What should I expect during my first therapy session?

The first session focuses on understanding your history, current challenges, and goals for therapy. It's an opportunity to build rapport with your therapist in Greensboro and discuss which approaches, like EMDR or trauma-focused strategies, will work best.

How are EMDR intensives different from regular therapy sessions?

EMDR intensives condense multiple hours of therapy into consecutive days for focused, uninterrupted work. This approach can accelerate processing and help clients make meaningful progress in a shorter timeframe.

Does your mental health clinic in Greensboro ensure therapy sessions are confidential?

Yes, all sessions are fully confidential in accordance with state laws and professional ethical standards. Your privacy is a top priority in every interaction.

Can therapy be combined with other treatments or supports?

Therapy can complement medications, medical care, or community support programs. Your therapist can coordinate approaches to ensure your overall care is consistent and effective.

How do I get started?

Reach out to our team of trauma therapists in Greensboro so we can learn more about what you need and help connect you with the right service. From there, we can answer questions about scheduling, availability, and the next steps for care.

5 Life-Changing Benefits of EMDR Therapy for Trauma and PTSD Recovery

When you carry trauma, it can feel like you're still standing on the battlefield long after the fight is over. The sounds, images, and emotions replay without permission, disrupting sleep, straining relationships, and making it hard to feel safe in your own body. At Battlefield Counseling in Greensboro, NC, we understand that battle — and we've seen EMDR therapy help our clients reclaim their lives when traditional talk therapy alone wasn't enough. Here are five evidence-based benefits of EMDR that could change the way you heal.

1. EMDR Reprocesses Trauma Without Reliving Every Detail

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) uses guided bilateral stimulation — typically side-to-side eye movements — while you focus briefly on a traumatic memory. This process helps your brain reprocess the memory so it loses its sharp emotional charge. Unlike exposure therapy, you don't have to narrate every graphic detail out loud. Research published in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research shows that 77–90% of single-trauma survivors no longer meet criteria for PTSD after just three 90-minute sessions. For our Greensboro clients dealing with combat trauma, sexual assault, motor vehicle accidents, or childhood abuse, that means faster relief without re-traumatization.

2. EMDR Intensives Deliver Faster Results Than Weekly Sessions

Traditional weekly therapy can take months or years to bring meaningful trauma relief. EMDR intensives — offered right here at Battlefield Counseling — condense the work into focused blocks of 2 to 4 hours per day over several consecutive days. Our lead therapist, William Anthony Burchette, is EMDRIA Certified (2024) and has seen clients achieve in one week what previously took a year of weekly sessions. If you've been told there is a months-long waitlist elsewhere, our intensive format means new clients are often seen within a week, and the deeper trauma work can begin immediately.

3. EMDR Treats the Root, Not Just the Symptoms

Many people come to us after years of managing anxiety, depression, sleep problems, or panic attacks with coping skills and medication. Those tools help you survive — but EMDR targets the underlying traumatic memories feeding those symptoms. By updating how your brain stores these memories, EMDR often reduces or eliminates the need for ongoing symptom-management strategies. Clients frequently report that old triggers — a smell, a sound, an anniversary — suddenly feel "like it happened to someone else." That shift is what real recovery looks like.

4. EMDR Works When Talk Therapy Has Plateaued

If you've ever sat in a therapist's office and thought, "I know why I'm like this, I just can't stop feeling like this," you're not alone. Insight alone rarely resolves trauma. EMDR bridges the gap between understanding and healing by engaging the brain's natural information-processing system — the same one at work during REM sleep. At Battlefield Counseling, nearly every member of our clinical team is EMDR trained or certified, which means we can integrate EMDR into nearly any treatment plan, whether you're also doing CBT, DBT, somatic work, or faith-based Christian counseling.

5. EMDR Is Accessible — Covered by Medicaid and Most Insurance

One of the biggest barriers to specialized trauma care is cost. Battlefield Counseling is in-network with Aetna, Anthem BCBS, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicaid, WellCare, Vaya, and many more plans. We also offer EMDR via secure telehealth to any North Carolina resident, so you can access this evidence-based treatment from your own home. Healing should not depend on your zip code or your paycheck — and with us, it doesn't.

Take the First Step Off the Battlefield

If trauma has been running your life, EMDR may be the turning point. Battlefield Counseling offers free 15-minute consultations, and new clients are typically seen within one week. Call 336.310.5098 or email info@battlefieldcounseling.com to schedule your consultation at our Greensboro office (914 North Elm Street, Suite E) or through secure telehealth anywhere in North Carolina.

Experience change. You don't have to walk this battlefield alone.