--- title: "Trauma Therapy & EMDR in Weston, FL | Maria Van Thienen, LMFT" description: "EMDR-certified trauma therapy in Weston, FL and telehealth. Gentle, paced trauma work with an LMFT with 30+ years of experience. 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Maria works gently with complex trauma, building safety and resources before any processing begins." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Service", "serviceType": "Trauma Therapy (EMDR)", "name": "Trauma Therapy & EMDR in Weston, FL", "url": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/trauma-therapy", "provider": { "@id": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/#business" }, "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" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Trauma Therapy", "item": "https://counselingwithmaria.com/trauma-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/trauma-therapy) [(954) 654-6774](tel:+19546546774)[Contact Maria](/contact) Trauma and EMDR # Trauma and _EMDR_. Traumatic experiences can leave lasting emotional, psychological, and physical effects that interfere with daily life, relationships, and overall well-being. Whether trauma stems from a single distressing event or from ongoing experiences over time, healing is possible. Using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidence-based therapy recognized for its effectiveness in treating trauma, I help clients process painful memories in a safe and structured way. [Contact Maria](/contact) [How she works](/approach) ![A couple walking side by side on a quiet Florida beach at warm dawn light, moving forward together](/assets/trauma-couples-DsQxcpRK.jpg) What we work on ## The shape of the _work_. - Single-incident and complex trauma - Childhood adversity - Loss and grief - Medical and birth trauma - Accidents and assault - PTSD symptoms - Anxiety rooted in past events - Bilingual support throughout How the work is sequenced ## Stabilization comes _first_. Most people arrive worried about one thing: that therapy will mean describing the worst hours of their life out loud, in detail, to a stranger. That is not how this works. EMDR does not require you to narrate the whole story, and Maria will not ask you to. What she needs is enough of the outline to know what you are carrying. Before any of that is touched, the first stretch of the work is building capacity learning what your own early warning signs are, having two or three reliable ways to come back down, and knowing that you can stop a session at any point. Stabilization sounds like a formality and it is actually the whole foundation. Opening something difficult without it is how people get overwhelmed and quietly decide therapy is not for them. Trauma also does not always announce itself as trauma. It often shows up years later, in a life that has finally become stable enough for the body to let it surface: sleep that stopped working, a temper that does not match the situation, numbness in a relationship that is objectively fine. Sometimes what brings someone in is a present-day problem, and the older injury underneath only becomes visible a few sessions later. Sessions run in person in Weston or by secure video anywhere in Florida, in English or Spanish. Maria is EMDR certified and has been doing this work for thirty years, long enough to be honest that no therapist can promise an outcome, and confident enough to tell you plainly whether she thinks this is the right treatment for what you are describing. Areas served EMDR and trauma therapy sessions in **Weston, FL** and nearby Broward communities, Weston, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Plantation, Sunrise, Cooper City, and Miramar. Secure telehealth is available across the state of Florida. Areas served across Broward Trauma therapy & EMDR, city by city: [Fort Lauderdale](/trauma-therapy-fort-lauderdale), [Miramar](/trauma-therapy-miramar), and [Plantation](/trauma-therapy-plantation) . In-person in Weston or secure telehealth across Florida. Related reading: [how EMDR therapy actually works](/emdr-therapy) · [anxiety therapy when trauma drives the spiral](/anxiety-therapy) · [couples counseling for trauma in relationships](/couples-counseling) · [answers to the questions people ask first](/faq) . Learn more about [how Maria works](/approach), [her background](/meet-maria), and [session rates](/rates), or [reach out](/contact). Common questions ## A few _specifics_. ### What is EMDR, exactly? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, an evidence-based therapy that helps the brain process memories that are still stuck. You stay in control the whole way. ### Will I have to relive what happened? No. EMDR is not about telling the story over and over. We work in carefully paced segments, and only when you're ready. ### How long does EMDR take? It varies by person and history. Some single-incident work moves quickly; longer-standing trauma takes more time. Pace is yours to set. ### Do you work with complex / childhood trauma? Yes. Maria works gently with complex trauma, building safety and resources before any processing begins. ## Ready to take the _next step_? English or Español · in person in Weston or telehealth across Florida [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/trauma-therapy) 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)