Donna A. Earle, MA., LPC, CCTP, EMDRIA Certified Therapist™
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
Donna is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology who specializes in trauma-focused treatment. She is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist with advanced EMDR training, including ASSYST protocols, and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP). Donna integrates evidence-based approaches with compassion and creativity, helping clients heal from complex trauma and reclaim a sense of safety, strength, and resilience.
Her work is grounded in compassion and evidence-based care, offering a safe, nonjudgmental space for healing and growth. Donna believes deeply in resilience—that like the lotus flower rising from muddy waters, every person has the strength to move toward light, transformation, and a life worth celebrating.
The Lotus Journey
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Rooted in the Mud
The lotus begins in murky water, just as we often feel mired in depression, anxiety, trauma, or grief. Planting the seed is choosing to begin the journey.
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Reaching for the Light
Through struggle, the lotus stretches upward. Like us, it pushes through the darkness toward growth, resilience, and the hope of a new day.
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Becoming Whole
Emerging into the sunlight, the lotus blooms in purity and strength. Healing allows us not just to survive—but to thrive, becoming stronger and wiser.
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Renewal & Continuity
Each lotus carries seeds for the next bloom. From our healing comes resilience, light, and the chance to help others grow through their own challenges.
What is trauma?
At To Life! Counseling, we understand that trauma is not just what happened to you--it's how your mind, body, and spirit responded to it.
The word trauma comes from the Greek word (trama), meaning wound. But not all wounds are visible. Trauma is an emotional, psychological, and physiological wound--often invisible to others--that can deeply affect your sense of safety, identity, and connection.
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Trauma may arise from:
A single overwhelming event (e.g., an accident, assault, or loss)
Ongoing or repeated experiences (e.g., childhood abuse, domestic violence, neglect)
Systemic and cultural forces such as racism, generational oppression, poverty, religious trauma, and discrimination
Trauma can be personal, relational, or collective. It lives in the body, mind, and nervous system--and it is experienced uniquely by each person.
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Trauma is not remembered like a happy moment. That's because trauma alters how the brain encodes experience.
When we experience trauma:
The prefrontal cortex, responsible for reasoning and verbal memory, often shuts down
The amygdala--the brain's alarm system, or "AMY"--takes over, sounding the alarm to survive
AMY doesn't understand time. When triggered, AMY responds as if the trauma is happening right now. This is why trauma survivors often:
Struggle to remember the full event
Recall memories that are fragmented, disjointed, or blurry
Feel confused or unsure whether it "really happened"
Experience physical symptoms or emotional overwhelm without a clear explanation
These are not signs of dysfunction. They are adaptive survival responses--your brain and body doing what was necessary to protect you.
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As a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), I know that trauma does not look or feel the same for everyone. Trauma can occur individually and systemically, and is often shaped by:
Socio-cultural realities (e.g., racism, sexism, classism)
Religious and spiritual wounding
Ancestral, intergenerational, and historical oppression
Barriers to safety, connection, and resources
Your experience is real and valid, even if others haven't seen or understood it.
Healing means honoring the whole story--including the layers that live in your body and the systems around you.
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No single approach can address the depth of trauma. That's why I work through an integrative lens, combining evidence-based modalities tailored to your needs.
These may include:
EMDR
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Person-Centered Therapy
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT / Tapping)
Strengths-Based and Relational Approaches
Integration honors that what works for one person may not be appropriate for another.
As a trauma-trained clinician, I use micro and meta skills to meet you where you are in your journey, adapting my interventions to respect your identity, history, culture, and capacity.
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At To Life! Counseling, we begin with safety, trust, and connection--because those are the foundations for healing. Here, you are seen, heard, and accepted without judgment.
Like the lotus flower that blooms through muddy water, you too can rise.
You are not broken. You are not alone.
Healing is possible--and it begins with choosing life.
To Life!
Modalities and Interventions
Integration is a framework that brings together core techniques and wisdom of scientific, evidenced based modalities. It is difficult for anyone modality that encompasses the complex layers of Trauma, that live in the body, mind, and spirit. While one modality might be effective one individual it might not be helpful or appropriate for another. The trauma trained professional understands that trauma is experienced differently. Trauma occurs on an individual level and systemic level. Traumas that occur on the individual level may intersect with socio-cultural issues such as poverty, deprivation, including resource deprivation, poverty, and sociocultural related traumas including, religious, ancestral and cultural traumas. Building a sense of safety and connection is integral to engaging in trauma work. As a CCTP, I recognize the importance of meeting you, the client wherever you are on your life journey. I use micro and meta skills to best meet your needs and to shift my interventions appropriately.
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
An evidence-based therapy used to process and desensitize traumatic memories by using bilateral stimulation. EMDR helps the brain reprocess unresolved trauma, reducing its emotional charge and enabling adaptive resolution.
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Multichannel Eye Movement Integration (MEMI)
MEMI is a trauma therapy that uses a gentle, structured approach with guided eye movements to help clients process trauma and ease symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and distress.
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TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
An integrative therapy designed to help children, adolescents, and their parents overcome the impact of traumatic experiences. It combines trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral techniques.
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TBRI® (Trust-Based Relational Intervention)
A holistic, attachment-based, and trauma-informed intervention designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children.
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Trauma Model Therapy (Dr. Colin Ross)
A treatment model specifically designed for trauma-related disorders, emphasizing dissociation, attachment trauma, and identity fragmentation. This approach is often used in complex trauma and dissociative identity work.
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CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
A structured, goal-oriented therapy that focuses on identifying and challenging distorted thoughts and behaviors. CBT is useful for treating depression, anxiety, and trauma-related symptoms.
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Strengths-Based Therapy
An approach that emphasizes client strengths, resilience, and internal resources rather than focusing solely on pathology.
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Mindfulness-Based Practices
Grounding techniques, breathing practices, and awareness training to cultivate present-moment awareness and reduce emotional reactivity.
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Somatic Interventions
Body-based practices that support nervous system regulation and release trauma stored in the body. These include grounding, breath work, and movement.
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IFS (Internal Family Systems) / Parts Work
IFS is a compassionate model that explores the internal system of 'parts' that protect and respond to trauma. Clients work to understand their protectors and access their core Self to bring healing and balance to the system.
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DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
A skills-based therapy that blends mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT supports individuals with emotional dysregulation, self-harm urges, and relationship difficulties.
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EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique - Tapping)
A body-based technique involving tapping on acupressure points while focusing on emotional distress. EFT calms the nervous system and reduces the intensity of traumatic or triggering thoughts.
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Other Interventions
We offer experiential tools including bibliotherapy, art therapy, Gestalt chair work, and the Anger Wall process—a guided exploration of anger, sadness, and empowerment for deeper emotional insight.
Are You Ready?
If you are motivated for treatment and ready to do the work — I’m your therapist. Let’s begin your journey of self-discovery, healing, and growth.