With over 25 years of experience providing compassionate mental health care, I am Kathleen Phelps, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in EMDR, DBT, CBT and other therapy modalities for adults facing a wide range of mental health challenges. As an EMDR Certified Therapist, Approved Consultant, and current EMDRIA San Diego Regional Co-Coordinator (EMDRIA is the governing body that certifies EMDR therapists), I bring extensive expertise to help you navigate life's most difficult experiences. 

My practice focuses on serving clients in person at my office in Carlsbad, California and across California through secure online sessions. I provide comprehensive EMDR therapy treatment for a wide range of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD and many other conditions. Additionally, I am uniquely positioned as one of the very few therapists who specialize in using EMDR therapy to address the psychological impact of chronic illness and chronic pain, and I also provide specialized support for busy professionals managing career stress alongside personal challenges.

Specialized EMDR Therapy for Complex Health Conditions

Living with chronic illness or chronic pain creates profound psychological challenges that extend far beyond physical symptoms. I understand that these conditions don't just affect your body, they impact your sense of self, your relationships, your career, and your hopes for the future. Traditional therapy approaches often fall short of addressing the unique trauma that accompanies medical diagnoses, ongoing treatments, and the life-altering impact of persistent health conditions. You may feel misunderstood by others who don't grasp the daily reality of managing both physical and emotional pain. My specialized EMDR therapy approach recognizes these complexities and provides targeted, compassionate treatment for the emotional wounds that chronic conditions create.

EMDR therapy has shown remarkable effectiveness in helping individuals process medical trauma, reduce pain-related anxiety, and restore emotional balance when living with ongoing health challenges. Through EMDR therapy, we address not only the immediate anxiety management needs but also the deeper traumatic responses that develop when your body becomes unpredictable or when medical experiences create lasting distress.

My trauma therapy approach specifically addresses the unique ways chronic conditions impact your sense of safety, identity, and future planning. Whether you're struggling with a recent diagnosis or have been managing chronic pain for years, trauma therapy can help you process the grief, fear, and uncertainty that often accompany persistent health conditions. EMDR therapy can even reduce the chronic pain experienced by some individuals.

Comprehensive Mental Health Support for Professional Demands

Busy professionals face unique stressors that require specialized understanding and intervention strategies. I recognize that your demanding career may leave little time for self-care, yet the pressure to perform at high levels while managing personal challenges can feel overwhelming. My work with professionals includes executives, healthcare workers, attorneys, entrepreneurs, and others whose demanding careers create specific mental health challenges that others may not fully understand. You shouldn't have to choose between career success and emotional well-being. Stress management for professionals requires more than basic coping techniques, it demands sophisticated strategies that acknowledge the complex pressures of high-performance environments while honoring your need for balance and fulfillment.

Professional stress management often involves addressing perfectionism, imposter syndrome, work-life balance struggles, and the psychological impact of high-stakes decision-making. Through targeted stress management interventions, I help professionals develop sustainable practices that support both career success and personal well-being.

Many professionals discover that workplace trauma significantly impacts their performance and job satisfaction. PTSD treatment for work-related incidents, harassment, discrimination, or high-stress environments helps restore confidence and emotional stability. My PTSD treatment approach recognizes that professional trauma can be as impactful as other traumatic experiences and requires specialized treatment.

Evidence-Based Treatment Approaches

My therapeutic approach integrates multiple evidence-based modalities to address your unique needs comprehensively. EMDR therapy serves as my primary intervention, particularly effective for processing traumatic memories and reducing their emotional charge. EMDR therapy works by helping your brain process disturbing experiences in a way that reduces their ongoing impact on your daily functioning.

For anxiety management, I utilize both EMDR therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques to address anxious thoughts, physical symptoms, and avoidance behaviors. Anxiety management strategies include identifying triggers, developing coping skills, and processing underlying fears that fuel anxious responses. My anxiety management approach recognizes that chronic conditions and professional pressures often exacerbate anxiety symptoms.

Depression management requires a multifaceted approach that addresses both symptoms and underlying causes. Through depression management interventions including EMDR therapy, CBT, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) techniques, we will work to lift your mood, increase motivation, and restore hope. Depression management for individuals with chronic conditions or high-stress careers requires understanding how these factors contribute to depressive symptoms.

My trauma therapy expertise extends beyond traditional PTSD to include complex trauma, medical trauma, and developmental trauma. Trauma therapy using EMDR therapy helps process disturbing memories while building resilience and emotional regulation skills. Trauma therapy often involves addressing how past experiences impact your current relationships, career, and health management.

PTSD treatment encompasses both traditional PTSD symptoms and complex presentations that may develop from ongoing stressors. PTSD treatment using EMDR therapy has shown excellent outcomes for reducing intrusive memories, hypervigilance, and emotional numbing. My PTSD treatment approach also addresses how PTSD symptoms interact with chronic health conditions or professional responsibilities.

Holistic Approach to Mental and Physical Wellness

My extensive training and over 25 years of experience in mental health care, including 16 years working directly in medical settings with psychiatric intensive outpatient programs and multidisciplinary medical teams, provide unique insight into the mind-body connection that influences both mental and physical health. I deeply understand how psychological factors impact physical symptoms and vice versa, and recognize the courage it takes to seek help when you're struggling with these complex interconnections.

Stress management techniques that I teach include mindfulness practices, somatic awareness, and cognitive restructuring specifically designed for individuals managing both mental health concerns and physical health challenges. These stress management approaches help reduce the physiological impact of stress on chronic conditions while improving overall quality of life.

The intersection of mental health and chronic illness requires specialized anxiety management strategies that account for medical appointments, treatment decisions, and uncertain prognoses. Anxiety management in this context involves processing medical trauma, developing coping strategies for symptom flares, and maintaining emotional stability during health crises.

Personalized Treatment Planning

Every client receives individualized treatment planning based on their unique circumstances, goals, and preferences. During our initial consultation, I conduct a thorough assessment to understand your specific challenges, whether they involve chronic health conditions, professional stress, trauma history, or complex combinations of these factors.

Treatment planning may include intensive EMDR therapy sessions for trauma processing, regular anxiety management skill-building sessions, or ongoing depression management support. Some clients benefit from focused stress management work, while others require comprehensive trauma therapy to address multiple traumatic experiences.

My PTSD treatment planning considers how symptoms impact your daily functioning, relationships, and ability to manage other life responsibilities. Whether PTSD symptoms stem from single incidents or complex trauma patterns, PTSD treatment planning ensures that treatment proceeds at a pace that supports your stability and growth.

Flexible Care Options

Understanding that chronic conditions and demanding careers create scheduling challenges, I offer flexible appointment options including both in-person sessions in Carlsbad and secure telehealth appointments throughout California. This flexibility ensures that you can access consistent care regardless of health fluctuations or professional travel demands.

I offer a free telephone consultation to discuss your specific needs and determine whether my specialized approach would benefit your situation. This consultation allows us to explore how EMDR therapy, anxiety management, depression management, stress management, trauma therapy, or PTSD treatment might address your unique circumstances.