Brenda Marquardt, LCSW, EMDR Consultant, IFS Level 1

I specialize in the treatment of complex trauma, ADHD, and working with gender diverse individuals. I have my own complex trauma history and journey to understanding and building compassion for my own neurodiversity. My own personal journey informs my work, but I also stay grounded in the awareness of the diversity of the human experience.

My approach is restorative and aims to move individuals toward integration and liberation. I have been a helper who "muscled through" my own emotional pain in order to hold space for others. This “muscling through” left me feeling helpless and on the verge of “burn out”. In a profession where we hold so much space for the pain of others, I see the far reaching impact of offering spaces where therapists can come to be held as individuals and give their "therapist parts" a break.

My practice is motivated by the understanding that psychological pathology is often a normal response to abnormal systemic conditions and internal structures that have become disconnected. I have found that a strictly Western, individualistic lens often fails to account for the impact of social hierarchies, leading me to prioritize a framework that emphasizes both internal safety and sociocultural awareness.

Grounded in this philosophy, I have developed advanced competency in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to address the multifaceted nature of trauma. I am an EMDRIA approved EMDR consultant and have been working on building a unique blend of IFS and EMDR for the last 6 years. These specialized skill sets are applied through an anti-oppressive lens, which involves critically evaluating traditional clinical norms to ensure my interventions are culturally attuned and systemically informed.

This blending of evidence and insight based theories allows me to offer a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to healing. By befriending the protective and wounded "parts" of the individual through IFS and using EMDR therapy techniques to reprocess and heal traumatic wounds, I provide individuals I work with a holistic and compassionate environment for sustainable recovery and "self"-led liberation.