Erica Wooldridge

Are you tired of feeling stuck, on edge, overwhelmed, all over the place, exhausted, out of it, in a funk, shut down, overstimulated, irritable, reactive, drained, or like you have nothing left to give to yourself or your loved ones? Confused about your physical symptoms, helpless, or hopeless and spinning your wheels with your medical team? Do you experience intrusive thoughts or memories or panic attacks/ anxiety attacks or suddenly feel like you're back in a traumatic moment or something awful from your past is happening to you all over again? Are you questioning why you can no longer function the way you used to and feeling powerless over your own body, mind, and emotions? Maybe you can't remember things, can't concentrate, feel "foggy," feel tired but wired, experience sensory overload, or never feel rested. If you are dealing with chronic illness (such as hypermobility, Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome/hEDS, POTS, Dysautonomia, Orthostatic Intolerance, etc.) or are tired of being passed around to different specialists and feeling like you never get answers or solutions, or are frustrated feeling like no one believes you because your test results keep coming back normal, I would love to help you navigate this journey so you can find answers and better understand what's going on. Or maybe you're tired of feeling stuck in a loop, experiencing repeating patterns, or want to reclaim your life after trauma, grief, or loss. If you're tired of being tired and struggling to get through the day or just surviving, I can help you move from helpless and hopeless to managing and even thriving. I've been there, too! Ready for support? Schedule an intake with me!

If you value a therapist who is warm and empathic, has a playful sense of humor, and tells it like it is while still being supportive and gentle, I’d love the opportunity to partner with you in finding and walking a path out of pain and darkness! I believe firmly that you know yourself and your body best, and I want to work with you collaboratively in a way that honors your needs physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Together in our first few sessions we will look holistically at all of your symptoms and experiences to understand how it's all coming together before diving into skills development (emotion regulation, pacing, boundaries, assertive communication, or whatever it is you're needing to strengthen) from a somatic-informed nervous system regulation and DBT backdrop. I am also trained in both Flash and EMDR and am able to use these approaches flexibly to support individuals with reprocessing trauma either subconsciously (via Flash) or consciously (via EMDR) depending on needs and preferences to help individuals find freedom from the weight and effects of trauma. I am also trained in supporting individuals with recent trauma and have some tricks and strategies I can teach to help prevent any new experiences from getting “stuck” or having lasting negative impacts in the first place.

In our first few sessions, I will ask a lot of questions to get to know you holistically so that I can better understand what factors and experiences have shaped who you are, how you experience the world, and how your nervous system is functioning. We will work together to identify what changes you would like to see/make in your life as well as what areas of skills development may be helpful for you. This may include but is not limited to nervous system regulation (such as how to get unstuck from certain nervous system states and how to support your nervous system overall); interpersonal skills (such as communication styles, exploring and identifying/setting boundaries, navigating conflict, and managing relationships); enhancing your ability to navigate stress; emotion regulation (being able to identify, communicate, and navigate your emotions); symptom management (whether it's symptoms of anxiety, PTSD/trauma, depression, or bipolar disorders) and general life skills (decision-making, impulse control, navigating the medical system, establishing a supportive care team).

I will strive to support you with regulating or re-regulating (shifting out of a deeper or more intense emotional state) prior to the end of sessions so that you're not leaving therapy feeling "unzipped."