limiting beliefs, and thoughts associated with the future.

I have found EMDR to be impressive in healing PTSD especially when addressing a single incident trauma. Complex relational trauma is also effectively healed via EMDR but requires more advanced approaches including internal family systems to support all parts of oneself. Special care is taken to move at an appropriate pace while providing ample resourcing and nervous system regulation.

ACT therapy works by developing the skill of mindfulness. It supports you to accept life experiences as they come, without evaluating or trying to change them. This practice encourages you to build resiliency by embracing challenges without obsessive negative thoughts. I love to incorporate this technique with other practices. In my experience, life is much more tolerable when I accept the fact that unpredictable challenges are part of my story. With proper support we can walk through anything!

EMDR is a powerful tool that helps us move through a variety of trauma. Most of us have experienced adverse experiences. EMDR helps to "neutralize" these memories so that they are not so emotionally triggering. It also helps us to rewire our brain to produce thoughts of resilience and self-esteem rather than shame and fear. I have been trained in a variety of advanced EMDR techniques to address complex PTSD, dissociation, OCD, and chronic pain.

Exposure and Response Prevention is the gold star technique for addressing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Regular talk therapy typically makes OCD worse, but ERP can support someone with debilitating OCD in returning to a healthy and functional life. ERP can also help folks with anxiety.