About
Brittani Antunes
"Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken"
- Oscar Wilde
When I was nine years old I made a list of what I wanted to be when I grew up and it read:
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Psychologist
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Physical Therapist
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Flower Deliverer
(this is a 100% true story and I will gladly post a photo of it when I find it one day!)
I remember knowing that I wanted to make peoples lives better. I feel like becoming a therapist was part of me since I was little and it was bound to happen. Becoming a physical therapist may not have been that far off base as I am intrigued by and continue to learn more about how we store trauma in our bodies and how I can incorporate that into sessions (so stay tuned!). As for a flower deliverer, perhaps that will come into play in the future, I mean, who can resist the opportunity to bring joy to people all day long?
I am originally from Maryland and made my way out to Arizona to escape the cold and soak up the heat (believe it or not). I’m a rare breed who doesn’t really mind the heat and will take it over the cold any day.
My Approach
Throughout my career, I have worked with people on a wide variety of issues- ranging from discomfort with a minor life change to helping those diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) find sobriety, and everything in between. These experiences, along with my drive for lightening the emotional weight of others, have lead me down the path to get my Masters of Counseling degree and become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a clinical supervisor, National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a trained EMDR therapist. My specialty has become focusing on healing trauma. My goal is to heal as much of the trauma out there that I possibly can to change as many lives as are willing. I help people put trauma in the part of the brain that keeps it from bothering them anymore, it's what I do best.
A big take away I have gained over the years is how things from our past effect us more than we could ever imagine and can hold us back from achieving the goals we care about. I learned the that a band-aid and Tylenol can only do so much when a splinter is infected. Our bodies cannot heal until the splinter is completely removed. Our minds work the same way. Therefore, I have found a balance in helping to both alleviate current emotional pains (fear, lack of worth, anger, guilt, etc.) as well as healing the original cause to provide lasting relief (utilizing the Tylenol for in the moment and removing the splinter for good). Fortunately, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that brings that balance to life.
I also utilize ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy), which is another form of therapy that uses eye movements to heal trauma quickly. It's motto is 'Keep the Knowledge, Lose the Pain'. It keeps the lessons learned and you'll still know what happened but it will be more difficult to access the images of it and the pain associated with it will be reduced or non-existent. This process can be emotionally intense with profound results. You are welcome to request to this method and we can assess together if it'd be a good fit for you.
If you would like to feel less emotional pain, I may be able to help you. I believe that, together, it is possible to lighten or even rid the weight of the things you carry that prevent you from living the life that you want to live.
Why We May Work Well Together
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I am genuinely invested in your unique story
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We will be productive in each of our sessions together
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I will listen to and learn who you are, customizing my approach to what will work for you
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If you find a certain technique calming, then that’s what we’ll do
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I have an unusually large variety of tools to teach you so we will certainly find some that work for you
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I have been trained by excellent professionals over the years and strive to provide the most effective therapy
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My top priority is always keeping you emotionally safe
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I will create a space where you can feel free of judgment and comfortable being your true self
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I have heard many stories, experiences, and issues that my clients have thought were insurmountable and we have gotten through them together
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If you do happen to feel uncomfortable sharing something that comes up in therapy then there are ways that we can be just as productive without you having to share that thought/image/memory aloud with me
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I am authentic
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I care
The Counseling Space
