Colleen Short (She/Her)

Hi, I’m Colleen (She/Her/Hers)—a nerdy, neurodivergent Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 14 years of experience in mental health care. I’m passionate about creating a safe, affirming space for individuals and partnerships that don’t fit neatly into society’s boxes. Whether you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community, navigating polyamory, or exploring kink or alternative lifestyles, I’m here to help you feel seen, understood, and supported. I specialize in EMDR, DBT, and family and relationship therapy, working with individuals and partners to address PTSD, complex PTSD, developmental and generational trauma, communication challenges, conflict, and other mental health concerns. My approach is trauma-informed and person-centered, providing a compassionate, nonjudgmental space for processing life experiences, breaking generational patterns, and building healthier coping strategies for lasting growth and healing. As an EMDR therapist, I focus on helping you heal from the complexities of trauma and the impact of past experiences on your daily life. My inclusive, trauma-informed approach supports your journey of identity, gender, relationships, and sexuality. Together, we’ll explore a variety of therapeutic tools—interwoven with humor, analogies, and pop-culture references—to foster meaningful healing and growth. I believe therapy is a partnership, where we work side by side to explore deeper healing. By addressing mental, cultural, spiritual, and physical aspects of your life, we’ll take a holistic approach to help you align with your authentic self. Taking the first step toward healing can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here to offer compassionate guidance and practical techniques to support your journey. Wherever you are starting from, your whole self is welcome here. The what’s what of therapy Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) EMDR is a trauma-focused psychotherapy that helps individuals process and heal from distressing memories and experiences. It uses guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation to reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories, allowing the brain to reprocess them in a healthier way. EMDR is based on the idea that unresolved trauma can get "stuck" in the brain, leading to emotional and psychological difficulties. By targeting these memories, EMDR helps reduce symptoms like anxiety, flashbacks, and negative beliefs, promoting emotional resilience and mental well-being. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) DBT is an evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help individuals regulate emotions, improve interpersonal relationships, and develop healthy coping strategies. Originally created to treat borderline personality disorder, DBT is now widely used for conditions like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance use. It combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness practices to help clients balance acceptance and change. DBT focuses on four key skill areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, empowering individuals to manage intense emotions and navigate life's challenges more effectively. Family and relationship therapy Family and relationship therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on improving communication, resolving conflicts, and strengthening connections within families and partnerships. It views relationships as central to individual well-being and works to identify patterns of behavior, communication, or dynamics that may contribute to tension or dysfunction. By creating a safe, neutral space, therapists help individuals and groups address issues such as trust, boundaries, roles, or unresolved conflict. This therapy fosters understanding, promotes healthier interactions, and empowers families or couples to work collaboratively toward long-term emotional health and harmony. What does that even mean? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) PTSD is a mental health condition that develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as abuse, violence, accidents, or natural disasters. Symptoms include intrusive memories or flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, emotional numbness, avoidance of trauma reminders, and difficulty concentrating. PTSD can also cause irritability, sleep disturbances, and feelings of guilt or detachment. These symptoms persist for more than a month, significantly impacting daily functioning and emotional well-being. Treatment typically involves therapies like EMDR, CBT, or medication to help individuals process trauma and regain a sense of safety and control. Complex trauma (C-PTSD), Developmental trauma and Generational trauma Complex trauma results from repeated or prolonged exposure to harmful experiences, such as abuse, neglect, or chronic instability, often occurring in early life when individuals are most vulnerable. Unlike single-event trauma, complex trauma impacts emotional regulation, self-identity, and relationships, as it disrupts critical developmental processes. This can lead to symptoms such as emotional dysregulation, dissociation, trust issues, and persistent feelings of shame or unworthiness. Complex trauma is closely tied to developmental and generational trauma. Developmental trauma refers to the impact of adverse experiences during formative years, such as inconsistent caregiving or unmet emotional needs, which shape an individual's emotional and psychological foundation. Generational trauma occurs when unresolved trauma is passed down through behaviors, beliefs, and family dynamics. For example, a parent’s unresolved trauma may manifest as emotional unavailability or overcontrol, which impacts a child’s sense of safety and attachment. Together, these forms of trauma create cycles that can perpetuate emotional pain across generations unless addressed through healing and therapeutic interventions. Codependency Codependency is a behavioral and emotional pattern where an individual prioritizes the needs, feelings, or problems of others over their own, often to the detriment of their well-being. It typically involves an excessive reliance on validation from others and a sense of self-worth tied to caregiving or fixing others' issues. Common traits of codependency include difficulty setting boundaries, fear of rejection or abandonment, low self-esteem, and a need for control in relationships. This dynamic often develops in relationships with individuals who struggle with addiction, mental illness, or other challenges, perpetuating unhealthy cycles of enabling and dependency. Polyamory (Poly) and ethical non-monogamy (ENM) Poly and ENM are relationship models that involve consensual, non-exclusive connections, but they differ in focus and scope. Polyamory is a specific form of ENM that centers on having multiple romantic or emotionally intimate relationships simultaneously, with the knowledge and consent of all involved. Polyamorous relationships often emphasize deep emotional bonds, long-term commitments, and open communication about feelings and boundaries. Ethical non-monogamy is a broader umbrella term that includes various consensual arrangements beyond monogamy, such as open relationships, swinging, or casual dating. Unlike polyamory, which prioritizes emotional and romantic connections, ENM may focus on sexual exploration or other types of non-exclusive interactions without necessarily involving deep emotional intimacy. The key distinction is that while all polyamorous relationships are a form of ENM, not all ENM relationships are polyamorous. Both prioritize honesty, consent, and respect among all participants. Kink and Diverse sexuality Kink refers to lifestyle, sexual preferences, practices, or fantasies that go beyond traditional notions of sex and intimacy. These can include activities such as bondage, dominance and submission (BDSM), role-playing, fetishes, and power dynamics, among others. Kink is practiced consensually, with clear communication, negotiation, and boundaries to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants. It prioritizes mutual consent, informed decision-making, and respect, emphasizing the importance of trust and understanding within the dynamic. Diverse sexuality is a broader concept encompassing the wide range of sexual orientations, preferences, identities, and practices that kick rocks to societal norms. It includes everything from LGBTQIA+ identities to preferences for consensual non-monogamy, kink, or other expressions of sexual individuality. Diverse sexuality acknowledges that human sexual expression is multifaceted and fluid, encouraging acceptance and validation of different ways people connect and express intimacy. Both kink and diverse sexuality challenge stigmas, fostering open dialogue about pleasure, identity, and consent.