Begin Your Journey…
“Loving ourselves through the process of owning our story is the bravest thing we will ever do.” - Brené Brown
About Maureen Seifert
Licensed Clinical Social Worker / Psychotherapist in Redding, CA
Maureen was born and raised in the midwest and has resided in Redding, California for close to 30 years. Psychotherapy is her calling and her passion. She received her B.A. degree in Psychology from Simpson College in Redding, California and a Master of Social Work degree from CSU, Chico. Maureen has over 20 years of experience in the field of social work and 8 years of experience practicing psychotherapy. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice and sees clients online for telehealth appointments and in person in her office in Redding, CA. She sees adult clients and specializes in trauma therapy to treat a wide variety of issues including depression, anxiety, personality disorders, relationship issues, and prolonged grief. In addition to active listening in a space of non-judgement, Maureen’s primary modalities are Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). She is also a strong proponent of meditation and psychedelic assisted therapies. Maureen is passionate about these evidence based approaches because they effectively resolve trauma and promote and strengthen the sense of Self in her clients.
Qualifications:
BA in Psychology: Simpson University, Redding, CA
Master’s in Social Work: California State University, Chico
License: Board of Behavioral Sciences, CA LCSW #70799
IFS Trained: IFS Institute
EMDR Trained: Advanced Education Institute / EMDRIA Approved
Registered Yoga Teacher: 200 Hour RYT, Trauma Sensitive Yoga Trained
Accepted Insurance:
Medicare, Partnership Health Plan and Out of Network Plans:
I am currently a provider for Medicare and Partnership Health Plan. For clients with private insurance plans with out of network benefits, I can provide a super bill for you to submit a claim to your insurance provider to request reimbursement.
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
THERAPY SERVICES
Top Down Therapy
Top Down refers to traditional psychotherapies, or talk therapy, used to improve mental health and emotional well being and promote personal growth.
Bottom Up Therapy
Bottom up refers body-based interventions including IFS, yoga, breathwork, and meditation that reduce the trauma response in the body and promotes self-regulation.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing, or EMDR, is an evidence-based psychotherapy designed to treat the effects of traumatic memories.
Telehealth
Telehealth Psychotherapy via videoconferencing is offered as an alternative for in person sessions, utilizing a HIPPA Compliant online zoom platform.
Therapy might be right for you if…
You feel physically or mentally overwhelmed about the problems of the world, or personal life stressors; you suffer from anxiety, depression, or the impact of recent or past trauma; you feel a strain in your relationships or as if no matter how hard you try, it is never enough…
Did you know that the experience of a negative life event can be stored timelessly in the lower structures of our brain? And that we often re-experience the feelings of that event whenever a current experience activates the negative thoughts associated with it?
This is true for both severe traumas (big T’s) and smaller traumas (little t’s). Whether its physical, sexual or emotional abuse, or the loss of a significant relationship, accident or injury, negative experiences can shape the beliefs we have about ourselves. These beliefs can generate fear, shame, sadness, and other feelings that can take us down a path leading to anxiety, depression, or other symptoms of mental and physical distress. They can impact our identity, relationships, behaviors, health, and ultimately our happiness.
What Type of Therapy is Right for Me?
TOP DOWN THERAPY
Psychotherapy
Top down refers to more traditional psychotherapy (talk therapy) interventions that influence the higher parts of our brain (our rational mind) to heal the lower parts (our emotional brain). This approach employs cognitive change to heal the emotional/physiological impact of negative life experiences and trauma, often experienced as anxiety and depression. In other words, by changing our thoughts, we can heal and let go of the emotional pain that lives in our body.
The top down therapy interventions I am trained in include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), transactional analysis, gestalt, psychosynthesis, mindfulness and other transpersonal psychology interventions that integrate the spiritual and transcendent aspects of the human condition with modern psychology. I combine these interventions with EMDR and bottom-up strategies such as breathwork, guided imagery, meditation and trauma informed yoga.
I take a compassionate, non-judgmental approach to helping you examine your thoughts and feelings to deepen your understanding yourself. I will teach you coping skills to improve self-regulation and reduce anxiety. Together we will challenge any flawed logic we discover and correct dysfunctional patterns of thinking that impact self-worth, relationships, and impede your happiness.
Top Down Talk Therapy Helps With:
Anxiety, Stress, Depression
Mood Regulation
Trauma (small “t’s” and big “T’s”)
Relationship & Intimacy Issues
Identity Challenges
Communication Challenges
BOTTOM UP THERAPY
Trauma Informed Yoga, Meditation & Breathwork
Feelings such as anxiety, depression, rejection, and shame are prompted by the limbic system and experienced in the body. For example, when negative thoughts overwhelm us, cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones are released and reap havoc on our mind and body. The trauma experience is reproduced over and over again. Bottom-up refers to interventions that focus on self-regulation and reducing this physiological stress response that so often hijacks our thinking. By befriending and regulating the body through yoga, breathwork and meditation, we can regain homeostasis and develop more control over our thoughts and feelings.
Yoga, meditation and breathwork reduce stress, builds our capacity to cope with life and increases self-awareness and focus; knowledge that yoga and meditation practitioners have known for centuries and science is now discovering. I have completed my 200 hour YTT as well as training in trauma sensitive yoga through the Trauma Center of the Justice Resource Institute in Boston, MA. I practice yoga, breathing techniques and meditation myself and teach these skills to my clients. Learn more about Trauma and Yoga.
Bottom Up Therapy Helps With:
Anxiety/Stress Management
Depression, Mood Regulation
Reduces Negative Thinking
Improves Sleep
Personal Growth
Physical Health & Wellness
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing
I am a trained EMDR practitioner through the EMDRIA (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing International Association). EMDR is considered a both top-down and bottom-up therapy as it includes the cognitive, emotional and physical aspects of a our life experiences.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
How is EMDR different than traditional talk therapy?
EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or
completing homework between sessions. EMDR therapy, rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, allows the brain to resume its natural healing process.
EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. For many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions than other psychotherapies.
How does EMDR therapy affect the brain?
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While traumatic experiences can often be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.
Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.”
Who can benefit from EMDR therapy?
EMDR therapy helps children and adults of all ages. Therapists use EMDR therapy to address a wide range of challenges:
Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
Chronic Illness and medical issues
Depression and bipolar disorders
Dissociative disorders
Eating disorders
Grief and loss
Chronic pain
Performance anxiety
Personality disorders
PTSD, other trauma / stress-related issues
Sexual assault
Sleep disturbance
Substance abuse and addiction
Domestic violence
Abuse
TELEHEALTH
Virtual Psychotherapy
Telehealth therapy is a virtual form of psychotherapy done via videoconferencing for individuals who do not wish to leave their home, work unconventional hours, or live in remote areas. I am currently offering telehealth sessions via a HIPPA-compliant zoom platform.
Contact Maureen
Let’s Talk!
Contact Maureen for a complimentary, 15-minute phone session to see if working with her could be a good fit.
If you are in a crisis or any other person may be in danger, these resources can provide you with immediate help.