I am doing the best I can and I am okay with that.
About Renee
I obtained my license as a clinical psychologist in November 2016 and have been conducting therapy and psychological assessments since then.
Back in the 1990s, I first attended graduate school for my Master’s in psychology from the University of Richmond and then my Ph.D. in lifespan developmental psychology from the University of Maryland. At the time, my plan was to become a professor and teach psychology to undergraduate and graduate students. However, I had specialized in the older adult phase of lifespan development and I moved with my then-husband and young child to Norfolk, Virginia where the numerous colleges and universities only taught child development.
Unfortunately, this meant that I ended up not working in academia or psychology for several years. Eventually, I decided to return to graduate school to learn how to do therapy. I began this portion of my journey by enrolling in the counseling department at Old Dominion University. I met a good friend there who helped me to obtain a job doing psychological assessments at a long-term residential facility for children and adolescents.
In that job, I noticed how much trauma was at the root of so many mental health issues for our younger population. Also in that time, I learned that I loved doing psychological testing - it was a new form of research for me. After several months, I decided to change my direction in graduate school and enrolled at Fielding Graduate University to respecialize in Clinical Psychology so that I could continue testing as part of my job.
While at Fielding, I took every class I could on trauma so I could learn more about it. When I got to the point where I had to do practicum and my internship, I also started taking classes with my group supervisor who ran a trauma program through Regent University and Green Cross.
After graduating and becoming licensed, I quickly gained a clientele full of people who had a history of complex trauma in their background. My original plan was to quickly enroll in a course for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help my clients out. However, before doing that, I noticed that many of my clients were dissociated, much like I was.
I listened to Bessel van Der Kolk’s book “The Body Keeps the Score,” and learned we were not alone. I also learned that the first therapy technique I needed to learn was somatic-based psychology. After doing some research, I signed up to learn Somatic Experiencing, which was the start of some very deep healing for me. After completing that program, I then finally learned EMDR.
After all of that training and my own healing, I came to a place where I examined my own spirituality. My family was never big on religion although I did attend some sermons at churches over the years. And many of my clients are religious so I have done what I could to learn about it over the years.
But, this calling was not for organized religion, but with a direct relationship with God. And so I dove in and began learning in ways that felt right to me. Along this journey, I learned about energy healing - which seemed familiar to me from my Somatic Experiencing training - and I decided to learn that as a new modality. As I am exploring this calling, I gained the understanding of how to put this business, my blog, and this website together.
I am so happy you are here! Welcome!
This site and this team are still growing.
Thank you for being here and being a part of the journey!
About Linda E-F
I was so thrilled to be invited into this project by Dr. Brush!
My piece would be to do the behind the scene research directed by Dr. Brush, and I thought that was perfect. When I was asked to write my bio I have to admit I was taken aback. I preferred my silent participant position, which was new to me. I am usually the organizer, the one out front leading the way, getting things started, and moving on. As we write and compare our experiences, I am continually in awe of what opposites we are and yet share so many similarities in our battles with complex trauma.
Where Dr. Brush was the quintessential academic, I was the quintessential dumb jock. School was a painful slog for me. The only reason I wanted to attend college was to say I am going to college and, of course, to play college sports. I made it all the way to my senior year in college before my bad grades caught up to me. I eventually dropped out. Honestly, it was a relief to be “found out,”—finally. Undiagnosed dyslexia was the mysterious anchor I had been dragging along for so many years. Life finds a way of working itself out, though. I fell in love with an amazing man; we married and traveled the country while raising a small family.
Fast forward 33 years. The desire to repair my failures in school never left me and compelled me to require my kids to complete their college degrees. Once they earned their degrees and left the house to make their way into the world, I knew it was my time to get back at it. I attended a Davis Dyslexia program and began reading and understanding what I was reading with ease at the age of 54. Last year I earned my BS in Liberal Studies and just completed the first week of my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Reading is thrilling. I acquired a passion for research over the last year. My life experiences have led me to the study of Complex Trauma and Dissociation. I am beginning to understand how it has affected my entire life and how I was not the “dumb jock” I thought I was but a traumatized kid.
Complex trauma and relational and developmental trauma are at epidemic rates worldwide. It will be an honor to dive into this field with Dr. Brush and readers worldwide. I invite you to follow our interpersonal and intrapersonal journey through Complex Trauma.
