Vanessa Simmons

Vanessa Simmons, LPC, SEP, RPT, TCTSY-F is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and EMDRIA Approved Basic Training Trainer based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Her clinical work with adults focuses on developmental and complex trauma, including attachment wounds, preverbal experiences, relational trauma, and early medical trauma. Her perspective is informed by more than a decade of providing play therapy, which continues to shape her understanding of how early experiences influence our sense of safety, connection, and relationship throughout the lifespan.

As a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner with Level 1 training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) through the IFS Institute, Vanessa brings a body-aware, integrative perspective to EMDR therapy. She draws on these approaches, along with Flash Technique, Sand Therapy, and Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), to support a thoughtful integration of somatic awareness and other therapeutic perspectives within the eight phases of EMDR.

Vanessa is the founder of Meadow Grove Counseling, a trauma-focused private practice, and Embodied Wisdom Institute, a wellness community offering non-clinical, trauma-informed practices, including Reiki and sound therapy.

Whether you are exploring getting trained in EMDR or seeking consultation as you integrate EMDR into your clinical practice, Vanessa welcomes your questions, curiosity, and evolving understanding. Her consultation style is warm, collaborative, and grounded in respect for each clinician’s experience, clinical judgment, and learning process. She offers space to explore the nuances of EMDR, consider how trauma may be experienced in the body and in relationship, and develop greater confidence in working thoughtfully and responsively with the people in your care.