Heidi McKinley, LPC · For Referring Therapists
Focused trauma work
To support ongoing therapy.
A short-term specialty referral for clients who are ready to work directly with a defined trauma target, attachment wound, or recurring activation.
EMDR / IFS for Trauma
This service is for clients who already have ongoing support or a therapist and need specialized trauma reprocessing.
I work with the treatment focus, and help the client bring what shifts back into the work they are already doing.
contact@heidimckinley.com
Heidi McKinley, LPC
Wisconsin & Louisiana · Telehealth
A specialty referral.
Identify the stuck point.
A traumatic memory, hypervigilence or fear, attachment anxiety and avoidance, freeze response, people pleasing, intense resentment, or other recurring activation that appears ready for more direct work.
Focused reprocessing.
Using EMDR, IFS, and attachment-informed trauma treatment, I work directly with the treatment focus while respecting readiness and protective structure.
Treatment concludes
length of treatment is determined on a case by case basis. Treatment may continue with a new target for continued work.
The number of sessions depends on the work. A single-incident trauma may move quickly; layered or relational trauma may require a longer or repeated focused course. In our consult we will discuss more what you can expect in terms of length of treatment. Everyone's system is different, and outcomes also depend on current support or stressors and the time, readiness, and energy someone has for this kind of work.
Clients who tend to do well here.
- Clients with whom you have already established relational safety, stabilization, and enough capacity to approach difficult material
- Clients who remain activated by a specific memory, incident, trauma network, attachment rupture, or recurring trigger
- Clients who understand the issue cognitively but continue to react somatically or emotionally as though the danger is present
- Clients whose protectors repeatedly interrupt or prevent direct trauma work in the current treatment frame
- Clients who may benefit from longer sessions and a narrower treatment focus
- Clients who understand that this is adjunctive, time-limited work rather than a new primary therapy relationship
Less likely to be a fit
Readiness and scope.
- Clients in acute crisis or requiring a higher level of care
- Clients who need a new ongoing primary therapist
- Clients who require substantial stabilization before trauma processing can begin.
- Clients with active psychosis, mania, or another condition that may significantly compromise safe participation
- Clients in early or unstable substance-use recovery
- Clients who have not yet developed enough continuity, trust, or self-observation in the primary therapy or other support networks relationships
Uncertain referrals are welcome. I would rather have a brief clinician-to-clinician conversation before the client invests in an assessment.
What your client can expect.
Private pay only. Superbills are available upon request. The client must be located in Wisconsin or Louisiana during sessions.
View the client-facing page →Collaboration
What supports the work
- Your client continues meeting with you throughout the focused course.
- A brief clinician consultation is available before referral.
- If it would feel supportive to the client for us to coordinate care, communication about additional stabilization and progress are available with client consent.
Considering a referral?
Let's think it through together.
I'm always happy to talk through a referral before your client reaches out. Whether you're wondering about fit, timing, readiness, or simply want another clinical perspective, feel free to reach out.
Focused Trauma Reprocessing · Telehealth in Wisconsin and Louisiana.
Ongoing therapist required · Collaboration available with written client consent.