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Monday 10am - 3pm Tuesday 10am - 9:30pm Wednesday 10am - 3pm Thursday 10am - 9:30pm Friday 10am - 3pm

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - Psychotherapist and Consultant

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Grand Rapids, MI
Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - Psychotherapist and Consultant

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW, ACSW – Psychotherapist specializing in PTSD, Complex PTSD, Mr. Trainings aid each participant in creating and maintaining long-term change.

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW, ACSW is an individual, marital and family therapist in Grand Rapids Mi specializing in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety and Depression. Additionally Dwarshuis is a performance enhancement consultant and trainer for individuals and groups wanting to improve in academics, the performing arts, the workplace, sports, mental health and relational issues. Dwarshuis is a trainer and performance consultant for businesses and organizations on the topics of peak performance, optimal performance social systems, heightened productivity and peak effectiveness. Additionally, Mr. Dwarshuis is a highly accomplished and professional Classical Guitarist actively performing throughout the Midwest. In the trainings, Mr. Dwarshuis uses his own personal experiences of technical and creative growth as one of many illustrations of the effectiveness of peak performance strategies. (See facebook - Jeff Dwarshuis/Classical Guitarist.) Products

Performance enhancement trainings and interventions of individual treatment are based on Mr. Dwarshuis’ training and experience with each of the disciplines listed below. Cognitive Therapy
Neuro Linguistic Programming
Ericksonian Hypnotherapy
Problem Solving Therapy
Communicative / Relational / Imago Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Mind - Body Therapy
Psycheducational Therapy
Family of Origin Analysis
Bowen Family Systems Therapy
Behavioral Therapy
Strategic Family Therapy
Structural Family Therapy

11/01/2025

Bullying, Trauma and Warning Signs in Children by JD

Here is a description of the behavioral warning signs of both victims and bullies.

Victims

1. Socially victims may appear to be isolated, unable to defend themselves, cautious, having low self esteem and having poor social skills.

2. Psychologically, victims may appear anxious, depressed, and impulsive with a poor ability to regulate their emotions. Depressive thinking and hopelessness in the victim can lead to suicidal thoughts and attempts.

3. Victims’ behavioral warning signs of abuse are a loss of interest in school, taking a different route to school, having physical injuries, withdrawing from family and school activities, emotional upset after receiving a call or email or using derogatory statements about specific kids.

Bullies

1. The bully’s primary characteristic is a persistent expression of contempt towards someone he or she sees as being different, inferior, or not deserving of respect. The bully’s abusive behavior is not a single act but an on-going pattern of abuse towards another individual.

2. The most common targets of the bully are people who are physically disabled, obese, who appear to be of a different sexual orientation or in a racial or religious minority.

3. The bully will show warning signs of his or her behavior through displaying a lack of empathy, having a favorable view of violence, being aggressive towards adults, having a hard time following rules and having a need to dominate others.

Bullying happens most commonly when kids travel to and from school, in unsupervised school areas, in sports team settings that normalize aggression and over the internet.

Factors that contribute to bullying are not having anti-bullying policies, inconsistent school discipline, high teacher turnover and a lack of support for children with special needs.

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience treating trauma using EMDR.

JD

10/19/2025

Presenting Problems Treated (Online!) with EMDR by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Self-Abusive Behavior
Pain Management
Major Depression
Eating Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Panic Disorder
Dissociation
Addictions
Phobias
Grief

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

09/06/2025

Combining EMDR and Schema Therapy for Complex PTSD by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

EMDR and Schema Therapy are highly effective treatment methods for the treatment of Complex PTSD.

Combining these methods leads to a faster and more effective level of change.

EMDR quickly and effectively in eliminates the negative impacts of negative memories. Additionally, the changes are permanent.

Individuals with Complex PTSD, however, present with complicated histories making it difficult to accurately assess the negative contributing memories leading to Complex PTSD symptoms.

Schema Therapy provides a plausible explanation for the development of Complex PTSD since schema development comes from the impacts of unmet childhood needs and related negative experiences.

After assessing the client’s schemas, the EMDR therapist can use this information to create a list of treatment target memories that are the most effective for client change.

The Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

08/17/2025

The Self Sacrifice Schema and EMDR by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Individuals with the Self Sacrifice Schema often will overwork in relationships to try and receive emotional recognition in response to the empty feelings.

Other times the Self Sacrifice Schema is shown by carrying a “parentified child” role into adulthood.

EMDR is used to target the history of loss or emotional deprivation received in youth and adulthood.

The Self Sacrifice Schema is “The excessive focus on voluntarily meeting the needs of others in daily situations, at the expense of one's own gratification. The most common reasons are: to prevent causing pain to others; to avoid guilt from feeling selfish; or to maintain the connection with others perceived as needy . Often results from an acute sensitivity to the pain of others. Sometimes leads to a sense that one's own needs are not being adequately met and to resentment of those who are taken care of. (This overlaps with concept of co-dependency.)

Treatment Suggestions for the Self–Sacrifice Schema

1. Recognize if you have an exaggerated perception of fragility and neediness in others.

2. Increase an awareness of your needs by listing them.

3. Evaluate if your relationships have an imbalance of “give and take”.

4. Experimentally express sadness and anger about unmet emotional needs using imagery.

5. Consider if you were a “parentified child” caused by those in power putting adult demands on you in your childhood.

6. Ask for what you need directly.

7. Select partners and friends who are capable and giving rather than incapable or demanding.

8. Challenge yourself to occasionally be vulnerable with others rather than being the “strong one”.

9. Keep from rationalizing the tendency to please others so much.

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

08/01/2025

How EMDR Works by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed by Francine Shapiro and it successfully treats Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But how?

Brain scans found that traumatic experience negatively impacts brain functioning.

During trauma the amygdala, which controls responses associated with fear, becomes over activated and this creates an impasse between itself and the hippocampus.

The hippocampus plays an important role in short term memory, long term memory and spatial orientation.

The impasse between the hippocampus and the amygdala creates symptoms of generalized anxiety, panic attacks and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Brain scans of individuals doing EMDR indicate that this impasse is corrected as eye movements activate the hippocampus so it can receive the overwhelming amount of information from the amygdala and then sort it.

The hippocampus then completes the proper brain processing by sending information to the anterior cingulate cortex, which involves attention, decision making, reward anticipation, ethics, morality, impulse control, and emotion.

The impact of opening this impasse and restoring proper brain functioning means that a negative memory, once too overwhelming to manage, is put into the proper context of time and space, has affective and cognitive aspects of the memory merged, is viewed with more reason and control, and exists in a clear distinction between the past and the present.

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

Presenting Problems Treated (Online!) with EMDR by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW Complex Posttraumatic Stress DisorderObsessi...

07/26/2025

07/06/2025

The Advantages of EMDR Therapy by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

EMDR is fast...requiring less than 20% of the time spent in traditional therapy.

This leaves the client with more time to enjoy life.

Therapy…It keeps getting better.

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

06/07/2025

How Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Works by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed by Francine Shapiro in 1989 and it successfully treats Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But how?

Brain scans studies of traumatized individuals found that traumatic experience negatively impacts brain functioning.

During trauma a part of the brain called the amygdala, which controls responses associated with fear, becomes over activated and this creates an impasse between itself and the hippocampus.

The hippocampus plays an important role in the consolidation of information from short term memory to long term memory and spatial orientation.

The impasse between the hippocampus and the amygdala creates symptoms found in generalized anxiety, panic attacks and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Brain scans of individuals doing EMDR indicate that this impasse is corrected as eye movements activate the hippocampus so it can receive the overwhelming amount of information from the amygdala and then sort it.

The hippocampus then completes the proper brain processing by sending information to the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in aspects such as attention, decision making, reward anticipation, ethics, morality, impulse control, and emotion.

The impact of opening this impasse and restoring proper brain functioning means that a negative memory, once too overwhelming to manage, is put into the proper context of time and space, has affective and cognitive aspects of the memory merged, is viewed with more rational thought, reason and control, and exists in a clear distinction between the past and the present.

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

05/19/2025

The Advantages of EMDR Therapy by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

EMDR Therapy requires no homework.

All work is done during the session leaving the client free to go about their life.

Therapy…It keeps getting better.

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

05/15/2025

Presenting Problems Treated with EMDR by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Self-Abusive Behavior
Pain Management
Major Depression
Eating Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Panic Disorder
Dissociation
Addictions
Phobias
Grief

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW
http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/
616 4431425

05/10/2025

The Advantage of EMDR Therapy by Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW

Advantage #1… It is not required that a client discuss the trauma.

That’s right.

A client needs only to visualize the trauma for successful therapy.

This is an incredible advantage for clients since a symptom of PTSD is having difficulty discussing the trauma.

Therapy…It keeps getting better.

Jeff Dwarshuis LMSW ACSW - http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/

Over 10,000 hours of clinical experience using EMDR

Address

PO Box 120056
Grand Rapids, MI
49528

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 3pm
Tuesday	10am - 9:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 3pm
Thursday	10am - 9:30pm
Friday	10am - 3pm

Website

http://www.jeffdwarshuis.com/

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