Elizabeth Schimpff, LMFT

02/22/2022

I'm excited to announce that I'm now offering EMDR consultation as a consultant-in-training! For those of you that are trained in EMDR and looking to get certified, I'm happy to help!

Some of my areas of expertise, where I've gotten additional training, include: EMDR with kids/tweens/teens, incorporating sandtray into EMDR, Complex PTSD, dissociation, phobias, OCD, and addictive/compulsive behaviors.

I'm also a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, so I have a lot of experience incorporating somatic interweaves with EMDR.

Call or text me at 805-307-7933 or email me at elizabeth@consciouslyevolvedcounseling.com

08/04/2020

Happy to announce I’m now a CERTIFIED EMDR Therapist!
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For those that don’t know what this means: I completed the training in 2016, then had to complete 20 hours of consultation showing my competence in using EMDR, and do a minimum of 50 trauma processing sessions with at least 25 clients. (I did more like 400 sessions with 50 different clients). Then at least 12 hours of continuing education in EMDR (I’ve done around 150 hours).
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05/08/2020

EMDR is the most cost effective treatment for PTSD!!

Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe and disabling condition that may lead to functional impairment and reduced productivity. Psychological interventions have been shown to be effective in its management. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of a r...

09/09/2019

Oh, hello Monday.
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Take a moment to breathe in deeply and connect with your inner self.
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It’s Monday. You’re likely feeling stressed as you look at the week ahead. So much to do, to get done before Friday.
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What if we took a different approach?
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First, reflecting on gratitude.
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Being grateful to have a job you GET to go to each Monday. Grateful for the tasks your employer trusts you with. Grateful for that food in the fridge you GET to prepare for your family. Grateful for that laundry you GET to wash with the washing machine you’re lucky to own. Grateful for that bed to fall into at the end of a long day.
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Then, looking at the week with intention. What are your intentions for the week? What would make you feel that the week was a success?
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What do you need so that all parts of you feel supported? How can you tend to those parts throughout the week to prevent burnout?
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Approaching the week with gratitude, intention, and self love changes the way we feel. Moving us from stress and overwhelm to a place of support and compassion.
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Double tap if you needed this reminder today!
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Have a great week y’all! ❤️
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08/08/2019

I’M GRATEFUL FOR MY BUSY, FULL LIFE!
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Anytime a friend asks “how have you been?”... my immediate response is “BUSY!”
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Can you relate? 🙋🏽‍♀️
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I got to thinking tonight... I’m always so freakin busy! But, I’m GRATEFUL for my busy life.
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Being busy means I have a full time, thriving career, I have friends and family who I love spending time with, I am committed to maintaining my physical fitness by exercising consistently, I am learning to play a musical instrument, and I get to go do fun things on the weekends with my amazing husband. And, even though I’m not a super huge fan of cooking and cleaning... I have food to cook and a beautiful home to clean.
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On top of that, I’m always trying to squeeze more into my crazy schedule. I want to surf, hike, do more yoga, travel, learn hip hop dancing, read ALL THE BOOKS, take all the CE trainings... my list is endless.
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I am LIVING! And it’s amazing. Yes, it’s busy and tiring... but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Next time you find yourself complaining about your busy life, try practicing GRATITUDE for all the things you have in your life that keep you so busy!
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07/27/2019

Often times, children don’t have the words to express how they’re feeling, so they act out. They also haven’t developed the emotional coping skills to manage the big feelings they experience. Rather than punishing them for behavior that they haven’t developed the ability to control, they need us to help them identify what they’re feeling, learn new ways to express their feelings, and new ways to cope.

Negative consequences, timeouts, and punishment just make bad behavior worse. But a new approach really works.

07/16/2019

YOU ARE ENOUGH!
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Yes. You!
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Just as you are, in THIS MOMENT.
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Take a moment to give yourself some credit for all that you do.
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We are so caught up in the busy-ness of life. Always feeling like we are falling short. Always feeling like we need to do more, have more, and be more.
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While striving for more in life and seeking out growth are wonderful practices to be in, we can't forget to honor ourselves for where we are at in the process.
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Take some time today to acknowledge all that you do and all that you are.
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You are a divine being worthy of love. Worthy of YOUR LOVE.
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07/12/2019

“Trauma” stems from the Greek word for “wound.”
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Trauma is an emotional wound.
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Wounds which can be created by horrific events, but also by seemingly “normal” life experiences.
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Yes, most of us are aware of trauma in the sense of war veterans, natural disasters, sexual assault, or physical abuse.
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But, wounds are created by smaller events as well.
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The baby who is left to “cry it out” when what he needs is connection and nurturing from his parent.
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The child who is seeking attention from a parent who is working two jobs to make ends meet.
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At the core of most mental health issues is some form of trauma, most often experienced during childhood.
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07/05/2019

WHAT MEDITATION IS REALLY LIKE.
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If I had a dollar for every time a client said to me, “I can’t meditate because I think too much. I can’t shut my mind off,” I’d be a rich rich woman. 😂
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I like to think of meditation as exercising my brain.
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No one waits to start lifting weights until they’re really buff and strong... BECAUSE IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY!
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Meditation is a way that we can train our minds to slow down, to settle, and to be more calm.
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What most people think meditation is:
❌ A state of being completely calm
❌ Clearing your mind of all thoughts
❌ Going into an altered state of consciousness
❌ A religious practice
❌ Involves chanting or visualization
❌ Time consuming
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What meditation is actually like:
✅ Uncomfortable
✅ Your mind bounces from thought to thought, and slowly over time you get better at bringing your attention back to the point of focus.
✅ Is beneficial even if you only do 5-10 minutes per day.
✅ Is not religious. All it requires is present-moment awareness, which is universal for all beings.
✅ Can be as simple as focusing on your breath (no chanting required).
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The idea for this post came to me as I was meditating this afternoon. I’ve been a novice meditator for 10+ years, and guess what, my mind still jumps all over the place. I’ve just learned to have compassion for my busy mind and welcome back my attention every time I come back to the moment.
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06/30/2019

To borrow a phrase: love works in mysterious ways. We are born to love and, as it turns out, love

06/29/2019

“Trauma is not what happens to you, it’s what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.”

Really great article on trauma and how it impacts nearly all of us on some level.

Dr Gabor Maté is a renowned expert in addiction, childhood trauma and mind-body health. In this interview, we spoke about a wide variety of topics, ranging from how he believes that most mental health conditions originate from unresolved childhood trauma, to why he describes current Western culture...