About Kendhal

About Kendhal

Why I Do This Work

I became a therapist because I struggled with depression as a teenager and felt deeply alone and unsupported. For much of my life, I carried a sense of being different without having a clear language for why.

My exploration of autism began with my son, who was diagnosed first. As I moved through that process with him, I saw many of my own experiences reflected to me. For my 40th birthday, I received my own autism diagnosis. This is something I’m still unpacking as I learn more about what it means for me and how it has shaped my life, relationships, and work.

Throughout my training and professional life, I often found myself having to integrate complex material on my own when it wasn’t delivered in ways that matched how my brain processes information. I learned to adapt, compensate, and translate—skills that were hard-earned, sometimes exhausting, and ultimately formative. Over time, those experiences became the foundation of how I teach.

I’m deeply invested in bridging the gap between complex clinical models and how people actually learn. The way I teach is shaped by years of having to make sense of material without sufficient structure or support—and a commitment to doing better for others.

Who I Work With

I primarily work with clinicians.

Most of my clients, consultees, and students are therapists, trainers, and educators who want to deepen their clinical work, integrate EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS), or learn how to teach and consult more effectively.

You may be:

  • A clinician integrating EMDR and IFS in real-world practice

  • A therapist who wants more clarity, structure, and confidence

  • A trainer or educator seeking to make your teaching more accessible

  • A seasoned clinician feeling overwhelmed or under-supported

  • Someone who wants to deepen both your clinical skill and self-understanding

Even when I work with individuals in therapy or psychedelic preparation and integration, many of those clients are clinicians themselves. I’m comfortable naming that I am, in many ways, a therapist for therapists.

How I Approach My Work

In my work with you, I prioritize clarity, pacing, and choice.

You’ll notice that I:

  • Make expectations explicit

  • Slow things down when needed

  • Offer structure without rigidity

  • Translate complex material into usable clinical language

  • Respect different nervous systems and learning styles

  • Meet you where you are in your journey, not where you “should” be

Whether I’m providing therapy, consultation, or training, my goal is to help you become more of who you already are, with greater flexibility, confidence, and self-leadership.

I don’t believe in forcing people into models. I believe in adapting models to people.

Seeing Patterns, Translating Experience

I experience the world in a highly sensory way, which allows me to track emotional, somatic, relational, and cognitive information simultaneously. In clinical and consultation settings, this often shows up as an ability to hold the bigger picture, how different elements of a system fit together over time.

Because of my own learning history, I’m especially attentive to moments where clinicians feel overwhelmed, lost, or unsure how to organize what they’re noticing. I work to translate complexity into language, structure, and frameworks that are usable in real clinical work, without flattening or oversimplifying the material.

This ability supports my work in therapy, consultation, and teaching: taking lived, sensory experience and turning it into something that can be understood, taught, and applied with confidence.

Ways You Might Work With Me

You might work with me through:

Each offering is designed with accessibility, clarity, and depth in mind

Ongoing Work Matters

Being an effective therapist, consultant, and educator requires ongoing personal and professional work.

In addition to teaching and consultation, I continue to engage in regular clinical work with clients. Staying connected to direct clinical practice matters to me. It keeps my work grounded, relevant, and responsive to what’s actually happening in therapy rooms.

I’m also continually engaged in:

  • My own therapy

  • Peer consultation and collegial dialogue

  • Ongoing continuing education

  • Regular reflection with close friends (all of whom are also therapists!)

  • Psychedelic work, including psilocybin journeys twice a year, as part of my own self-study and integration

This ongoing learning isn’t an add-on; it’s central to how I show up in all areas of my work.

Professional Background & Credentials

My work is grounded in extensive clinical, teaching, and supervisory experience, including:

  • EMDRIA-Approved Consultant

  • EMDRIA-Approved Provider of EMDR Basic Training

  • IFS Institute Level 3 Trained

  • IFS Certified Therapist

  • IFS Institute-Approved Clinical Consultant

  • Doctorate in Psychology

  • Master's in Counseling

  • Advanced training in trauma and integrative treatment models

  • Over a decade of experience supervising and consulting with clinicians

  • International teaching experience across the U.S., Canada, and Europe

I am the author of Treating Trauma with EMDR and IFS: A Clinician’s Guide to Integrating Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy with Internal Family Systems published through New Harbinger.

What You Can Expect From Me

Whether you identify as neurodivergent, neurotypical, or haven’t spent much time thinking about how your mind works, my approach remains the same: to meet you where you are and help you make sense of what you’re experiencing.

I aim to create spaces where people feel seen, supported, and able to engage with complexity without feeling overwhelmed. My goal is to help you become more of who you want to be—clinically, professionally, and personally.

Why I Integrate EMDR and Internal Family Systems

My work is grounded in the thoughtful integration of EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS).

Together, these models offer both structure and flexibility, allowing therapists to work with trauma in a precise, paced, and responsive way to the client’s internal system. EMDR provides a robust framework for reprocessing. At the same time, IFS supports safety, consent, and readiness by honoring the protective roles that parts play.

When well integrated, EMDR and IFS support deeper healing, reduce overwhelm, and help clients build lasting internal trust and Self-leadership.

Learn more about my integrated EMDR + IFS approach

Something I’m So Excited to Share…

My first book is now available!

Treating Trauma with EMDR and IFS

This book has been a true labor of love – written for therapists who want to confidently integrate EMDR and IFS to support their clients’ healing. It’s the first full-length book dedicated to this integration, and I can’t wait for you to have it in your hands.

I wrote it to offer practical guidance, deep insights, and real-world application to help you show up for your clients with clarity, skill, and compassion.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me!

Therapy & Additional Support

While most of my work focuses on training, consulting, and professional development for clinicians, I also offer limited therapy-related services and referrals.

Therapy Intensives (Limited Availability)

In addition to training and consultation, I offer short-term EMDR + IFS therapy intensives, primarily for therapists seeking focused, depth-oriented personal work.

This work is time-limited and intentional, centered on specific parts of your system you want support with during this phase of your journey.

Availability is limited and assessed for fit.

Learn More about EMDR + IFS Therapy Intensives

Referrals for Ongoing Therapy

I am not currently accepting new clients for ongoing therapy. If you’re looking for continued therapeutic support, I’m happy to share referrals to trusted clinicians whose work I respect:

These clinicians are experienced, thoughtful, and aligned with the integrative work I value.

Psychedelic Preparation & Integration Support

I also offer psychedelic preparation and integration support for clinicians and non-clinicians who are engaging with or considering work with medicines such as ketamine, psilocybin, or MDMA.

These sessions are trauma-informed and grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR, with a focus on helping you engage your internal system with greater clarity, safety, and self-leadership.

Preparation sessions may support you in:

  • Clarifying intentions

  • Understanding and working with protective parts

  • Building internal resourcing before a journey

Integration sessions support you in:

  • Making sense of what emerged

  • Processing insights or difficult material

  • Integrating experiences into daily life in meaningful ways

I do not facilitate psychedelic journeys directly. My role is to support preparation and integration so that these experiences can be approached thoughtfully and integrated responsibly.

Learn More About Psychedelic Support

Featured Podcast Conversations

I’m regularly invited into conversations about EMDR, Internal Family Systems, trauma treatment, and clinician education.

If you’re interested in inviting me onto your podcast or into a speaking or training event, feel free to reach out.