ADHD, Trauma & Anxiety Therapist in California | Woodward Psychotherapy
Frequently Asked Questions:
Therapy FAQs | EMDR, ADHD Assessments, Anxiety & Trauma Therapy
Starting therapy—or trying to figure out what kind of support you need—can come with a lot of questions. Below are answers to some of the most common questions I receive about therapy, EMDR, trauma and anxiety treatment, ADHD assessments, and what you can expect when working with me.
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based form of therapy designed to help people process distressing experiences and memories that continue to affect them in the present.
During EMDR therapy, we identify experiences, memories, beliefs, emotions, or physical sensations that may be contributing to current symptoms. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—often through guided eye movements or other forms of alternating stimulation—while processing this material.
The goal isn't to erase a memory. Instead, EMDR helps the brain process the experience so that it feels less emotionally charged and has less influence over how you feel and respond today.
What can EMDR therapy help with?
EMDR is perhaps best known as a treatment for trauma and PTSD, but it may also be incorporated into treatment for anxiety, panic, negative beliefs about yourself, distressing past experiences, relationship trauma, and other concerns connected to unresolved experiences.
You don't necessarily need to identify with the word "trauma" to benefit from exploring whether EMDR could be appropriate for you. Sometimes experiences that happened years ago continue to shape the way we respond to relationships, uncertainty, conflict, rejection, or perceived threats in the present.
Do I have to talk about every detail of my trauma during EMDR?
Not necessarily. One reason some people are drawn to EMDR is that it does not always require describing every detail of an experience out loud.
You and your therapist will still communicate about what you are noticing throughout the process, but EMDR can often allow you to work with a memory without giving an extensive verbal account of everything that happened.
How long does EMDR therapy take?
There isn't one set number of EMDR sessions. The length of treatment depends on your history, symptoms, treatment goals, the experiences being addressed, and how you respond to the process.
EMDR is also more than the eye-movement portion people often associate with it. Treatment includes assessment, preparation, identifying targets for processing, reprocessing experiences, and evaluating progress along the way.
For some people, EMDR is incorporated into ongoing therapy rather than being the only approach used.
Is EMDR only for PTSD?
No. Although EMDR has a strong association with trauma and PTSD treatment, it can also be integrated into therapy when past experiences contribute to present-day anxiety, fear, shame, negative beliefs, avoidance, or relationship patterns.
Whether EMDR is appropriate depends on the individual, which is something we can explore together during treatment.
What is an ADHD assessment?
An ADHD assessment is designed to better understand whether difficulties with attention, organization, impulsivity, motivation, time management, working memory, or executive functioning may be consistent with ADHD.
My ADHD assessment process looks at more than whether you occasionally feel distracted. We explore your current symptoms, developmental history, how symptoms affect different areas of your life, and whether other factors could be contributing to what you're experiencing.
The goal is to develop a more complete picture of how your brain functions and determine whether your experiences are consistent with ADHD.
How long does an ADHD assessment take?
ADHD assessments typically take 2–3 sessions, with each session lasting approximately 50 minutes.
The exact length may vary depending on your history and individual circumstances.
The assessment process allows us to explore your symptoms and experiences in more depth rather than relying on a quick checklist alone.
What happens during an adult ADHD assessment?
During an ADHD assessment, we'll discuss areas such as attention, distractibility, organization, procrastination, impulsivity, time management, motivation, emotional regulation, and other aspects of executive functioning.
We'll also explore when these patterns began and how they affect areas such as work, school, relationships, household responsibilities, and daily life.
Because symptoms that resemble ADHD can sometimes occur alongside anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep difficulties, or other concerns, the assessment also considers the broader clinical picture.
What are common signs of ADHD in adults?
Adult ADHD doesn't always look like being visibly hyperactive or unable to sit still. Some adults with ADHD experience difficulties such as:
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Frequently procrastinating, even on important tasks
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Losing track of time or consistently underestimating how long things will take
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Difficulty starting tasks despite wanting to complete them
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Becoming distracted during conversations or while working
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Frequently misplacing important items
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Difficulty maintaining routines and organizational systems
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Feeling overwhelmed by everyday responsibilities
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Starting many projects but struggling to finish them
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Forgetfulness or difficulty holding information in mind
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Restlessness or difficulty slowing down
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Impulsive decisions or interruptions
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Periods of intense focus on interesting activities while struggling to focus on less stimulating tasks
Experiencing some of these difficulties doesn't automatically mean you have ADHD, which is why a thorough assessment can be helpful.
Can you have ADHD even if you did well in school?
Yes. Academic success alone does not rule out ADHD.
Some people develop effective coping strategies or compensate through intelligence, structure, anxiety, perfectionism, significant effort, or support from family and teachers. Difficulties may become more noticeable later when life requires greater independence, organization, and management of multiple responsibilities.
An ADHD assessment looks at your overall history and functioning rather than relying solely on grades or academic performance.
Can anxiety and ADHD occur together?
Yes. ADHD and anxiety can occur together, and their symptoms can sometimes overlap.
For example, difficulty concentrating can occur with both ADHD and anxiety, but the reasons behind that difficulty may be different. Someone experiencing anxiety might struggle to focus because their attention is consumed by worry, while ADHD-related attention difficulties may involve challenges regulating and directing attention.
Understanding the relationship between these symptoms can be an important part of determining the most appropriate treatment approach.
What is the difference between ADHD therapy and an ADHD assessment?
An ADHD assessment focuses on understanding your symptoms and determining whether your experiences are consistent with ADHD and providing you with a diagnosis.
ADHD therapy focuses on helping you manage the challenges associated with ADHD in everyday life.
Therapy for adults with ADHD may address executive functioning, procrastination, organization, time management, emotional regulation, motivation, self-esteem, relationships, and strategies for working more effectively with the way your brain functions.
What type of therapy do you use?
My approach is individualized rather than one-size-fits-all. I integrate evidence-based approaches including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Exposure Therapy, and motivational approaches depending on your needs and treatment goals.
Just as importantly, I believe effective therapy requires a relationship where you feel safe, understood, and able to be honest about what is and isn't working.
Do you treat anxiety and panic attacks?
Yes. Anxiety and panic are major areas of focus within my practice.
Treatment may address excessive worry, panic attacks, physical anxiety symptoms, avoidance, fears of losing control, difficulty tolerating uncertainty, or situations that have gradually begun to feel unsafe.
Depending on your symptoms, treatment may incorporate CBT, exposure-based strategies, EMDR, mindfulness, and other evidence-based approaches.
How does exposure therapy help with anxiety and panic?
Anxiety often becomes stronger through avoidance. When we repeatedly escape or avoid something that feels threatening, our brain may never have the opportunity to learn that we can tolerate the experience.
Exposure therapy involves gradually and intentionally approaching feared situations, sensations, thoughts, or experiences in a therapeutic way.
The goal isn't to force yourself into overwhelming situations or simply "get rid of anxiety." Instead, exposure work can help you develop a different relationship with fear, increase your ability to tolerate uncomfortable sensations and uncertainty, and reduce the degree to which anxiety controls your choices.
Do you provide trauma therapy even if I don't have PTSD?
Yes. You do not need to have a PTSD diagnosis to work on the impact of difficult past experiences.
Trauma can show up in many ways, including anxiety, avoidance, shame, hypervigilance, difficulty trusting others, relationship patterns, negative beliefs about yourself, emotional reactivity, or feeling disconnected from yourself.
Therapy can help you understand how past experiences may be influencing the present and begin changing patterns that no longer serve you.
What is complex trauma or CPTSD?
Complex trauma generally refers to the impact of repeated, prolonged, or interpersonal traumatic experiences rather than a single isolated event.
People with histories of complex trauma may struggle with relationships, trust, emotional regulation, boundaries, self-worth, chronic anxiety, shame, or feeling constantly on alert.
Treatment can involve understanding these patterns while developing skills for emotional regulation, safety, relationships, and processing unresolved experiences.
How do I know if therapy is right for me?
You don't need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy.
People seek therapy for many reasons: anxiety has started limiting their life, old experiences keep resurfacing, relationships feel difficult, they suspect they may have ADHD, they feel stuck in patterns they understand intellectually but can't seem to change, or they simply know something isn't working.
Therapy provides a space to better understand what's happening and develop practical and emotional tools for creating meaningful change.
Do you offer online therapy?
Yes. I provide virtual psychotherapy, allowing clients to participate in sessions from a private location without needing to commute to an office.
Many therapeutic approaches—including CBT, DBT-based interventions, ADHD treatment, anxiety treatment, and EMDR—can be adapted effectively for telehealth.
How do I get started?
If you're considering therapy, EMDR, treatment for anxiety or trauma, or an ADHD assessment, you can reach out to discuss what you're experiencing and whether my practice may be a good fit for your needs.
You don't need to know exactly which type of therapy you need before reaching out. Part of the process is figuring that out together.
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