THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

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Healing Focus

My work focuses on helping adults understand patterns that may have developed in response to difficult or painful experiences. I specialize in supporting those affected by complex childhood experiences, including Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA), and Dysfunctional Families. I also work with clients experiencing trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, or struggles with substance or alcohol use.

To help clients achieve deeper healing, I use evidence-based approaches including the Grief Recovery Method® and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help you process difficult experiences and memories. My goal is to help you feel understood, supported, and more regulated in your emotional experience. There isn't one approach that works for everyone, so I draw from several trauma-informed approaches and tailor our work to what you need.

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EMDR Therapy: Processing Trauma & Deepening Healing

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help you process experiences that continue to affect you in the present. It isn't always necessary to talk through every detail of what happened. Instead, we work with the thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and beliefs connected to those experiences.

As an EMDR therapist, I incorporate both somatic approaches and Parts Work into EMDR when they are helpful. This allows us to work with not only the thoughts and emotions connected to difficult experiences, but also what is happening in your body and the different ways you have learned to respond and protect yourself.

Somatic EMDR: We pay attention to physical sensations, body responses, and nervous system reactions that may arise as we work with difficult experiences. This can help you become more aware of what is happening in your body and how those responses are connected to your emotional experience.
Integrating Parts Work: Many patterns, such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, or self-criticism, can be connected to parts of us that developed to protect us or help us cope. I gently incorporate Parts Work into EMDR to better understand these different parts and the roles they have taken on, rather than judging or trying to get rid of them.

This integrated approach helps you address past pain at its root while keeping the focus on what you need and what feels manageable for you. It can support greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and a stronger connection to yourself.

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Grief Recovery Method®

Grief is a natural response to significant emotional loss. While we often think first of death or divorce, it can also come from retirement, moving, losing a pet, health changes, financial stress, or other life transitions. Each person’s experience is unique, and compassionate support can help you process your feelings, find understanding, and gently move toward comfort and healing.

Michelle Slater, LPC, providing compassionate counseling at The Healing Couch for grief, trauma, and emotional support.

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About Michelle

Hi, I'm Michelle, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. I earned my Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and my Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Texas.

One of the things I've learned is that people are rarely struggling for no reason. The things we do, the ways we react, and even the things we don't understand about ourselves usually make more sense when we look at the bigger picture. My work has become increasingly focused on trauma and the ways our experiences can continue to affect us, even when we know intellectually that we are safe now. This is part of what drew me to EMDR and, over time, to incorporating somatic approaches and parts work into my practice.

I spent part of my career working in a residential treatment setting with people dealing with addiction and co-occurring mental health concerns. I also co-facilitated a grief support group for five years. These experiences have shaped the way I understand the complexity of what people bring into therapy.

I provide a warm and non-judgmental space to explore these connections. In our work together, we'll explore how past experiences show up in your thoughts, responses, emotions, and body. Sometimes understanding where a pattern came from can help us begin to change it. Sometimes the work is about learning to respond differently to what is happening in the present.

My goal is to provide a supportive space where you can cultivate self-compassion, deepen your self-awareness, and strengthen your connection to yourself. My approach incorporates EMDR, somatic therapy, and parts work, along with other trauma-informed practices. I don't believe therapy needs to follow one particular formula. We can pay attention to what you need and adjust the work as we go.

Ultimately, I want therapy to be a place where you can be honest about what you're experiencing, feel understood rather than judged, and have the space to understand yourself more fully.

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