Michelle Burkett Therapy and Consulting
Dr. Michelle Burkett, PhD, LPC-S, NCC
Certified EMDR Therapist & Intensive EMDR Practitioner
Michelle Burkett Therapy and Consulting
Dr. Michelle Burkett, PhD, LPC-S, NCC
Certified EMDR Therapist & Intensive EMDR Practitioner
With 25 years of experience working with occupational stress and cumulative stress, I provide evidence-based EMDR therapy to help first responders, healthcare workers, child welfare professionals, athletes, and professionals in high-stress positions heal and reclaim their lives.
My understanding of high-stress, high-stakes work isn't just academic—it's personal. Early in my career, I worked directly in crisis intervention, forensic interviewing, and the investigation of child crimes. My work included time with a juvenile treatment center, Child Protective Services, and a Children's Advocacy Center, and I served on multi-disciplinary teams in both civilian and military settings, experiencing firsthand the profound toll of vicarious trauma that comes with this essential work.
This experience became the foundation of my doctoral research. My PhD dissertation, titled "Adverse Childhood Experiences and Moral Injury in Law Enforcement and Child Welfare Professionals Exposed to Work-Related Vicarious Trauma," examined the intersection of personal history and occupational exposure—exploring how those who protect others often carry their own unprocessed experiences while absorbing the trauma of those they serve.
This combination of direct field experience and rigorous research gives me a unique perspective. I don't just understand the theory of occupational stress—I've lived it. I know what it means to carry the weight of others' suffering, to make high-stakes decisions under pressure, and to navigate the complex emotional landscape of work that demands you witness the worst of humanity while maintaining your own wellbeing.
My connection to this work runs deeper still. I know childhood adversity not only as a clinician who studies it, but as someone who has lived it. I understand, personally, what it means to carry the weight of early experiences and to do the work of healing. And, as the spouse of a retired law enforcement officer with 30 years of service, I have also seen from an external perspective the toll this work takes, both on those who serve and on the families beside them. This is not work I approach from a distance. It is work I understand from the inside.
My ties to those who serve run through my own family. I am the granddaughter of a World War II Army Air Corps veteran, and a sister, daughter, wife, and friend to others who have worn the uniform. Service, and the weight it carries, is part of my own lived experience not only through what I have faced myself, but through those I love who have served.
Whether you're a first responder, investigator, healthcare or child welfare professional, or in any role that exposes you to the trauma of others, I understand not only the clinical symptoms you're experiencing, but the lived reality behind them. This is why my work focuses on providing efficient, effective treatment that honors both your strength and your humanity.
Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency personnel facing occupational stress and critical incident exposure.
Physicians, nurses, therapists, medical professionals, and child welfare professionals experiencing compassion fatigue and secondary stress.
Executives, attorneys, athletes, and professionals in high-stakes positions dealing with chronic stress and performance anxiety.
While I specialize in supporting those in high-stress roles, I welcome anyone healing from trauma or difficult life experiences. I also understand that first responders, child welfare workers, and healthcare professionals encounter those in crisis every day—if someone you've helped needs deeper support, I welcome your referral. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer is a trusted place to send them.
With a quarter-century of experience working with high-functioning professionals, I understand the unique challenges faced by those in high-stress, high-stakes professions. You've dedicated your life to serving others, often at great personal cost. Now it's time to invest in your own healing.
My approach integrates trauma-informed care with evidence-based therapy, creating a safe and effective path to recovery. I recognize that professionals in demanding roles need flexible, efficient treatment options that respect your time constraints while delivering meaningful results.
Whether you're struggling with PTSD, burnout, compassion fatigue, or the cumulative impact of chronic stress exposure, intensive EMDR therapy can help you process challenging experiences and restore your sense of wellbeing—often in just days or weeks rather than months or years.
Traditional weekly therapy can take months or years to achieve meaningful change. Intensive EMDR therapy offers an accelerated path to healing, allowing you to process difficult experiences and reclaim your life in a fraction of the time.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) intensives are concentrated therapy sessions that typically span multiple consecutive hours or days, rather than traditional weekly hour-long appointments. This format allows for deeper processing of stressful experiences and faster symptom relief.
Achieve in days what might take months in traditional weekly therapy.
Extended sessions allow you to fully engage with the therapeutic process without interruption.
Ideal for busy professionals who can't commit to weekly appointments.
Immersive format creates momentum and allows for profound therapeutic breakthroughs.
My intensive EMDR programs are designed to offer relief and results faster than the traditional weekly session model allows. Each intensive is thoughtfully structured to maximize your time and healing:
A comprehensive consultation to understand your history, identify treatment targets, and develop a customized plan tailored to your specific goals.
A roadmap designed around your unique needs, whether processing specific incidents, addressing performance blocks, or working through cumulative stress.
Extended, uninterrupted sessions that allow you to reach deeper levels of processing without the stop-and-start of weekly appointments.
Tools and techniques to help you integrate your progress and maintain your gains long after the intensive ends.
Post-intensive check-in to ensure your continued success and address any questions as you apply your insights to daily life.
Research and clinical experience demonstrate that intensive EMDR formats offer significant advantages over traditional weekly therapy. Extended sessions allow clients to reach deeper levels of processing without the interruption of returning to daily life between appointments.
Intensive formats can range from extended single-day sessions to multi-day programs, each customized to meet individual needs and treatment goals. This flexibility makes intensive EMDR particularly well-suited for busy professionals who need effective treatment that fits their demanding schedules.
Studies indicate that concentrated treatment can achieve comparable or superior outcomes to traditional weekly therapy in significantly less calendar time, with high completion rates and sustained symptom relief. The immersive nature of intensive work allows for momentum that accelerates the healing process.
Intensive EMDR therapy is a premium, personalized service, with programs ranging from focused half-day sessions to comprehensive multi-day intensives. Each is tailored to your specific goals, and pricing reflects the concentrated expertise and accelerated outcomes this specialized treatment provides.
Rather than a one-size-fits-all fee, I'll work with you to determine the format that best fits your needs. Detailed pricing information is available upon request—please reach out and I'll be glad to walk you through the options.
Want to learn more about EMDR therapy and how it works?
Learn About EMDR from EMDRIAWhatever brings you to intensive EMDR, the work begins in the same place: the past. EMDR is built around a simple recognition—that our present struggles and our future goals are both shaped by what we've already lived through. Experiences leave an imprint, and that imprint influences how we feel, how we react, and how fully we can show up today. Intensive EMDR works by reprocessing those past experiences so they no longer hold the same grip on the present—or stand in the way of what's ahead. The method is the same. What differs is where you want it to take you.
For those carrying the weight of critical incidents, cumulative stress, or difficult experiences, the goal is to loosen the hold of the past—to move through the days without the intrusion of what came before, and to feel like themselves again. This is the healing path: reprocessing what happened so it stops living in the present.
For high performers—executives, surgeons, athletes, and professionals in demanding roles—the barrier often isn't a single event but the accumulated residue of past criticism, setbacks, or pressure that quietly limits what they're capable of now. Reprocessing those roots clears the hesitation, self-doubt, and stress-reactivity that stand between a capable person and their fullest potential. This is the peak performance path: freeing up the cognitive and emotional bandwidth to operate with confidence, composure, and clarity.
The same reprocessing that heals the past is what unlocks the future. Whether you're seeking to feel whole again or to reach higher than you have before, the path runs through the same door—and I'll help you walk it toward wherever you're headed.
Beyond individual therapy, I provide consultation services to agencies and organizations committed to supporting their employees' mental health and wellbeing.
Organizations that employ first responders, healthcare workers, child welfare professionals, and high-stress professionals face unique challenges in maintaining workforce resilience. I partner with agencies to develop comprehensive support programs that address occupational stress and prevent burnout.
My doctorate in Psychology, Public Policy and Law brings a distinct advantage to this work. This interdisciplinary background means I understand not only the clinical dimensions of occupational stress, but also the legal, policy, and organizational contexts in which first-responder and law enforcement agencies operate—allowing me to design support programs that fit the real-world realities your organization navigates.
Design customized employee support programs tailored to your organization's specific needs and culture.
Consultation following critical incidents to support affected personnel and promote organizational recovery.
Workshops for leadership on recognizing signs of occupational stress and creating supportive environments.
Evidence-based recommendations for policies and practices that support long-term employee mental health.
Whether you're looking to implement proactive wellness initiatives, respond to a critical incident, or enhance existing support services, I bring extensive experience and a deep understanding of the challenges facing high-stress organizations.
I'm passionate about supporting other clinicians in expanding their skills and serving their clients well. I offer two key services for mental health professionals:
Are you working toward your EMDR certification? I provide consultation to therapists seeking to deepen their EMDR skills and meet the consultation requirements for EMDRIA certification.
As an experienced and certified EMDR practitioner, I offer guidance, case consultation, and support as you develop confidence and competence in delivering EMDR therapy to your clients.
Do you have clients who would benefit from intensive EMDR work, but you're not able to offer that format? I welcome referrals for intensive EMDR support.
Your client receives focused, accelerated intensive treatment with me, then returns to you—their established therapist—to continue their ongoing care. This collaborative approach ensures your clients get specialized intensive support while maintaining their valued therapeutic relationship with you.
Interested in consultation or establishing a referral relationship? Send me a message and I'd love to connect.