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About Me

Since beginning my journey as a licensed professional counselor in 2016, I've had the opportunity to learn from a long list of talented trainers and clinicians. I live by the motto "To make the best better" and have always looked for excellence and creative solutions to complex problems.  

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I realized early on how much I enjoy teaching others.  I taught a few junior college classes in psychology and human development pre-COVID, have supervised various graduate counseling interns, and am now working to develop myself as an EMDRIA Consultant in Training! 


I know how challenging clinical work can be.  Fears about liability and "staying within your scope" are ingrained in most of us during grad school. Agency settings do little to lessen that emotional burden.  But the reality is that "complex clients" are just a normal day in the office for most of us, and there often ISN'T a more skilled referral to offer - you're the best chance your clients have to heal, as they're sitting in front of you, right now!

 

I believe becoming a clinician who is effective in meeting even the most complex clients right where they are includes developing a sound understanding of treatments that work, and building your own confidence in how to weave those interventions into real-world applications.  

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Book an introductory meeting today! I look forward to helping you find your confidence and shine. 

Joni Bennett

Key Influences and Mentors

Coordinator for DBT Services for the Missouri Department of Mental Health

Dr. Reitz is a Linehan Board Certified DBT Clinician and Trainer.  I've had the privilege of being mentored by her since an initial DBT training in 2016, and have worked closely with her as part of a DBT consultation team since 2018.  Ronda has taught me so much about comprehensive DBT application in its original form, and continues to be a voice in my head when I'm making hard clinical calls. I've been part of DBT team startups overseen by Ronda, and work with her in various professional contexts as an administrative consultant. 

EMDR Trainer & Consultant at EMDR Consulting, LLC

I first met Dr. Paulson in 2017 at an EMDR basic training.  Her authentic, natural style, easy manner, and in-depth understanding of complex problems quickly caught my attention.  I ended up completing most of my basic training hours and my individual and group consultation hours for certification with her between 2017 and 2020. She was a pivotal force in helping me step with confidence into applying EMDR to the toughest cases I was encountering.  She introduced me to the application of parts work to EMDR.  She's guided me in finding confidence in challenging limiting beliefs within our profession, encouraging me to question the 'why' behind different treatment decisions, and to consider how to find what works, in implementing what I knew from different treatment backgrounds. She's become a voice of calm and confidence that holds me to my own wise mind. 

Founder, The Institute for Creative Mindfulness

Educator, Clinician, Writer, Dancer, EMDR & Expressive Arts Trainer

Dr. Marich came across my awareness when I got serious about integrating DBT and EMDR in my clinical work. I first found The Institute for Creative Mindfulness by taking a training offered by ICM in 2021 (EMDR Therapy & DBT for Trauma Focused Care: A Beautiful Fusion). I eagerly jumped into a variety of other trainings ICM offered, both live and on-demand, and am in the final stages of completing their Advanced Certificate in Dissociation Studies for EMDR Therapists.  Dr. Marich agreed to work with me as a consultee due to a wide overlap in our clinical interests and background (substance use as a way of coping, religious trauma, dissociative disorders, and reiki, among others). She is my consultant of record for EMDRIA, and will be directly supervising my work with you if you're seeking consultation hours as credit for EMDR certification. 

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