About Vanessa Simmons, LPC, SEP (she/her)
Warm, steady, and unhurried care for what you've been carrying.
Vanessa Simmons is a trauma therapist offering private, five-day EMDR and somatic therapy intensives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for women who hold a lot for others and sense that something hasn't yet moved.
Who she works with
For the woman who holds a great deal, and is less practiced at being held.
You may be the one others turn to at work, at home, and in every room you walk into. You do it well, and in many ways it has served you.
What it costs is harder to see: the vigilance that never fully turns off, reading the temperature of a room without deciding to, the difficulty receiving care without wondering what's expected in return. You may have explained all of this to a therapist, and explained it well. What you're looking for now is something that can reach the place where it actually lives.
- Women in caregiving, leadership, and helping professions, including healthcare and corporate leaders
- People who have done meaningful prior therapy or self-reflection and sense something specific hasn't moved
- Those curious about EMDR or somatic work who want an unhurried, well-prepared introduction
- People traveling from a distance, or whose schedules make weekly therapy hard
While much of her work is with women, Vanessa welcomes clients of every gender, sexual orientation, and relationship structure. Every part of who you are is welcome here.
Her approach
She holds the structure, so you don't have to.
Vanessa pairs EMDR, which helps the brain reprocess memories that never fully settled, with Somatic Experiencing, which helps the body release what it's still bracing against. Together they can reach places that understanding alone often can't.
Around that core she weaves Internal Family Systems, Deep Brain Reorienting, sand therapy, and sound for nervous system support, always responding to what your system is ready for in the moment. Nothing is rushed toward an agenda.
What Vanessa understands
- Being capable and being at peace are two different things, and many people have spent years mastering the first while quietly carrying the distance from the second.
- The patterns hardest to change are usually the ones that formed earliest and made the most sense at the time. They're the nervous system doing exactly what it learned to do.
- Insight is real and valuable. Knowing where something comes from doesn't always change how the body responds in the moment, and that's where body-based work can help.
Her background
Personal familiarity, alongside clinical training.
Vanessa is a Black woman with a bicultural background, born in the United States and raised in Germany. She brings personal as well as clinical familiarity to work involving racial and collective trauma, ancestral trauma, identity, and belonging.
This can be a particular fit for women in healthcare and corporate leadership, therapists and helping professionals, and people in caregiving roles who are carrying more than their own history alone. What you carry may not have begun with you, and here it can be held with that understanding.
For therapists and helping professionals
Your own work, held with discretion.
Many of the people who come here are therapists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Doing personal work outside your professional network, with someone who understands the clinical and relational dynamics involved, is both ethically sound and clinically wise. Vicarious trauma and the particular pressures of the helping professions are well understood here.
Clinicians seeking consultation can explore EMDR consultation, and referring therapists can visit the referral page.
A note on readiness
Your first conversation is a space to sense together whether this work and this format feel right for you now, and whether working together feels like a good fit. You're welcome to take your time. If something doesn't feel aligned, in either direction, we can talk through what might suit you better.
Verified EMDRIA credentials
For your peace of mind.
Vanessa holds three of EMDRIA's credentials, including Approved Trainer, which means she teaches EMDR basic training to other licensed clinicians. Select any badge to view her verified credentials.
You can also view her full EMDRIA credential wallet, and verify her Pennsylvania license through the Pennsylvania Licensing System.
Credentials and training
Degree and licensure
- MS in Clinical Psychology, Millersville University of Pennsylvania
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Pennsylvania
Certifications
- EMDRIA Certified Therapist™
- EMDRIA Approved Consultant™
- EMDRIA Approved Trainer™, EMDR Basic Training
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), Somatic Experiencing International
- Registered Play Therapist (RPT), Association for Play Therapy
- Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator
Advanced training
- Deep Brain Reorienting, Levels 1 and 2
- EMDR Sandtray Specialist Intensive Program, AGATE Institute
- Foundational and advanced sand therapy trainings
- Internal Family Systems Therapy, IFS Institute, Level 1
- Interpersonal Neurobiology, Mindsight Institute (36 hours)
- Touch Skills Training for Trauma Therapists, Modules 1 to 3 (Kathy L. Kain, PhD)
- Filial Therapy Intensive Training (Dr. Rise VanFleet)
- Intensive Trauma-Focused Therapy Training, Trauma Institute & Child Trauma Institute
- Trauma-Informed Care, Drexel University College of Medicine (50 hours)
Questions about Vanessa
What people often want to know.
Who is Vanessa Simmons?
Vanessa Simmons, LPC, SEP, is a trauma therapist at Meadow Grove Counseling in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She offers private 5-day EMDR and somatic therapy intensives and specializes in developmental and attachment trauma, especially for women in caregiving, helping, and leadership roles.
What are Vanessa's credentials?
Vanessa is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania with an MS in Clinical Psychology from Millersville University. She is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and EMDRIA Approved Trainer for EMDR basic training, as well as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) and Registered Play Therapist (RPT). She is also trained in Deep Brain Reorienting, Internal Family Systems, and sand therapy.
Why does Vanessa combine EMDR and Somatic Experiencing?
EMDR helps the brain reprocess memories that never fully settled, and Somatic Experiencing helps the body release survival responses it's still holding. Used together, they can reach patterns that insight and talk therapy alone often can't.
Does Vanessa work with therapists and other helping professionals?
Yes. Many of the people who come to Meadow Grove are therapists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Doing personal work outside your own professional network is both ethically sound and clinically wise, and that work is held with care and discretion.
Does Vanessa work with people of all genders and identities?
Yes. While much of her work is with women, Vanessa welcomes clients of every gender, sexual orientation, and relationship structure. Every part of who you are is welcome here.
Does Vanessa have experience with racial and collective trauma?
Yes. Vanessa is a Black woman with a bicultural background, born in the United States and raised in Germany. She brings personal as well as clinical familiarity to work involving racial and collective trauma, ancestral trauma, identity, and belonging.
How can I verify Vanessa's credentials?
Her EMDRIA credentials can be verified through her official EMDRIA credential wallet, and her Pennsylvania counseling license can be verified through the Pennsylvania Licensing System.
Curious about the format? See what the 5-day intensive includes. Traveling from out of state? See the Visiting Lancaster guide.
If her approach resonates, you're welcome to reach out.
A short, unhurried phone call to explore what brings you here and whether this is a good fit, with no pressure and no obligation.
If you're in crisis or don't feel safe right now, you can call or text 988 in the U.S. to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time of day.