What services does Carbajal Counseling & Consulting offer?

At Carbajal Counseling & Consulting, we provide evidence-based outpatient mental health services including anxiety therapy, depression therapy, EMDR therapy, child therapy, teen therapy, family therapy, and marriage counseling. Our goal is to help individuals, couples, and families across all ages find healing and strength.

Who can benefit from therapy at Carbajal Counseling?

We help people of all ages — children, teens, adults, couples, and families — who are facing emotional, behavioral, or relational challenges. Whether you're dealing with stress, life transitions, or deeper trauma, our team is here to support your emotional well-being.

What can I expect during my first therapy session?

In your first session, we will listen to your concerns, gather relevant history, discuss your goals, and begin creating a personalized treatment plan to support your mental health journey. We aim to make the first visit informative and comfortable.

How does anxiety therapy work at Carbajal Counseling?

Our anxiety therapy focuses on structured approaches that help you understand and address anxious thoughts and behaviors. We provide coping strategies, explore triggers, and tailor treatment to your specific needs so you can reduce worry and improve daily functioning.

Can Carbajal Counseling help with depression?

Yes, we offer compassionate support for depression that helps you understand how emotions and thoughts affect your mood, build coping skills, and work toward improved happiness and functioning.

What is EMDR therapy and how does it help?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy that helps individuals process distressing memories and trauma. EMDR works by engaging both cognitive and emotional healing mechanisms, helping people integrate past experiences in a healthier way.

Do you offer therapy for children?

Yes, we provide child therapy that helps young clients express emotions, develop coping tools, and work through challenges like anxiety, behavioral issues, and school concerns in a safe, supportive environment.

What is teen therapy like?

Our teen therapy creates a nonjudgmental space for adolescents to explore stress, identity, peer relationships, and emotional challenges with support tailored to their developmental needs.

How can family therapy help my family?

Family therapy at our practice helps families improve communication, navigate conflict, support children's emotional needs, and rebuild connection. We work collaboratively with families to create healthier relational patterns.

Can therapy help with parent-child conflict?

Yes, family therapy is effective for reducing parent-child conflict by creating shared understanding, teaching communication skills, and involving children in ways that help them feel heard and supported.

Do you provide marriage counseling?

Yes, our marriage counseling services support couples in improving communication, resolving ongoing conflict, rebuilding trust, and strengthening intimacy within the relationship.

What kinds of mental health concerns do your therapists treat?

We treat a broad range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, behavioral struggles, grief and loss, relationship issues, and life transitions. Our therapists are trained to approach each concern with evidence-based strategies.

What makes your therapists qualified?

Our team includes licensed clinicians with diverse training and expertise in trauma, play therapy, EMDR, cognitive behavior therapy, family systems approaches, and more. We match clients with therapists whose strengths align with their needs.

Do you offer therapy in-person and online?

Yes, we provide both in-office therapy at our Kaysville, Syracuse, and Ogden locations and secure telehealth sessions so clients can receive care in the way that works best for them.

Is therapy confidential?

Yes, all therapy at Carbajal Counseling is private and confidential. We follow professional and legal standards to protect your privacy and create a safe space for healing.

How long does therapy typically take?

Duration varies based on personal goals and needs. Some people engage in short-term therapy to address specific issues, while others benefit from ongoing support as they work toward broader growth and resilience.

Can therapy help with trauma or past painful experiences?

Yes, trauma-informed approaches including EMDR and other evidence-based methods help clients process past distressing experiences and reduce their impact on present life and functioning.

How can play therapy help children at Carbajal Counseling?

We use play therapy to help children express and process complex emotions in a natural, nonverbal way. Through guided play, children can build emotional awareness and coping skills in a setting that feels safe and engaging.

How do I schedule an appointment?

You can schedule by calling our office at (801) 989-3488, emailing info@carbajalcounseling.com, or using the contact form on our website to begin your therapy journey.

Do you accept insurance and what are my options?

Rates and insurance acceptance vary by clinician and plan. We recommend contacting our office or your insurance provider to confirm coverage, out-of-network benefits, or self-pay options that suit your situation.

I have a great life and everything I need—my anxiety doesn’t warrant counseling.

If anxiety is compromising your quality of life—regardless of how many support systems you have in place—then you deserve to feel better. A counselor can help you to understand where your anxiety comes from and provide you with lifelong skills for managing its impact on you. There is no reason to suffer in silence; therapy can be a great resource for you.

I don’t understand how play therapy will help with my child’s anxiety.

Because children express themselves primarily through play, play therapy is a useful tool in helping children to understand, process, and verbalize their emotions. Your child’s therapist will incorporate play therapy into their anxiety treatment in a way that will not only help them to understand your child’s fears but will also give them an opportunity to model healthy coping behaviors for your child. This evidence-based approach has been highly successful at targeting mental health issues in younger populations. And we have seen our child clients who struggle with anxiety make great strides in counseling using this modality.

Why can’t I just take medication for my anxiety?

Though medication can be a quick fix for alleviating symptoms of anxiety, it doesn’t do anything to treat the core issue of the problem. A counselor, on the other hand, can give you tangible, lasting skills that will promote positive change in your life so that anxiety doesn’t create so many setbacks. Furthermore, we know from research that psychotherapy is more effective than medication when it comes to treatment for anxiety.

EMDR THERAPY

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Carbajal Counseling proudly offers EMDR therapy to individuals in Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Ogden, and surrounding areas. Our specialized therapists are here to help you heal from trauma and distress using this evidence-based approach.

WHAT IS EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION (EMDR) THERAPY?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a mental health treatment designed to help individuals recover from psychological trauma and distressing life experiences. It is a process that allows the body to integrate and heal from uncomfortable sensations associated with painful or distressing memories. Because stress manifests cognitively (in the brain), emotionally, and physically, EMDR therapy seeks to resolve stress by activating both sides of the brain, which helps the brain to integrate the memory in a neutral way.

EMDR was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1989 when she realized that moving her eyes back and forth helped her to self-soothe. Since its inception, this form of therapy has gained momentum throughout the mental health community, and its effectiveness in targeting trauma has been well documented. The American Psychiatric Association and World Health Organization have endorsed EMDR therapy as an effective treatment for trauma and related conditions.

As such, EMDR has become a widely accepted form of therapy for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Both the Department of Defense and the International Society for Traumatic Stress have recognized EMDR as a highly effective model for military veterans and other individuals who have experienced acute trauma.

Though initial studies focused on demonstrating support of EMDR as a trauma-informed approach, it has since been researched more extensively and proven to be an effective treatment for a wide range of mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, addiction, grief and loss, panic attacks, eating disorders, and chronic pain, among others.

How EMDR Helps

EMDR therapy helps heal emotional wounds caused by painful events, traumatic memories, and other distressing life experiences, including those resulting from physical trauma. EMDR therapy shows the brain’s natural healing process in action, facilitating the resolution of trauma memories and severe emotional pain. As a result, EMDR has gained increased popularity among clinicians.

Research has shown that successful EMDR therapy has been demonstrated in multiple trauma victims, with positive EMDR therapy results supported by scientific studies.

The EMDR process follows an eight-phase treatment structure, systematically addressing mental processes, emotional processes, and the biological mechanisms involved in trauma recovery.

HOW DOES EMDR THERAPY WORK FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER?

Psychological pain or mental distress is usually addressed on a cognitive level, meaning that we rationally understand and recall adverse experiences. At the same time, such memories are often disregarded on emotional and physical levels.

Problems develop when these memories are stored in the emotional and physical parts of our body without full resolution. When a trauma memory remains unresolved, the emotional wound festers, which can lead to intense suffering if not addressed. The memory or worry we experienced can play “on loop,” creating a sense of stagnancy or feeling stuck in a negative memory cycle. Alternatively, we may suppress the memory or experience. But because the memory is not fully processed, it can manifest in uncomfortable emotions or bodily sensations.

EMDR therapy begins with self-soothing techniques, assessment of adverse experiences, and creating a timeline of difficult events. After a few initial sessions working through this preliminary process, an EMDR clinician will have the client focus on one difficult event at a time. The therapist will help the client identify a target memory, encouraging them to bring to mind the feelings—both emotional and physical—as well as body sensations and body sensation associated with recalling the experience.

To begin the sequence of reprocessing, the therapist will utilize bilateral stimulation—which may incorporate side-to-side eye movements, tactile stimulation, or alternating audio. During this phase, clients focus on trauma memories while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation, allowing internal associations to arise naturally.

The emdr therapeutic process also involves identifying a positive belief to replace negative associations, and the insights clients gain during sessions come from their own processing rather than therapist interpretation. After each set of stimulation, the therapist will check in with the client to assess their thoughts, feelings, and sensations with the intention of moving toward decreased distress. The sequence will repeat until the difficult event takes on a neutral (or even positive) association, rather than a negative one. EMDR processing continues until each event on the client’s timeline maintains a neutral/positive association.

EMDR therapy helps resolve not only emotional distress but also physical sensations linked to trauma memories.

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What Makes EMDR Better?

Other modes of therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (CBT and DBT), tend to operate with a “top-down” approach, meaning that surface-level thoughts and feelings are addressed in an effort to heal core issues. Yet, as a “bottom-up” approach, EMDR therapy seeks to address core issues directly, thereby positively influencing surface thoughts and feelings and effectively integrating difficult memories. Unlike talk therapy and other therapies, EMDR does not require clients to engage in extensive verbal discussion or homework, making it a distinct and effective option for emotional healing.

In addition to being a “bottom-up” approach, EMDR therapy is also considered a quicker, gentler, and less invasive treatment method because it requires relatively little verbal processing or “re-living” of traumatic experiences. EMDR is a structured therapy that can be delivered as individual therapy, making it especially effective for those whose severe emotional pain requires a more direct and organized approach. Because of this, EMDR is incredibly helpful for individuals who have difficulties articulating how they feel and for those working through issues that may be scary, embarrassing, or sensitive.

When clients can successfully integrate their adverse experiences, they’re better prepared to cope with heavy emotions or difficult sensations, ultimately cultivating more energy for the present and future as they resolve their past challenges. EMDR therapy actually allows clients to feel relief from pain, in many cases, experiencing the lifting of both an emotional and physical weight. This allows individuals to have more positive personal beliefs and foster more forgiveness of self and others.

EMDR THERAPY AS MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT

To become a trained EMDR therapist, a clinician must have graduated from a masters or doctoral program and completed over 50 hours of training with an EMDR International Association-approved instructor. Clinicians also participate in EMDR therapy training sessions to learn the structured protocols and methods essential for effective treatment. Carbajal Counseling has several EMDR therapists, who have completed the EMDR training process out of a desire to help those in need.

At our practice, we incorporate EMDR into therapy sessions for children and adults. For our younger clients, we may use EMDR during play therapy sessions by adapting bilateral stimulation techniques specifically for this audience. For our adult clients who prefer verbal processing, EMDR can be used during narrative therapy sessions. In addition, we may utilize EMDR for couple’s work, as many relationship issues stem from attachment injuries that can be successfully targeted using rapid eye movement therapy.

We believe that no concern is too minor to warrant the use of EMDR therapy. Regardless of intensity of distress clients may experience, this approach can help them heal and refocus on present experiences and future hopes. EMDR therapy people—those who undergo this treatment—often experience significant improvements in emotional health, with many reporting a transformed sense of well-being. Our clients have reported very positive outcomes using EMDR, and memories that have caused them distress for any number of years have often been integrated and resolved in as few as three or four sessions.

Offering EMDR Therapy in Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, and Ogden

Carbajal Counseling is proud to serve clients across multiple locations, including Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, and Ogden. Whether you’re seeking EMDR therapy for trauma, anxiety, or other mental health challenges, our highly trained clinicians are here to provide expert care tailored to your needs. Reach out to schedule an appointment today and take the first step toward healing and growth.

EMDR CAN STOP THE CYCLE OF DISTRESS, DISCOMFORT, AND TRAUMATIC MEMORIES

If you find yourself stuck in a difficult experience from your past, EMDR therapy at Carbajal Counseling can help you reprocess memories and begin to move forward. Our EMDR specialists serve clients in Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Ogden, and surrounding areas. Whether you’re seeking support for trauma, anxiety, or other challenges, we are here to help. If you’d like to schedule an appointment with our EMDR specialist or learn more about how we can help, please call (801) 989-3488

Begin Your Journey To A Better Life!

Carbajal Counseling offers EMDR therapy to clients across Northern Utah, with convenient office locations in Kaysville, Syracuse, and Ogden — also serving clients from Layton and surrounding communities. EMDR is often used alongside our anxiety therapy, depression therapy, and child therapy services to provide comprehensive trauma-informed care. Contact us to learn if EMDR is right for you.

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