Online EMDR therapists in Massachusetts

Telehealth is the sole means of conducting therapy through my practice at this time due to COVID-19. HIPAA Compliant platforms are regularly used and accessed through an emailed link or text message appointment reminder.  

I have been working mostly online since 2020 and have found this to be effective and convenient although I realize that some people, understandably, prefer to meet in person.  

I started using telehealth as a way to continue to serve my clients during Covid-19 and many of my clients found it to be convenient and effective. Since it was received so positively I decided to continue to offer it and now clients can choose to meet in person, online, or a mixture of both.  

As you know, time is a precious resource. Whether it’s a challenging job, running kids around, taking care of aging parents, or (the list goes on)… there are so many demands on your life.Time is NOT something you have a lot of, so why spend the extra time running all over town to get to a therapy appointment? This is where virtual therapy becomes SO helpful! There are many benefits to virtual therapy. First, avoiding the commute will save you at least 30 minutes. You can do virtual therapy anywhere in the state. As long you’re in Colorado or Massachusetts, we can work together… even if you’re hours away!Plus, tears and snot can be a part of therapy, so having privacy after an appointment can be comforting. You don’t have to gather yourself quickly before walking through a lobby full of strangers. There’s just something about being in your own environment that helps you feel comfortable and more able to be open. That’s why I provide all my services virtually. It’s simply the best and most convenient way to deliver mental health services to the greatest number of people. Do you feel a little uncomfortable about online therapy? So was I at first. I literally had to convert to a virtual practice overnight. I was beyond nervous because I had only ever done therapy in person. I quickly learned there wasn’t much difference between virtual and in-person sessions (an experience validated by a lot of research). I’ve also had past clients convert from in-person to virtual therapy, noting that it was “more convenient,” and they felt “no difference” in how effective sessions were. The connection between client and therapist is very similar. If you’ve done virtual sessions that felt “awkward” in the past, I bet it was more about the therapist not being the right fit and less about the virtual environment. If the connection is there, it’s there. As long as I can see your face, I can read your affect and sense your demeanor as effectively as I can in person. I feel as connected and attuned to my virtual and in-person clients. I treat my virtual appointments with the same level of professionalism that I would demonstrate in the office environment, and you’ll get the same tools and interventions as you would in an office environment. And you can also be sure that your privacy is my number one priority. I use telehealth software that is 100% compliant with HIPAA privacy laws and regulations. Ready to get started? It’s easy. All you need is a device with video capability (e.g., a laptop, desktop, or cell phone), a reliable Internet connection, and privacy from others.Therapy needs to be confidential. No matter how well you may know the person, they should not be listening to your session or in the same room while you’re doing therapy. So, have an open mind. Virtual therapy might be exactly right for you!  

In my practice I use an "Intensive" model: one individual or one couple, with one therapist, working six hours a day for three to five days. And, yes it is intense. Most of my clients have experience being in psychotherapy, often without the results they want. They have never, inside the "one hour weekly therapy" model, been able to really adress the trauma and neglect in their history that drives their painful inner experience. They have ben too busy addressing the brushfires of daily life. In an Intensive we get to the drivers. And we can do it online from the privacy of your home if you wish.  

I have been providing Telehealth therapy via video and phone for the past 6 years. I am fully capable of meeting the needs of my clients via Telehealth as a way to provide convenience to my clients who are unable to make regular office hours due to schedule and location barriers.  

I offer video/Zoom and phone sessions to support you meeting your therapy goals from the safety and comfort of your home. I primarily implement virtual EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS). I specialize in neurodivergent adults. I can treat clients located in CA, NY, NM, UT, SC, MA, ME, and RI via HIPAA-secure telehealth.  

Dr. Amanda Roberts has close to 40 years of experience in the mental health field and 27 years of deep immersion and expertise in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, EMDR. She is also trained in hypnosis and a variety of mind-body modalities. She has a growing interest in the neurobiological basis of effective psychotherapies and, in particular, neuroplasticity. She studied Psychology at Harvard University, earned a Bachelors in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations from the University of California Berkeley, has a Master’s degree in Marriage Family Therapy from the University of San Francisco and earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CIIS. At CIIS the curriculum marries eastern philosophy and religion with traditional western empirical psychological training. Her dissertation was a quality of life study on the use of laughter and humor in the treatment of cancer survivors. Her specialty is working with the psychological ramifications of medical issues, a branch of psychology known as Behavioral Medicine or Health Psychology. She has successfully worked with treatment resistant medically unexplained symptoms as well as chronic migraines, pain, cardiac, auto-immune, eating disorders and cancer. An additional specialty is in the treatment of recent traumatic/adverse events with ongoing traumatic stress. Dr. Roberts also provides clinical consultation to other EMDR clinicians individually and in groups remotely via Zoom. Dr Roberts is an EMDR International Association Approved Consultant and has been a Trauma Recovery Humanitarian Assistance Programs approved consultant, an EMDR trainer in early intervention and former leader of the Western Massachusetts Trauma Recovery Network, a community disaster response program. She has conducted R-TEP G-TEP trainings around the US for trauma clinicians and has been instrumental in setting up the Trauma Response Network in Britain formed in 2017 in response to terrorism and mass casualty events. She advised them on logistical and clinical issues. Dr. Roberts has an enduring and lifelong passion for global and international humanitarian issues. She completed three pre-doctoral internships at Stanford’s Drug and Alcohol Clinic, Stanford’s Counseling and Psychological Services and San Mateo County Mental Health Services and two post-doctoral internships.One in a national employee assistance program and another at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Center Medical school, ranked among the top ten medical schools in the United States. She worked in the Behavioral Medicine Clinic at the University of Massachusetts with rotations throughout cardiac and oncology, pain and bariatric surgery services. She has served on a mobile psychiatric crisis unit, in a full-service hospital emergency room, community mental health clinics and outreach, inpatient, general outpatient and two pain clinics. She has provided trainings/workshops nationally and internationally on a variety of mental health topics and was on the United Nations working team of EMDR therapists acting to introduce EMDR Therapy as a modality to be used in humanitarian programs around the world. More recently, as an EMDR ambassador, she facilitated, an engagement with the World Bank in the Philippines and has been involved in various leadership capacities. She launched a global initiative in 2018 called PRISE, a curriculum designed for paraprofessionals to deliver resliency training in resource poor areas of the world. https://www.prisehealth.org/ She is a consummate researcher and launched the world’s first EMDR clinical trial looking at the efficacy of the EMDR Group Traumatic Episode Protocol, GTEP with an oncology population. This protocol also has applicability to other medical/psychological populations. She holds herself to the highest standards of excellence and expects the same from others.