Hi! I'm Taana Abbitt, LCSW (she/her)

I graduated with a master's degree in Clinical Social Work from Radford University in 2001.

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from Virginia Tech, in 1997. 

I have been licensed to practice social work since 2007. It required a master's degree from an accredited program and passing a rigorous national licensing exam and background check. 

Since 2018, I have been licensed to practice clinical social work independently by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. This is the highest level of practice in our discipline. It required providing 3200 hours of direct services to clients over a two year period and being supervised, and passing a second even harder national licensing exam. 

As a therapist, I walk a line between sharing enough so my clients feel understood, but not so much that I shift the focus onto me. I've had 12 cumulative years of therapy over my life, so I am living proof that good therapy helps us get better. 

As a human, I do not put myself on a pedestal and pretend to be better than anyone else. I have gained humility, clarity, openness, and self-acceptance through facing my own problems and having treatment for them. All of us have wounds and trauma, the choice we each have is whether to face it or continue to let it devastate our lives and poison our happiness and peace of mind. 

Being a therapy client has also helped me learn from the inside out what kinds of therapy cause big changes and shifts and can resolve trauma, and which do not. I had to change and grow a lot to resolve my problems, and I hope to support you in doing the same. 

Experiencing childhood trauma motivates a lot of people to become therapists, but not all therapists do their own work to resolve their trauma. A therapist's unresolved issues can interfere with your therapy process, and limit your growth with them. You will see and hear my authenticity as we work together, and I hope it will benefit you, too. 

As humans, we are all different, but I have lived experience with the following issues, and with addressing them in therapy:

Attention Deficit Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Eating disorders 

Body dysmorphia

Anxiety through life stages - childhood, adolescent, and adult

Childhood emotional neglect

Childhood abuse

Being bullied at school 

Growing up with a parent with unresolved trauma/mental health issues

Experiencing the early death of a parent

Navigating Family members with personality disorder traits and addiction

Dealing with bullying by workplace narcissists 

Repeating family of origin patterns in choosing partners

Codependence

Feeling like I don't belong

Feeling like I don't matter

Feeling not good enough

A vicious inner critical voice

Relationship problems

Divorce

Dating after a divorce

The dynamics of blended families

I have 23 (and counting) years of clinical experience since completing graduate school. My experience includes providing Emergency Room Psychiatric evaluations, Inpatient treatment, Residential treatment, Partial hospitalization, Intensive Outpatient and Outpatient therapy. I have served in various roles; as a primary therapist, a psychiatric crisis evaluator, and a program director. As a program director, I managed other behavioral health employees and performed audits of other therapist's work. 

Over the years, I have worked with thousands of people with anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma of every kind, relationship problems, ADHD, OCD, adjustment disorders, psychotic disorders, compulsive behaviors, eating disorders, addictions, complicated grief, people on the autism spectrum, LGBTQIA+ folx, and people working to recover from unhealthy and/or abusive relationships. I have worked with people both short-term and long-term. 

Over the past 10+ years, I have specialized in treating people with trauma. I find helping people free themselves from the heavy burdens they are carrying, and to feel connected and grounded in the present, to be incredibly rewarding. I especially love the opportunity to guide people into healing their relationship with themselves. 

I also have extensive experience over the past 10 years working with hundreds of people with the full range of eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, emotional eating, atypical anorexia, and orthorexia. Although I don't take on clients with active restricting or binging and purging at the outpatient level of care, I having a deep understanding of the underlying issues and what it takes to heal into true recovery. 

In addition to my graduate degree, clinical experience over the past 23 years, and license to diagnose and treat mental health conditions independently in the state of Arizona, I have had many incredible opportunities to receive training by experts in the fields of trauma and eating disorders such as Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk, Dr. Laurel Parnell, Dr. Julie Annè Zeig, and Dr. Pat Ogden. Just to name a few! 

I have received over 200 hours of training and consultation in using EMDR, and continuously pursue additional EMDR training to add to my tools. I have the basic 40 hour training in standard protocol EMDR and 10 hours of supervision, as well as an additional 76 hours of training in Attachment Focused EMDR and 20 hours of consultation with Dr. Laurel Parnell. I have also had invaluable advanced training in using EMDR with ego-states and parts of the self, from great leaders in the field such as Dr. Roger Solomon, Deany Laliotis, and Susan Brown. I have been trained in the DETUR Urge Reduction protocol for addictive and compulsive behaviors by Kristen Garubba, and in basic Internal Family Systems by Dr. Frank G. Anderson. 

I have used EMDR therapy as a primary modality for the past 10 years with the majority of my clients and have found it to be a very effective tool for a wide variety of problems. I am super passionate about EMDR, and hope to have the chance to help you see how effective and amazing it can be! I am currently working on EMDR certification. 

I am also currently training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. I am very excited at the tremendous potential for change I am seeing in practicing this therapy with clients. 

Overall, I use an attachment informed and trauma informed, psychodynamic model of human development to explore and find the root causes of problems, so they can be addressed. This is a different approach than superficial, insurance-driven therapies such as CBT and DBT, and leads to lasting healing, growth and change. 

Clients are often referred to me by other therapists, because common forms of therapy are not effective for them. 

I am an open-minded and collaborative therapist. My approach is client-centered in the tradition of Carl Rogers. This means I allow clients to lead the therapy process with their concerns, their needs, and their goals. 

I have invested tens of thousands of dollars in the highest quality advanced training, supervision, and consultation over the years. Having so much high-quality training has given me a very firm grasp on the theories and process of healing. This allows me to be flexible and creative with the therapy techniques I use, adapting and making them work for YOU! I continue to engage in high-quality trainings that have clinical merit. 

The therapy relationship matters the most out of all these factors...I utilize unconditional positive regard which means I accept and care for you as you are, and I am not judgmental or shaming. I help you to see your strengths and positive qualities. I am fully engaged and listening closely in our therapy sessions and will offer my feedback, thoughts, and suggestions. I also use empathy, which is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and relate to their experience so they feel heard and understood. 

This approach helps to create an emotionally safe therapy relationship and conditions that allow change. I am a collaborator in your journey to a happier, more present life free of old negative beliefs, reactions, or the need to numb yourself. I bring professional expertise and knowledge as well as evidence-based techniques to facilitate the changes you are looking for.