EMDR Therapists in Draper, UT

What if change is possible? I believe it is! The first steps to positive change are to recognize there is a problem and to search out solutions. You have taken those steps, so let’s keep going! I am dedicated to helping my clients understand and overcome whatever it is that is getting in the way of who they really want to become. Positive change does not usually,"just happen". You have to take an active role in deliberately creating the changes you want in your life. The good news is, you don’t have to go through this alone.

I like to take a personal approach with clients and provide a comfortable space to keep bettering ourselves. I strive to provide that place where you can tell your story and not only be heard, but understand how to better cope with the things you are struggling with and take control of your story. I work with adolescents and adults and specialize in anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, and trauma.

Are you looking for a safe place to land? A shelter from the storms in life? I believe therapy should be a space to find refuge in order to focus on healing, learning, and growing. I will meet you where you are at. Together, we can create a space in which you feel respected, seen/heard, empowered, and can authentically show up as your whole self. One of the most important things to me as a therapist is that your experience feels meaningful and valuable to you. I take an individualized, trauma-informed, and intentional approach to therapy. I am passionate about working with trauma, addiction, and grief/loss.

My approach to therapy is a collaboration with my clients. Adverse experiences and trauma can manifest differently in each individual's body. Our body's hold on to the trauma and you can experience physical sensations and emotional dysregulation without knowing why. I believe that a holistic approach to therapy can help you release the energy stuck in the body. We will work to recognize your triggers and heal the underlying cause. Healing from emotional wounds is within reach.

We are a group of dedicated Licensed Therapists and Wellness Facilitators. Our goal is to empower families, couples, adults, adolescents, and children to restore balance in their lives. At Draper Therapy and Wellness, we offer a variety of services for a well-rounded approach to help you live your healthiest and happiest life possible. We specialize in treating a variety of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, attachment disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, marital problems, LGBTQ issues, trauma, and other psychiatric disorders.

Here at SoulWise Therapy, we utilize evidence-based therapies to quickly treat mental health issues. Traditional psychotherapies rely on talk therapy to heal trauma, depression, anxiety, and the many other troubles we face. These methods can be effective but often require someone to spend months or even years in therapy. Instead of keeping you in therapy for the next 10 years, we use ART, Brainspotting, BWRT, & EMDR to speed up your healing and get you back to living life at its fullest. These advanced therapies target the brain's reptilian complex, which is responsible for our body's response to trauma (fight, flight, freeze).

I believe in the transformative power of embodied and holistic healing practices and have a passion for working with the mind and body connection. In addition standard therapy, I also offer trauma-informed yoga, somatic work, and EMDR. I approach therapy from a strengths-based and client-centered perspective and respect the unique experience and identity of each individual.

Are you ready to do some work on yourself?

I strive to help individuals who have been plagued by past or current trauma. I am here to empower within and help my clients uncover who they truly are. My goal is to connect with your potential, find wellness, and create meaning. Finding a therapist who empathizes yet pushes you is never easy. My gentle approach will aid clients in understanding their maladaptive thought patterns and challenging the narrative that has kept them stuck for so long.

Therapy today is geared toward finding problems or issues in people. This approach tends to create an environment where we are made to be victims of our own challenges. Therapy with me is geared toward finding the strengths you already possess and maximizing the potential of those strengths. I am not here to fix you. I am here to empower you to be the best version of yourself. Find out how different therapy can be.

I believe that nobody is broken, and all people can heal. The question “what happened to you?” as opposed to “what’s wrong with you?” resonates with me, and influences my practice. Many people believe there’s a difference between “big T” and “little t” trauma, but isn’t all trauma trauma? Our brains don’t care about whether the “t” is capitalized or not, it just knows that we had an adverse experience and it has adapted to keep us safe.

People who grew up in a dysfunctional family or were raised by emotionally immature and unavailable caregivers can expect a range of damaging effects throughout their lifespan. Common experiences in adulthood include a poor sense of self, ineffective boundaries, chronic people-pleasing, overwhelming emotional experiences, and toxic attachment patterns. These may create symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ADHD. You may find yourself estranged from family members you wish you could be closer to. You may even find yourself in a spiritual or identity crisis. If you relate to this, I can help!

Are you someone who is dealing with the effects of trauma, struggling with relationship issues, or seeking personal growth? I am here to support and empower you. I am dedicated to guiding adults, couples, and teens through their unique healing journeys with expert, tailored care. I specialize in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a highly effective approach particularly suited for those who have experienced trauma. By integrating EMDR with other therapeutic techniques, I tailor my services to meet the specific needs of my clients, ensuring a personalized path to recovery.

Clients who come in ready to work on themselves are leaps and bounds ahead of clients who might be dragging their feet in coming to therapy. If you are ready to change and personally motivated, your progress will be quick and you will get a lot out of the therapeutic process. Brief, solution focused therapy is often the most helpful depending on the client, but my intention is always to start where each individual client is at and work to assist them in their goals and desires for change based on their own strengths.

Nathan Black is a Certified Social Worker (CSW) therapist. He received his Master of Social Work and a Bachelor of Science- Family Studies emphasis from Utah Valley University. He enjoys works with a wide variety of age groups and populations. Nathan specializes in working with depression, anxiety and PTSD. Nathan enjoys helping clients overcome traumatic experiences that have negatively impacted them in order to improve their well-being now. Primarily, he enjoys implementing Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to help clients overcome negative effects of trauma or other negative experiences.

Laurie Elkins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Brigham Young University. She has found it a privilege to work with individuals and families in our community who struggle with various mental/physical health, and relationships. She is grateful for the opportunities she has had working with military members, in the Air Force mental health wing—moving with them through healing—from PTSD, trauma, relationships and other life challenges. To expand on this, she is a Certified First Responder Counselor.

Candas Elder (CSW) has been working to enrich the lives of individuals since 2013. Through her comprehensive academic masters of social work program, Candas gained the knowledge and skills she has used to help hundreds of clients achieve their goals. Candas works with people through the lifespan. She loves to witness the positive progress of any client no matter their age: child, adolescent, or adult.

Alisha Schlabaugh is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Utah who has been practicing since 2021. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Utah Valley University. Alisha believes that healing comes in many forms, client-centered talk therapy being one of them. She has a passion for holistic health and healing the whole person, mind, body, and soul. Alisha says that one of the most precious parts of working in the mental health field is sitting with people in their most vulnerable moments and feels privileged to be a part of their healing journey.

Voted Best of Utah Valley, we are passionate about healing and teaching the skills that will assist individuals in sustaining changes over time. We have worked successfully with kids, teens and adults struggling with a variety of problems including ADHD, addiction, depression, anxiety, PTSD, pornography addiction, tantrums, trauma as well as individuals desiring to increase their energy levels, achieve peak performance, and missionary transitions.