EMDR Therapy · Alexandria, Sydney
EMDR Therapy in Alexandria, Sydney
EMDR therapy in Alexandria offers a structured way to work with distressing experiences, memories and emotional responses that may still feel present in your life. I provide personalised, trauma-informed EMDR therapy for adults from my practice in Alexandria, Sydney, with telehealth also available where appropriate.
In-person in Alexandria · Telehealth available
EMDR therapy shaped around you
Difficult experiences do not always stay neatly in the past.
You may understand what happened intellectually, yet still notice strong emotional reactions, intrusive memories, anxiety, overwhelm or patterns that feel difficult to shift.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, commonly known as EMDR, is a structured therapeutic approach that can be used to work with distressing experiences and memories.
During EMDR, bilateral stimulation such as guided eye movements may be used while we carefully work with particular memories, emotions or responses.
This process helps you work through experiences that continue to carry emotional distress, reducing how overwhelming these memories feel and the impact they have on your life.
I will always take time to understand what has been happening for you and consider collaboratively whether EMDR feels appropriate before beginning this kind of work.
A considered approach to trauma and difficult experiences
There is no single way that trauma or distress shows up.
For some people, it may involve a clearly identifiable experience. For others, it can be connected to repeated experiences, relationships, periods of chronic stress or situations that were difficult to make sense of at the time.
EMDR may form part of therapy when you are experiencing things such as:
- Trauma or PTSD
- Distressing or intrusive memories
- Anxiety connected to past experiences
- Emotional overwhelm or strong triggers
- Patterns of fear, avoidance or distress
- Experiences that continue to feel unresolved
- Difficult beliefs about yourself following past experiences
We can explore whether EMDR is a suitable approach for you during our sessions.
We can first understand what you are experiencing, what you would like to feel different and what kind of therapeutic support may be most appropriate for you.
A structured process
What EMDR therapy may involve
Your comfort and readiness guide the pace of our work together.
EMDR is more structured than simply talking through an experience from beginning to end.
Before any processing work begins, I will spend time understanding your history, what brings you to therapy and whether EMDR is suitable for what you are experiencing.
When EMDR is used, we may identify particular memories, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations or beliefs connected to an experience.
Bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, may then be incorporated while we carefully work with what arises.
Throughout the process, I remain attentive to your responses and the pace of the work.
Therapy remains collaborative, and we can slow down, pause or adapt the approach depending on what you need.
How EMDR therapy may support you
Processing difficult memories
Explore experiences that continue to carry a strong emotional charge or feel unusually present despite having happened in the past.
Understanding triggers and responses
Begin making sense of the thoughts, emotions, body responses or patterns that can be activated by particular situations.
Reducing emotional overwhelm
Work with difficult material at a considered pace, with attention to emotional safety, regulation and your individual capacity.
Creating a different relationship with the past
The experience itself does not disappear, but therapy may help change how strongly it affects you in the present.
You do not need to tell your story perfectly
One concern people sometimes have about trauma therapy is whether they will need to explain every detail of what happened.
You do not need to arrive with a perfectly organised story.
EMDR does not depend on you being able to describe every part of an experience in detail.
We can begin with what you notice now: the thoughts, emotions, memories, sensations or patterns that are affecting you.
I will work with you to understand what feels manageable and what approach makes sense.
For some people, EMDR becomes an important part of therapy. For others, another approach or a combination of approaches may be more appropriate.
The focus remains on you rather than on fitting you into a particular therapeutic model.
Experienced, trauma-informed support
EMDR therapy with Malak Shakhtour
I’m Malak, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and psychotherapist with more than 10 years' experience working in the mental health sector.
My additional trauma-focused training includes:
- EMDR Level 1
- EMDR Level 2
- Brainspotting Phase 1
- Brainspotting Phase 2
- Brainspotting Master Class – Neuroexperiential Perspective
My broader therapeutic work may also draw from approaches including Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy and somatic-informed psychotherapy.
I do not believe therapy should be driven by a technique alone.
I will first focus on understanding you as a whole person, what has happened, what you are experiencing now and what you would like support with. From there, we can decide together whether EMDR or another therapeutic approach feels most appropriate.
Alexandria · Sydney
EMDR Therapy in Alexandria
I offer in-person EMDR therapy from Chapter One Counselling in Alexandria, Sydney.
Unit 19/36 O'Riordan Street
Alexandria NSW 2015
The practice is located along O'Riordan Street, close to Green Square and accessible from surrounding inner-south areas including Zetland, Waterloo, Rosebery, Mascot and Beaconsfield.
If travelling to Alexandria does not suit you, telehealth appointments are also available where clinically appropriate.
Whether we meet in person or online, I aim to create a therapy space that feels thoughtful, collaborative and centred around what you need.
In-person appointments in Alexandria · Telehealth available
Therapy does not have to fit into one box
EMDR may be one part of a broader therapeutic approach.
Depending on what you are experiencing, our work may also draw from other approaches available at Chapter One Counselling.
Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy
Personalised psychotherapy for adults experiencing trauma, difficult life experiences, emotional overwhelm or patterns that may feel difficult to change.
Explore Therapy ServicesBrainspotting Therapy
A body-focused therapeutic approach that explores the connection between where you look and what you notice internally.
Explore Therapeutic ApproachesIntegrative Psychotherapy
Therapy drawing from different evidence-based, trauma-informed and somatic approaches according to your needs, preferences and goals.
Explore Psychotherapy
Beginning EMDR therapy in Alexandria
You do not need to know whether EMDR is definitely right for you before making an enquiry.
The first step is simply to tell me a little about what has been happening and what you would like support with.
From there, we can consider the most appropriate way forward together.
- Private appointments
- You do not need a referral to book privately.
- Medicare rebates
- Medicare rebates may be available with an eligible Mental Health Treatment Plan and referral.
- NSW Workers Compensation
- I am a SIRA-approved provider for eligible NSW Workers Compensation clients.
- Session length
- Standard therapy sessions are 50 minutes. Extended sessions may be available where clinically appropriate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read more about other therapeutic approaches I may draw from.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a structured therapeutic approach that can be used to work with distressing experiences and memories.
During EMDR, bilateral stimulation such as guided eye movements may be used while carefully working with particular memories, emotions, beliefs or responses.
EMDR may be considered when past experiences continue to contribute to distress in the present.
This can include trauma and PTSD, distressing memories, anxiety connected to past experiences, emotional triggers or other experiences that continue to feel unresolved.
Whether EMDR is appropriate depends on the individual, so I will first take time to understand what you are experiencing.
No.
You do not necessarily need to describe every detail of a difficult or traumatic experience for EMDR therapy to take place.
We can work with what feels manageable and focus on the memories, emotions, thoughts, sensations or responses that are relevant to the therapeutic work.
We will first spend time understanding what brings you to therapy, your history, what you are currently experiencing and what you would like support with.
I will also consider whether EMDR is appropriate and whether there is anything we need to work on before beginning processing.
There is no pressure to start EMDR simply because you have enquired about it.
There is no set number that is right for everyone.
The length of therapy depends on factors such as what you would like support with, your history, the experiences being worked with and how therapy progresses.
We can discuss this together as the work develops.
Yes. I provide in-person EMDR therapy from Chapter One Counselling on O'Riordan Street in Alexandria, close to Green Square and surrounding areas including Zetland, Waterloo, Rosebery, Mascot and Beaconsfield.
Telehealth therapy is available, and we can discuss whether EMDR via telehealth is appropriate for your individual circumstances.
If another approach feels more suitable, we can shape therapy accordingly.
No referral is required if you are attending privately.
If you have an eligible Mental Health Treatment Plan and referral, Medicare rebates may apply.
A place to begin
Considering EMDR therapy?
You do not need to know exactly where to begin or which therapeutic approach you need.
If something from your past still feels present, or you would simply like to understand whether EMDR may be appropriate for you, you are welcome to get in touch.
Share as much or as little as feels comfortable. We can begin with what has been happening and work out the next step together.
In-person in Alexandria · Telehealth available
Email and the enquiry form are the best ways to get in touch.