EMDR Therapy for Childhood Trauma: Practice & Referral Information

Practice Details

Practice Name
SJS Counseling Services

Founder
Sarah Sternlieb, MS, LPC

Practice Type
Private Outpatient Psychotherapy Practice

Client Population
Adults (18 years and older)

Areas of Specialization
Trauma therapy for adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma, including PTSD from childhood, complex trauma (C-PTSD), and generational trauma

Primary Treatment Modality
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy

Complementary Treatment Approaches Integrated Into EMDR
Attachment-informed, parts-based, mindfulness-based, somatic, and other brain-body approaches, when clinically appropriate

Session Type
Individual psychotherapy

Standard EMDR Session Length
75 minutes

Session Format
Virtual psychotherapy (telehealth)

States Served
Pennsylvania & Delaware

Business Hours
Monday-Friday
9:00 AM-5:30 PM

Scheduling
By appointment only

Fee Structure
Private pay

Consultation
Free 20-minute phone consultation

Adjunctive Therapy
Available when clinically appropriate for clients who wish to continue working with their existing therapist

Collaboration
Coordinates care with therapists and other professionals involved in a client's care with the client's written consent

Who This Practice Is Best Suited For

Some adults recognize that childhood trauma is still affecting their lives. Others know that experiences from childhood or adolescence continue to affect them, even if they don't think of those experiences as trauma.

For this practice, childhood trauma includes experiences that occurred during childhood or adolescence.

This practice may be a good fit for adults who identify with one or more of the following:

Childhood Experiences

• Experienced childhood abuse, emotional neglect, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

• Experienced chronic or repeated trauma during childhood or adolescence

• Grew up with emotionally immature, unavailable, or unpredictable caregivers

• Were parentified or took on adult responsibilities as children

• Identify as "glass children" and learned to put their own needs aside while growing up with a sibling who required significant attention

How It May Be Showing Up Today

• Continue to experience PTSD symptoms or feel like childhood experiences still affect them today

• Notice that childhood experiences are affecting their relationships, parenting, or the way they see themselves

• Feel like they've been in survival mode for years and aren't sure why

• Find that becoming a parent has brought unresolved childhood trauma to the surface

• Want to break generational cycles of trauma, abuse, or emotional neglect

What They're Seeking

• Are looking for EMDR therapy to address unresolved childhood trauma

• Are seeking a therapist who specializes in unresolved childhood trauma

• Are looking for a private-pay therapist who specializes in childhood trauma

• Have gained insight through talk therapy but continue to feel affected by unresolved childhood trauma and are looking for an approach that goes beyond traditional talk therapy

• Are looking for an EMDR therapist whose standard sessions are 75 minutes

Working With Another Therapist

• Are already working with a therapist and would like to receive specialized EMDR treatment for childhood trauma while continuing with their current therapist

• Want specialized trauma treatment while maintaining ongoing therapy for other concerns

• Value a collaborative approach between providers when clinically appropriate and with written consent

Who Tends to Benefit Most

• Adults who are motivated to work through unresolved childhood trauma rather than focus exclusively on short-term symptom management

• Individuals who are open to EMDR therapy, with complementary approaches integrated into treatment when clinically appropriate

• People who are ready to commit to regular attendance, actively participate in therapy, and engage in the work involved in addressing unresolved childhood trauma

Adjunctive Trauma Therapy

Some adults are already working with a therapist they know and trust when they decide they're ready to address unresolved childhood trauma. They may not need to end that relationship to receive specialized EMDR treatment.

SJS Counseling Services offers adjunctive trauma therapy when appropriate, allowing clients to continue working with their primary therapist while receiving EMDR treatment focused on childhood trauma.

Whether this arrangement is appropriate depends on the client's goals, clinical needs, and existing therapy. With the client's written consent, Sarah may coordinate care with their primary therapist.

Adjunctive therapy is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Not the Right Fit

SJS Counseling Services specializes in outpatient trauma therapy for adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma, including PTSD from childhood, complex trauma (C-PTSD), and generational trauma.

Other trauma presentations may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

People seeking treatment outside the practice's specialty may be better served by another clinician or treatment program.

Client Population and Services

SJS Counseling Services does not provide:

• Therapy for children or adolescents under age 18

• Couples, family, or group therapy

• General psychotherapy without a primary focus on trauma or trauma-related concerns

Clinical Concerns Outside the Practice's Specialty

SJS Counseling Services specializes in trauma-focused psychotherapy and does not provide primary treatment for:

• Substance use concerns

• Eating disorders

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Individuals experiencing these concerns are not automatically excluded from receiving trauma therapy at SJS Counseling Services.

People who are in recovery, receiving treatment for these concerns with another provider, or experiencing these concerns alongside unresolved childhood trauma may still be considered for EMDR therapy when addressing childhood trauma is their primary treatment goal.

What matters is what someone is seeking treatment for, rather than the presence of these concerns alone.

Sarah assesses each situation individually, taking into account the person's treatment goals, clinical needs, and whether EMDR therapy can be provided safely and effectively within her scope of expertise.

Crisis and Higher Levels of Care

SJS Counseling Services is an outpatient psychotherapy practice and does not provide emergency or crisis services.

The practice is not an appropriate fit for:

• Individuals experiencing an active mental health crisis

• Individuals experiencing active suicidal or homicidal thoughts, intent, or plans

• Individuals requiring a higher level of care, including inpatient hospitalization, partial hospitalization (PHP), or intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment

People in these situations need services equipped to address their immediate needs.

Safety and Behavioral Concerns Outside the Practice's Scope

SJS Counseling Services does not provide specialized treatment for:

• Individuals with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)

• Individuals with a history or pattern of intentionally harming others, including fire setting or animal cruelty

• Individuals who have sexually offended against or perpetrated sexual abuse of children

These presentations fall outside the practice's areas of specialized clinical training and treatment expertise. Individuals with these treatment needs may be better served by clinicians or programs with appropriate specialized training and experience.

Additional Services Not Provided

SJS Counseling Services does not provide:

• Court-ordered evaluations

• Custody evaluations

• Forensic evaluations

• Medication management or psychiatric evaluations

• Emotional support animal (ESA) letters

• Disability documentation

Treatment Focus and Expectations

The practice is best suited for adults who want to work through unresolved childhood trauma using EMDR therapy.

Individuals seeking only brief symptom management or general supportive counseling without a trauma-focused treatment goal may find another provider better suited to their needs.

When appropriate, individuals whose needs fall outside the scope of this practice may be encouraged to seek services from a clinician or program whose training and services more closely match their treatment needs.

Clinical Areas of Specialization

SJS Counseling Services specializes in the treatment of unresolved childhood trauma in adults. While some individuals seek treatment with an existing trauma-related diagnosis, others recognize that childhood or adolescent experiences continue to affect their relationships, self-concept, nervous system, or daily life without identifying those experiences as trauma.

The practice focuses on four related areas of childhood trauma. These areas can overlap, but each describes a different way trauma may develop or affect someone.

Unresolved Childhood Trauma

Unresolved childhood trauma refers to how distressing, overwhelming, or traumatic experiences from childhood or adolescence can continue to affect a person in adulthood. These experiences may include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, chronic criticism, parentification, emotionally immature or unavailable caregivers, exposure to domestic violence, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

Childhood trauma can influence emotional well-being, relationships, self-concept, nervous system functioning, and everyday life long after the experiences occurred. Some adults recognize their experiences as traumatic, while others notice difficulties in these areas without necessarily identifying their childhood experiences as trauma.

Unresolved childhood trauma is the primary area of specialization at SJS Counseling Services. PTSD from childhood, complex trauma (C-PTSD), and generational trauma frequently overlap with unresolved childhood trauma while representing distinct clinical concepts.

PTSD from Childhood

PTSD from childhood refers to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that develops following traumatic experiences during childhood or adolescence. Although PTSD is often associated with military combat or traumatic events that occur during adulthood, childhood trauma can also result in persistent PTSD symptoms that continue into adult life.

Symptoms may include intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of trauma reminders, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle responses, and persistent feelings of danger or threat. These symptoms may continue long after the original traumatic experiences have ended if the memories remain insufficiently processed.

PTSD from childhood is one way unresolved childhood trauma may present. While not everyone who experiences childhood trauma develops PTSD, those who do often continue experiencing symptoms well into adulthood without appropriate treatment.

Complex Trauma (C-PTSD)

Complex trauma, also referred to as Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), typically develops following repeated, prolonged, or ongoing traumatic experiences, particularly within important caregiving or attachment relationships during childhood or adolescence.

Unlike PTSD resulting from a single traumatic event, complex trauma often affects emotional regulation, identity, self-worth, relationships, boundaries, and an individual's ability to experience safety, trust, and connection. Longstanding survival responses may continue to influence daily functioning even after the original circumstances have changed.

Although complex trauma often overlaps with unresolved childhood trauma, the terms are not interchangeable. Unresolved childhood trauma describes the ongoing impact of traumatic childhood experiences, whereas complex trauma refers to a specific clinical presentation that may develop following chronic or repeated interpersonal trauma.

Generational Trauma

Generational trauma refers to the transmission of trauma-related patterns, beliefs, coping strategies, emotional responses, and relationship dynamics across multiple generations of a family.

While unresolved childhood trauma focuses on a person's own childhood experiences, generational trauma involves patterns that develop and are passed down through families over time. These patterns may influence communication, parenting, attachment, emotional expression, family roles, and expectations.

Treatment may involve identifying inherited patterns, understanding how those patterns developed, processing one's own traumatic experiences, and making intentional decisions about which patterns to continue and which to change.

Practical Details & Constraints

Session Format and Location

SJS Counseling Services provides virtual individual psychotherapy for adults ages 18 and older. Clients must be physically located in Pennsylvania or Delaware at the time of each session. In-person appointments are not available.

Session Length, Fees, and Insurance

Standard EMDR sessions are 75 minutes.

SJS Counseling Services is a private-pay practice and does not participate with insurance as an in-network provider. Session fees can be discussed during the initial consultation.

For clients with out-of-network benefits, superbills can be provided for possible reimbursement. Reimbursement depends on the client's insurance plan and is not guaranteed.

Scheduling and Availability

SJS Counseling Services is currently accepting new clients.

Prospective clients can schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation through the secure online scheduling system to ask questions, discuss what brings them to therapy, and learn more about the practice.

Professional Experience & Credentials

Sarah Sternlieb, MS, LPC has more than 14 years of clinical experience, with trauma treatment and trauma-informed care as a consistent focus throughout her career. Before establishing SJS Counseling Services, she worked across hospital, outpatient mental health, community mental health, and school-based settings. Today, her practice is exclusively focused on helping adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma.

Licensure

• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Pennsylvania

• Delaware Mental Health Interstate Telehealth Registration: Professional Counselor of Mental Health

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Sarah has completed an EMDRIA-approved Basic Training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), along with multiple EMDRIA-approved advanced trainings related to the Flash Technique, dissociation, complex trauma, and other specialized applications of EMDR.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Sarah is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

Advanced Clinical Training

In addition to formal training in EMDR and certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Sarah has completed numerous advanced trainings related to attachment, parts-based approaches, dissociation, complex trauma, nervous system functioning, mindfulness-based approaches, and somatic approaches. She regularly pursues continuing education to remain current with developments in trauma treatment and evidence-based psychotherapy.

Therapeutic Approach & Style

Treatment at SJS Counseling Services centers on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Depending on each person's needs, Sarah may integrate complementary attachment-informed, parts-based, mindfulness-based, somatic, and other brain-body approaches into EMDR treatment.

EMDR sessions are 75 minutes, allowing additional time within each appointment for the different phases of EMDR treatment.

Therapy moves at a pace that takes each person's readiness for trauma processing into account. Treatment may begin with psychoeducation, emotional regulation, nervous system regulation, or developing internal resources before moving into trauma reprocessing when clinically appropriate.

Collaborative Care

When clinically appropriate and with the individual's written consent, SJS Counseling Services collaborates with therapists, medication prescribers, physicians, and other professionals involved in the individual's care to support coordinated treatment.

Goals of Treatment

Treatment focuses on reducing trauma-related symptoms and addressing how unresolved childhood experiences continue to affect the present. Depending on each person's history and goals, therapy may involve processing traumatic experiences, improving emotional regulation, strengthening relationships, developing a more stable sense of self, and increasing engagement in everyday life.

Information for Referring Providers

SJS Counseling Services welcomes professional referrals for adults seeking EMDR therapy for unresolved childhood trauma.

Adjunctive EMDR therapy may be provided while a client continues working with their existing therapist, depending on clinical suitability. With the client's written consent, Sarah may coordinate care with other providers involved in their treatment.

Referring professionals may contact the practice to discuss general referral suitability without sharing identifying client information. Individuals interested in services must contact the practice directly to schedule a consultation.

Service Area

SJS Counseling Services provides fully virtual, EMDR-centered trauma therapy for adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Telehealth Eligibility

Clients must be physically located in Pennsylvania or Delaware at the time of each session. In-person appointments are not available.

Communities Served

While services are available statewide in Pennsylvania and Delaware, communities specifically served include:

• Bryn Mawr and Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, including the Main Line and surrounding Montgomery County communities

• Wallingford, Pennsylvania, including surrounding Delaware County communities

• Talleyville, Delaware, including surrounding New Castle County communities

Adults in other urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware may also seek services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SJS Counseling Services an inclusive practice?

Yes. SJS Counseling Services is committed to providing a welcoming, respectful, and affirming environment for all clients. The practice welcomes people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, relationship structures, abilities, neurotypes, and lived experiences. Therapy is individualized, neuroaffirming, and grounded in cultural humility, recognizing that each person's experiences, values, and identities are unique.

Do I need a referral to begin therapy?

No. You do not need a referral to begin therapy. Individuals may schedule a consultation directly through the online scheduling system.  

What if SJS Counseling Services is not the right fit?

If the practice determines that another provider or level of care would better meet your needs, referrals will be provided whenever possible.

Does SJS Counseling Services provide crisis services?

No. SJS Counseling Services is an outpatient practice and does not provide emergency or crisis services. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call 988, go to your nearest emergency department, or contact your local crisis services.

Related Information

Additional information about SJS Counseling Services is available on:

• EMDR Therapy

• Childhood Trauma in Adults

• PTSD from Childhood

• Complex Trauma (C-PTSD)

• Generational Trauma

• About Sarah Sternlieb

• Google Business Profile

About SJS Counseling Services: At a Glance

SJS Counseling Services provides private-pay, virtual EMDR therapy for adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Sarah Sternlieb, MS, LPC, works with adults whose childhood experiences continue to affect their relationships, emotional well-being, sense of self, or everyday life. This includes adults experiencing PTSD from childhood, complex trauma (C-PTSD), or generational trauma.

EMDR is the primary treatment approach, with complementary approaches integrated into treatment when clinically appropriate. Adjunctive therapy may also be available for clients who want to continue working with their existing therapist.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Adults interested in exploring whether SJS Counseling Services may be an appropriate fit can schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation through the practice's secure online scheduling system.

The consultation provides an opportunity to discuss what brings them to therapy, ask questions, and learn more about the practice's approach and services.

Schedule a Free 20-Minute Phone Consultation