--- title: "EMDR Therapy in Weston, FL | Maria Van Thienen, LMFT" description: "EMDR therapy with a certified, bilingual LMFT in Weston, FL. What EMDR is, what a session is like, why you don't have to retell the whole story. $250 self-pay." lang: en-US json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": [ "MedicalBusiness", "ProfessionalService" ], "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#business", "name": "Counseling with Maria", "legalName": "MBGM Consulting LLC", "description": "Bilingual, EMDR-certified LMFT offering couples, anxiety, and trauma therapy in Weston, FL, and telehealth across Florida.", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com", "image": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/__l5e/assets-v1/7d3bcbd2-ddaf-43c1-9959-4e32b159272f/maria-van-thienen.jpg", "logo": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/__l5e/assets-v1/7d3bcbd2-ddaf-43c1-9959-4e32b159272f/maria-van-thienen.jpg", "telephone": "(954) 654-6774", "priceRange": "$$$", "founder": { "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#maria" }, "employee": { "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#maria" }, "founderName": "Maria Van Thienen, LMFT", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "2645 Executive Park Drive", "addressLocality": "Weston", "addressRegion": "FL", "postalCode": "33331", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": 26.0823, "longitude": -80.3915 }, "areaServed": [ { "@type": "City", "name": "Weston" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Fort Lauderdale" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Pembroke Pines" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Davie" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Plantation" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Sunrise" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Cooper City" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Miramar" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Florida" }, { "@type": "Place", "name": "Telehealth in Florida" } ], "availableLanguage": [ "English", "Español" ], "provider": { "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#maria" }, "serviceType": [ "Couples Counseling", "Marriage Therapy", "Anxiety Therapy", "Trauma Therapy", "EMDR Therapy", "Christian Marriage Counseling", "Catholic Marriage Counseling", "Telehealth therapy in Florida" ], "availableService": [ { "@type": "MedicalTherapy", "name": "Couples Counseling", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/couples-counseling" }, { "@type": "MedicalTherapy", "name": "Anxiety Therapy", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/anxiety-therapy" }, { "@type": "MedicalTherapy", "name": "Trauma Therapy (EMDR)", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/trauma-therapy" } ], "paymentAccepted": "Private pay; superbills available on request for possible out-of-network reimbursement" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#maria", "name": "Maria Van Thienen", "honorificSuffix": "LMFT", "jobTitle": "Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist", "description": "Bilingual (English/Spanish), EMDR-certified Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 30+ years of experience supporting couples, adults, teens, and children in Weston, FL and via telehealth across Florida.", "image": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/__l5e/assets-v1/7d3bcbd2-ddaf-43c1-9959-4e32b159272f/maria-van-thienen.jpg", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/meet-maria", "knowsLanguage": [ "English", "Español" ], "knowsAbout": [ "Couples Counseling", "Marriage Therapy", "Anxiety Therapy", "Trauma Therapy", "EMDR", "Depression", "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy", "Mindfulness-Based Therapy" ], "hasCredential": [ { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "credentialCategory": "license", "name": "LMFT (FL) MT3115" }, { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "credentialCategory": "certification", "name": "EMDR Certified" } ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#business" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/REPLACE-ME", "https://www.google.com/maps/place/?cid=REPLACE-ME" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#website", "name": "Maria Van Thienen, LMFT", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com", "inLanguage": [ "en-US", "es-ES" ], "publisher": { "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#business" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do I have to describe everything that happened?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. EMDR works with the memory as it is stored in your body and nervous system, not with a narrative you deliver out loud. Some people say very little about the content and still process it. You choose what you put into words." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What actually happens in an EMDR session?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "You hold a specific image, body sensation, and belief in mind while following a repeated back-and-forth cue, eye movements, tones, or gentle taps. It runs in short sets. After each set Maria asks what came up, and you keep going or pause. You stay awake, aware, and in control the whole time." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is EMDR hypnosis?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. You are fully conscious and can stop at any moment. Nothing is suggested to you and nothing is implanted." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How many sessions does EMDR take?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It depends on how much there is and how much stability you have to work from. A single recent incident may process in a handful of sessions; long-standing or repeated experiences take longer. No responsible therapist can promise a number or an outcome." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Who is EMDR not a good fit for right now?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "If you are in an unsafe situation, in active crisis, or without any way to settle your body, processing comes later. Stabilization first is not a delay tactic, it is the part that makes the rest safe." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are you certified in EMDR?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Maria is EMDR certified and has practiced as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida for thirty years. Sessions are available in English or Spanish." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Service", "name": "EMDR Therapy", "serviceType": "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/emdr-therapy", "provider": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maria Van Thienen, LMFT", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com" }, "areaServed": [ { "@type": "City", "name": "Weston" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Fort Lauderdale" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Pembroke Pines" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Davie" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Plantation" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Sunrise" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Cooper City" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Miramar" }, { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Florida" }, { "@type": "Place", "name": "Telehealth in Florida" } ], "availableLanguage": [ "English", "Spanish" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Specialties", "item": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/specialties" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "EMDR Therapy", "item": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/emdr-therapy" } ] } ] --- [![](/__l5e/assets-v1/7a69d5a3-a3ea-40ca-8fb1-b87d03f5f058/logo-mark.png)](/) Specialties - [Couples Counseling](/couples-counseling) - [Anxiety Therapy](/anxiety-therapy) - [Trauma and EMDR](/trauma-therapy) - [EMDR Therapy](/emdr-therapy) - [Christian Marriage Counseling](/christian-marriage-counseling) - [Christian Couples Counseling](/christian-couples-counseling) - [Catholic Marriage Counseling](/catholic-marriage-counseling) - [All specialties](/specialties) Areas We Serve - [Weston](/areas-we-serve) - [Fort Lauderdale](/areas-we-serve) - [Pembroke Pines](/areas-we-serve) - [Davie](/areas-we-serve) - [Plantation](/areas-we-serve) - [Miramar](/areas-we-serve) - [Hollywood](/areas-we-serve) - [All areas](/areas-we-serve) About - [Meet Maria](/meet-maria) - [Approach](/approach) - [Rates](/rates) - [Frequently Asked Questions](/faq) [Contact](/contact)[EN](/)[ES](/es/terapia-emdr) [(954) 654-6774](tel:+19546546774)[Contact Maria](/contact) EMDR Therapy # You don't have to tell the whole story to _put it down_. EMDR is a structured therapy for memories the body is still holding. Maria is EMDR certified and has practiced for thirty years, in person in Weston, FL, or by secure video anywhere in Florida, in English or Spanish. [Contact Maria](/contact) [Trauma and EMDR](/trauma-therapy) ![A quiet, softly lit therapy room in Weston, FL where EMDR sessions take place](/assets/trauma-couples-DsQxcpRK.jpg) In plain language ## What EMDR _actually is_. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. The idea underneath it is simple: most experiences get filed away over time and stop feeling urgent, but some do not. Those stay stored the way they happened, with the same images, the same body sensations, the same conclusion you drew about yourself in that moment. Years later something small brushes against them and your body reacts as though no time has passed. EMDR gives that memory the chance to finish filing. While you hold the image, the sensation, and the belief in mind, you follow a repeated left-right cue, eye movements, alternating tones, or light taps. The brain does the reorganizing; the therapist's job is to keep the process moving and keep you inside a tolerable range. What changes is not your history. What changes is the charge. Clients usually describe the memory afterward as something that happened rather than something happening, still true, still theirs, no longer loaded. A session ## What it's _like_. Nothing about EMDR is mysterious once you have sat through it. You stay awake, you stay in charge, and you can stop a set at any point. 01 ### We choose a target One specific moment, image, or body sensation, not your entire history at once. 02 ### We check your footing A settling resource comes first: breath, a calm place, a physical anchor you can return to. 03 ### Short sets, then a pause Thirty seconds or so of the back-and-forth cue, then a brief check: what came up? Then the next set. 04 ### It moves on its own Images, sensations, and thoughts shift set to set. You don't have to narrate them or explain them. 05 ### We close the session Every session ends with grounding. Nothing is left cracked open on the drive home. Stabilization first ## Why we don't start with the worst thing. Processing before your body has anywhere steady to land is how therapy becomes something people quit. So the first phase of EMDR is not processing at all. It is building capacity: sleep, regulation, a way to come back from an activated state, and enough trust in the room that stopping is genuinely allowed. For some people that takes two sessions. For others, long-standing experiences, ongoing stress, no support at home, it takes considerably longer, and that time is the treatment, not a wait for it. Thirty years has made Maria faster at recognizing which one is in front of her. It has not made her more willing to rush it. What it's used for ## More than one kind of _injury_. - Single-incident trauma, accident, assault, medical event - Childhood experiences that shaped how you see yourself - Birth trauma and pregnancy loss - Grief that stayed stuck at the moment of loss - Betrayal and affair injury inside a relationship - Panic and phobias with a clear starting point - Anxiety that has an older memory underneath it - Things witnessed, including before arriving in this country Questions ## Before you _start_. ### Do I have to describe everything that happened? No. EMDR works with the memory as it is stored in your body and nervous system, not with a narrative you deliver out loud. Some people say very little about the content and still process it. You choose what you put into words. ### What actually happens in an EMDR session? You hold a specific image, body sensation, and belief in mind while following a repeated back-and-forth cue, eye movements, tones, or gentle taps. It runs in short sets. After each set Maria asks what came up, and you keep going or pause. You stay awake, aware, and in control the whole time. ### Is EMDR hypnosis? No. You are fully conscious and can stop at any moment. Nothing is suggested to you and nothing is implanted. ### How many sessions does EMDR take? It depends on how much there is and how much stability you have to work from. A single recent incident may process in a handful of sessions; long-standing or repeated experiences take longer. No responsible therapist can promise a number or an outcome. ### Who is EMDR not a good fit for right now? If you are in an unsafe situation, in active crisis, or without any way to settle your body, processing comes later. Stabilization first is not a delay tactic, it is the part that makes the rest safe. ### Are you certified in EMDR? Yes. Maria is EMDR certified and has practiced as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida for thirty years. Sessions are available in English or Spanish. Related - [Trauma and EMDR](/trauma-therapy) - [Trauma therapy in Fort Lauderdale](/trauma-therapy-fort-lauderdale) - [Trauma therapy in Miramar](/trauma-therapy-miramar) - [Trauma therapy in Plantation](/trauma-therapy-plantation) - [Frequently Asked Questions](/faq) - [Lea esta página en español](/es/terapia-emdr) [Contact Maria](/contact) ![Maria Van Thienen, LMFT](/__l5e/assets-v1/7a69d5a3-a3ea-40ca-8fb1-b87d03f5f058/logo-mark.png) A calm, non-judgmental space to _reconnect_ with yourself and the people you love. Counseling with Maria · Maria Van Thienen, LMFT · Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Florida (MT3115). EMDR-certified. Bilingual English / Español. #### Office 2645 Executive Park Drive Weston, FL 33331 Telehealth across Florida [(954) 654-6774](tel:+19546546774) #### Specialties - [Couples Counseling](/couples-counseling) - [Anxiety Therapy](/anxiety-therapy) - [Trauma and EMDR](/trauma-therapy) - [EMDR Therapy](/emdr-therapy) - [Christian Marriage Counseling](/christian-marriage-counseling) - [Christian Couples Counseling](/christian-couples-counseling) - [Catholic Marriage Counseling](/catholic-marriage-counseling) #### Areas We Serve - [Fort Lauderdale](/couples-counseling-fort-lauderdale) - [Pembroke Pines](/couples-counseling-pembroke-pines) - [Hollywood](/couples-counseling-hollywood) - [Miramar](/couples-counseling-miramar) - [Davie](/couples-counseling-davie) - [Plantation](/anxiety-therapy-plantation) #### Explore - [Home](/) - [Meet Maria](/meet-maria) - [Couples](/couples-counseling) - [Anxiety](/anxiety-therapy) - [Trauma and EMDR](/trauma-therapy) - [Approach](/approach) - [Rates](/rates) - [Contact](/contact) - [Privacy Policy](/privacy) #### Begin [Contact Maria](/contact) [EN](/)[ES](/es/terapia-emdr) In a crisis or emergency This site is not monitored for emergencies. If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text [988](tel:988) (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call [911](tel:911). Contacting the practice through this website does not establish a therapist-client relationship. © 2026 MBGM Consulting LLC. Therapy outcomes vary by person, situation, and engagement; no specific results are guaranteed. [Privacy](/privacy.html)[Terms](/terms.html)[Cookies](/cookie.html)[Disclosures](/disclaimers.html)[Good Faith Estimate](/good-faith-estimate.html)[Website by Automaus.ai](https://automaus.ai)