Renew your mind.

tara Dakin Sauer, LMFT, PMH-C

trauma therapist in denver

Renew your life. 

Renew your mind.
Renew your life. 

Tara Dakin Sauer, LMFT, PMH-C

Trauma therapist in denver

You've been in therapy before, but you're still feeling stuck.

You're looking for a way to keep moving forward.

What you really want is to find out what your life could look
like if you processed and healed from your trauma.


i can help you do that. 

What It's Like to Work With Me:

I'm a naturally intuitive and empathetic person, so part of who I am as a therapist is genuinely enjoying listening to people talk about their lives. My main goal is to create a safe space for you to explore your feelings - snarkiness, self-deprecating humor, cursing, etc. is all welcome and accepted. Over time, I'll help you make sense of your experiences and start to see and understand yourself with more compassion.

I'm also a neuroscience nerd, so another part of who I am as a therapist is helping you understand how your brain works and the how and why of what we’re doing in therapy. We'll talk about subpersonalities, neuroplasticity, memory networks, and more...but don't worry: I have an extensive library of articles, videos, and memes to help explain things. 

The most important part of who I am as a therapist is believing that therapy isn't just where you learn how to “deal with” mental health problems, but that for those who are ready, therapy can provide real healing. Using IFS-Informed EMDR, I help clients “reconsolidate” trauma memories, allowing you to experience transformational and lasting change.

Who I Am As A Therapist

Learn About My Approach

WHO I AM AS A THERAPIST

My Approach to therapy

1. Collaborative:
I’m the expert in the neuroscience stuff and the psychotherapy techniques, but
you are the expert on you. So I’m not going to tell you what you need to work on or how to live your life, but I will help you figure that out. As far as reaching your goals, I will be there to guide you and support you, but ultimately you have to be ready and willing to put in the work.

2.
Strengths-based:
Whatever problems you’re having,
you have strengths too and I won’t let you ignore them - I will help you use them throughout this process of healing and growth.  

3.
Solution-focused:
I believe that the solution to your problems isn’t more “coping strategies” - that’s like attacking a garden overgrown with weeds with a weedwacker. Will they help you feel better? Sure. Will you have to keep using those tools over and over? Yep. So
let’s pull that sh*t out at the root

My Approach to Therapy

WHO I AM AS A THERAPIST

My Approach to therapy

Getting to the Root of Your Current Struggles

The key to experiencing real healing is determining the root cause of your current mental, emotional, or relational struggles.

The things that compel someone to go to therapy for the first time - unwanted behaviors, thoughts, emotions, or even psychosomatic symptoms - are driven by underlying (and sometimes unconscious) “emotional learnings.” Emotional learnings define the way we view ourselves, others, and the world in general.

We all develop our core emotional learnings in childhood, but if we experience something particularly impactful or possibly traumatic later in life, those learnings can change, or grow stronger, or we may even develop new ones. So whether they develop in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, negative emotional learnings are common when we experience trauma, but they can also happen from experiences that, on the surface, don’t seem like that big of a deal.

So it doesn't matter if they are from a major trauma or not - IFS-Informed EMDR  therapy can help you to process these impactful experiences and then actually “overwrite” your negative emotional learnings, completely transforming how you view yourself and others, which is what makes it possible to experience lasting change

What is IFS-Informed EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. IFS stands for Internal Family Systems.
 
Both EMDR and IFS are evidence-based therapies for treating trauma. IFS-Informed EMDR integrates the two, changing the underlying negative core beliefs that are causing emotional and relational problems in a way that collaborates with our natural psychological defenses rather than trying to just push past them.

In my experience, this combination creates the most efficient process and is especially effective when working with developmental and complex trauma.

learn more

Another name for “emotional learnings” is “implicit memories.” EMDR and IFS each use different techniques to accomplish a process called memory reconsolidation, which addresses impactful experiences that have gotten “stuck” in the brain’s memory networks. Most therapists use either EMDR or IFS, but IFS-Informed EMDR integrates the two:
 
- it uses the standard EMDR treatment protocol for re-processing memories by desensitizing the old experience (takes the “charge” out of how the experience is stored in the brain) and installing new, positive cognitions (re-stores the experience in the brain’s memory networks with a positive belief attached to it) 

- it also incorporates the concepts of “parts” from IFS: it accesses the calm, compassionate leadership of our true “Self” in order to gain permission from “protectors” to connect with the “exiles” who are stuck in the past so they can release the negative emotions and beliefs they are holding 


What is IFS-Informed EMDR?

Ah, the naiveté of an 18-year-old having an “epiphany” about what she wants to do with her life…. Yes, that was me. A month into my first semester of college and already changing my major. I was going to be a therapist! Interestingly, I never wavered in that desire, though my plan to get there and what I expected that to look like definitely changed. Looking back now, I think the most naive part of my epiphany was that I decided I wanted to be a therapist before I had ever worked with one.

Not to worry… my life fell apart less than a year later and my butt was sitting on a therapist’s couch just a few months after that thanks to a friend who was willing to say to me, “Tara, I think you’re depressed. I think you need to talk to someone.”

My Story

I share that because I think it’s important for you to know that I have sat in the other chair. I still do. 

It’s the other side of a screen now, but you know what I mean. 

I’m certainly not going to claim that “I know how you feel” or “I’ve been where you are,” but what I will tell you is that I have personally experienced what can happen when you commit to working on your “stuff.” It was messy, and hard, and honestly took a few tries before I found the right therapist and the right kind of therapy to really start seeing the changes I was hoping for. 

But I think it has been worth the effort. Seeing how much I changed as a person, and how so many areas of my life improved is a big part of what drives the work that I do - I truly feel honored witnessing my clients' transformations as they too experience a profound kind of healing and growth.

EDUCATION

TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS For Trauma

LICENSES

Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, Richmont Graduate University

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, University of Colorado - Boulder

EMDR Therapy Basic Training, EMDR Institute of Dr. Francine Shapiro

Trauma in the Developmental Context, Richmont Graduate University

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Intensive Course with Dr. Richard Schwartz and Dr. Frank Anderson, PESI Inc.

IFS-Informed EMDR, Bruce Hersey at emdrifs.com

TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS FOR Perinatal

 TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS FOR  Telehealth

Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C), Postpartum Support International

Approved Gottman “Bringing Baby Home” Educator, The Gottman Institute

Certified Happiest Baby Educator, Happiest Baby Education Association

Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, Center for Pediatric Sleep Management

TeleMental Health Training Certificate (THTC), Telehealth Certification Institute

Guidelines for a Safe, Ethical, and Contained Online EMDR Practice, Trauma Focused Counselling 

Teletherapy for Perinatal Mental Health, Postpartum Support International

Using EMDR Therapy in a Telehealth Format, Trauma Specialists of Maryland

Colorado LMFT: MFT.0001712

Georgia LMFT: MFT001719

Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, Richmont Graduate University

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, University of Colorado - Boulder

EMDR Therapy Basic Training, EMDR Institute of Dr. Francine Shapiro

Trauma in the Developmental Context, Richmont Graduate University

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Intensive Course with Dr. Richard Schwartz and Dr. Frank Anderson, PESI Inc.

IFS-Informed EMDR, Bruce Hersey at emdrifs.com

Trauma

Perinatal

Telehealth

Certified in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C), Postpartum Support International

Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, Center for Pediatric Sleep Management

Approved Gottman “Bringing Baby Home” Educator, The Gottman Institute

Certified Happiest Baby Educator, Happiest Baby Education Association

Trauma

Perinatal

Telehealth

TeleMental Health Training Certificate (THTC), Telehealth Certification Institute

Guidelines for a Safe, Ethical, and Contained Online EMDR Practice, Trauma Focused Counselling 

Teletherapy for Perinatal Mental Health, Postpartum Support International

Trauma

Perinatal

Telehealth

Using EMDR Therapy in a Telehealth Format, Trauma Specialists of Maryland

Colorado LMFT: MFT.0001712

Georgia LMFT: MFT001719

 “Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” – Lisa Olivera | “Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” – Lisa Olivera | “Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” – Lisa Olivera | “Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” – Lisa Olivera | “Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” – Lisa Olivera | “Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” – Lisa Olivera | “Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” – Lisa Olivera |

If you’re committed to working on your stuff, I’m committed to helping you make that happen. So let’s chat and figure out if I would be a good fit for what you’re looking for!

Together, Let’s Start Your Journey Towards Healing

Specialty Areas

No matter how you’re feeling right now, healing IS possible.

For those who are always feeling stressed or on edge, getting panic attacks, avoiding social situations… or those who feel down, hopeless, have no energy or motivation… or a combination of both.

For those heartbroken from a breakup or divorce, striking out in the online dating scene, or who can’t figure out how to make a relationship last - but want to have a successful long-term partnership.

For those experiencing prenatal or postpartum depression/anxiety, infertility, pregnancy/infant loss, or generally trying to adjust to being a parent and its impact on your life and your identity.

 Anxiety and Depression

Perinatal

Singles (Not by Choice)

Contact

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