What Is EMDR Therapy? Meet the EMDR Therapists at The Healing Collective
Some memories don’t fade the way they should. Years later, a sound, a smell, or a tone of voice can bring the feelings back as if the event were happening now. Your heart races, your body tenses, and your reaction feels bigger than the moment in front of you.
If this sounds familiar, EMDR therapy may help. At The Healing Collective, several of our therapists are trained in EMDR. We offer sessions in person at our Danforth East location in Toronto and virtually across Ontario, with no waitlist.
What Is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Psychologist Francine Shapiro developed it in the late 1980s. It is now one of the most researched therapies for trauma, and the World Health Organization recommends it for post-traumatic stress in children, adolescents, and adults.
EMDR is based on a simple idea. When something overwhelming happens, the brain sometimes can’t process it fully. The memory stays “stuck,” with the same emotions, body sensations, and beliefs attached to it, such as “I’m not safe” or “It was my fault.” Those stuck memories can shape how we feel and react today, often without us realizing it.
EMDR helps the brain finish processing these memories. The event is still remembered, but it no longer carries the same emotional charge.
How Does EMDR Work?
During EMDR, your therapist guides you to briefly bring a memory to mind while you experience bilateral stimulation. This means rhythmic left-right input, such as:
- Following your therapist’s hand or a light with your eyes
- Alternating taps on your hands or knees
- Alternating tones through headphones
Bilateral stimulation seems to help the brain reprocess the memory. Over time, the distress usually decreases, and more balanced beliefs replace the painful ones. “I’m in danger” becomes “That’s over, and I’m safe now.”
One thing clients often appreciate is that you don’t have to describe every detail of what happened. For people who find it hard to talk about their experiences, this can make therapy feel much more manageable.
What Does EMDR Treatment Look Like?
EMDR follows a structured eight-phase approach, but it’s always paced to what feels manageable for you. In general:
- Getting to know you. Your therapist learns about your history, your goals, and what brings you in.
- Building stability. Before working with any painful memory, you’ll learn grounding and calming tools so you can feel steady during and between sessions.
- Reprocessing. With bilateral stimulation, you and your therapist work through target memories one at a time.
- Strengthening the positive. You reinforce new, healthier beliefs about yourself.
- Checking in. Each session ends with you feeling settled, and progress is reviewed over time.
Some people notice changes within a few sessions. Others, especially those working through long-standing or complex trauma, benefit from a longer course of therapy.
What Can EMDR Help With?
EMDR is best known for treating trauma and PTSD. It is also used for a range of concerns rooted in difficult experiences:
- Single-incident trauma (accidents, assaults, medical events)
- Complex and childhood trauma
- Anxiety and panic
- Depression
- Grief and loss
- Chronic stress and burnout
- Phobias
- Intergenerational and racial trauma
- Low self-worth and negative core beliefs
EMDR can be adapted for children, teens, and adults. With kids, therapists often use play, drawing, and storytelling so the process feels safe and age-appropriate.
Can EMDR Be Done Online?
Yes. Many clients across Ontario do EMDR virtually. Therapists use methods such as self-tapping or on-screen eye movements. For many people, being in the comfort of their own home helps them feel more grounded during sessions.
Meet Our EMDR-Trained Therapists
Melissa Taylor, MSW, RSW – Co-Owner
Melissa is an EMDRIA-approved EMDR consultant, which means she has advanced training and supervises other clinicians in EMDR. She brings a culturally responsive, trauma-informed approach to her work. She supports people dealing with trauma, colonization, identity-based oppression, relationship challenges, and experiences passed down through families and communities.
Melissa is especially passionate about supporting Black, racialized, and 2SLGBTQIA+ clients, and her practice is grounded in anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and Black feminist frameworks. Alongside EMDR, she draws on Deep Brain Reorienting, Brainspotting, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, and the Safe and Sound Protocol. She offers both virtual and in-person sessions.
Heath McGuire, RSW, Psychotherapist
Heath offers trauma-focused, relational therapy and is trained in EMDR, Attachment Based Family Therapy, and Trauma Assessment and Intervention. They also draw on ACT, Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Structural Dissociation Theory, and somatic approaches.
Much of Heath’s career has focused on youth and families who have struggled to find support elsewhere or face systemic barriers to care. Their work is rooted in anti-oppressive and liberatory values. This makes Heath a strong fit for families looking for EMDR-informed support for a teen.
Abby Rozen, MSW, RSW – Founder & Co-Owner
Abby founded The Healing Collective in 2018. She wanted to bring therapists together so more people could get support through a holistic, community-based model. She believes people thrive through connection, and she meets clients where they are.
Abby uses EMDR in her work with individuals and couples. Her focus areas include eating disorders, anxiety and depression, relationship issues, body image, shame and self-acceptance, life transitions, and feeling stuck.
Katie MacDonald, MSW, RSW
Katie works with teens and adults, both in person in Toronto and virtually across Ontario. Her approach draws mainly on EMDR and Emotionally Focused Therapy, with additional training in CBT and ACT.
Katie spent 14 years at CAMH assessing and treating children, youth, and young adults. Her work there covered mood and anxiety concerns, behavioural difficulties, substance use, and early psychosis. She also has deep experience supporting parents and family members caring for a loved one’s mental health.
Her practice is anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, and LGBTQ2S+ positive. She has a special interest in people caught in “overfunctioning” patterns: over-managing or over-helping in their key relationships.
Is EMDR Right for Me?
EMDR isn’t the right fit for everyone, and that’s okay. Our therapists also use CBT, DBT, ACT, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Deep Brain Reorienting. Many blend EMDR with these approaches. In a free consultation, your therapist can help you decide what makes sense for your goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EMDR covered by insurance?
Sessions with our Registered Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists are often covered by extended health benefits. Check your plan for details.
Will I lose control or be hypnotized?
No. You stay awake, aware, and in charge the whole time, and you can pause whenever you need to.
Do I need a diagnosis to try EMDR?
No. Many people come to EMDR simply because something from their past still feels heavy.
Start EMDR Therapy in Ontario With No Waitlist
You don’t have to wait months to begin healing. The Healing Collective offers EMDR therapy in person in Toronto and online across Ontario for children, teens, adults, couples, and families.
Book a free consultation or browse all our Collective Members to find the right fit.