📌 Rebecca is currently welcoming new clients for short-term EMDR or Flash Technique sessions only.
EMDR and Flash Technique Therapist in North Riverside, Illinois
Hi, I’m Rebecca Malley Fitzgerald, a Licensed Professional Counselor and practice owner at Shift Counseling, PC in North Riverside, Illinois.
I have spent nearly 25 years in the mental health field, and almost 20 of those years as a counselor. It started in college with a Psychology 100 class I took to fulfill a general education requirement. I remember sitting there thinking I would never get bored of this subject, and more than two decades later, I still haven't. I am endlessly curious about the human experience, especially how people adapt to challenges and how humans can help other humans heal, and that curiosity has only deepened the longer I have done this work.
These days, that curiosity shows up most in a very specific kind of session. If you have already done a lot of work in therapy, but there is one memory or block that keeps pulling you back no matter how far you have come, that is exactly the kind of work I focus on now.
Who I Work With
My current caseload is limited to short term, adjunct EMDR therapy and Flash Technique work. This tends to be a good fit if:
- ✓ You are already established with a therapist you do not want to leave, but want focused, short term work on one issue
- ✓ You have done talk therapy before and feel resourced enough to process something specific
- ✓ You are living with the effects of trauma, anxiety, or depression and want to target a particular memory or block
- ✓ You want a clear, time limited path rather than ongoing weekly therapy
I do not work with adolescents, children, or provide family or couples counseling.
How Adjunct EMDR Therapy and Flash Technique Work
At this stage in my career, I focus on providing short term EMDR therapy either on its own or as an adjunct to other treatments. This tends to work best for clients who are already well resourced, often through ongoing talk therapy with another provider, and who have a specific problem or block they want to work through. Depending on the goal, many clients complete their work in five to ten sessions.
Because I complete a screening with every new client before scheduling, my availability is not listed in the general online scheduler. If you are interested in adjunct EMDR therapy or Flash Technique work, please complete the form below to start that conversation.
Adjunct EMDR therapy and Flash Technique work are available in person at our North Riverside office and virtually throughout Illinois, so distance is rarely a barrier to getting started.
What Makes My Approach Different
I lean on evidence based approaches, particularly EMDR and Flash Technique, but I have never believed in applying the same intervention to every person who walks through the door. My job is to read the person in front of me, understand what they are ready for, and apply the right tool at the right time rather than running through a fixed protocol. That is also the approach I bring to supervising the therapists on my team.
In practice, that currently means I focus on short-term EMDR and Flash Technique work as an adjunct to other therapy, helping clients process specific distressing memories rather than taking on long-term, open-ended care. My other training includes:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
To help you notice and shift the thought patterns that keep you stuck.
Polyvagal Therapy
To help your nervous system feel safe enough to settle, so healing can actually happen.
My EMDR and Flash Technique Background
EMDR was not something I set out to specialize in. It found me almost by accident, in a single class period that ended up shaping the rest of my career. A professor spent maybe five minutes talking about EMDR therapy during one of my grad school classes, and something about it stuck with me long after the lecture ended. The moment I had my provisional license and could start earning continuing education credits, I signed up for my first EMDR training. I have been integrating EMDR into my work since 2009 and became fully certified in 2015. In the years since, I have trained in attachment focused EMDR, DNMS (Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy) integrated with EMDR, using EMDR with grief, EMDR dyadic resourcing, and integrating Polyvagal theory with EMDR, along with several other specialized trainings.
That early curiosity eventually led me to Flash Technique, where I have completed advanced training and consultation. Developed by EMDR trainer Dr. Phillip Manfield, Flash Technique helps clients process highly distressing memories without becoming overwhelmed in the process. I have attended three of the four annual Flash Technique conferences, and I still enjoy seeing how other clinicians find creative ways to use it to help clients move past major blocks.
Why I Became a Therapist
My path into this work started in some difficult places. Early in my career, I worked in a residential facility for people with schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses, and part time as an aide on a hospital psychiatric unit while finishing my master's degree. Those settings taught me a lot, including the kind of care I never wanted to provide. The environments were often rigid and invalidating, and I knew I wanted to build something different.
That conviction followed me through every setting I worked in after that, and eventually led me to open my own solo private practice, which I ran for about seven years before founding Shift Counseling, PC. I am still a passionate student of human behavior. Recently I have become focused on finding ways to make trauma treatment more efficient and effective.
My Training and Background
Master's degree in Counseling
Internship with the Chicago Department of Public Health, at one of their mental health clinics
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), earned during my time at a community mental health center in Chicago
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), earned after completing my supervised hours, also during my nearly five years as a crisis worker at that same center
Solo private practice for about seven years before founding the group practice that would become Shift Counseling, PC in 2018
Let's Get Started
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Reach out.
Feel free to reach out through our contact form — I'm happy to learn more about what you're looking for and how I can help.
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Complete a screening.
Since my caseload is limited to short term, focused work, we will talk through whether adjunct EMDR therapy or Flash Technique is the right fit before scheduling.
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Start short term work.
Once we are aligned on the goal, most clients complete their work within five to ten sessions, in person at our North Riverside office or virtually throughout Illinois.
Rebecca is not currently in network with insurance. The initial appointment is $250, and hour-long appointments after that are $200. FSA and HSA cards are accepted. If you are looking for EMDR therapy through your insurance, several other therapists at Shift Counseling, PC provide EMDR and are in network. Reach out to ask about fit.
FAQs
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy approach that helps the brain reprocess distressing memories so they carry less emotional charge. At Shift Counseling, PC, Rebecca offers short-term, adjunct EMDR therapy and has used this approach since 2009, becoming fully certified in 2015.
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Flash Technique works well with any kind of specific target that feels overwhelming and where there is a strong desire to avoid it. In addition to traumatic targets, Flash Technique can sometimes be helpful for desensitizing phobias or OCD triggers. Results with phobias and OCD triggers are variable. Luckily, with Flash Technique, we will usually know if it is going to work for you or not within 1-2 sessions.
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Rebecca's current caseload is limited to short-term, adjunct EMDR therapy and Flash Technique work, usually completed in five to ten sessions, rather than open ended weekly therapy.
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This work tends to fit best for people who are already resourced through prior or current therapy and have one specific memory, issue, or block they want to target, rather than someone looking for their first or only therapist.
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Rebecca Malley Fitzgerald is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with nearly 20 years of counseling experience and full EMDR certification.
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Because every new client completes a screening first, Rebecca's availability is not listed in the general online scheduler. Reach out by completing this contact form to start the conversation.
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Yes. Adjunct EMDR therapy is available virtually throughout Illinois, including Broadview, Westchester, Brookfield, La Grange Park, Berwyn, Forest Park, and Chicago.
Get in Touch
Ready to talk through whether short term EMDR or Flash Technique work is right for you? Complete the form below to start the conversation.