Our Training Team

Kara Nossardi, M.A., LMFT (she, her) is the Director of Training and Founder of EMDR Education and Training Center (EETC), an Approved Consultant and Practicum Supervisor at Sonoma Psychotherapy Institute, as well as a founding Practicum Facilitator for the EMDR Center of Southern California (ECSC). Kara has been a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist since 2014 and currently practices in California and Colorado, where she specializes in using attachment-focused EMDR Therapy in the treatment of complex Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), depression, and anxiety. Kara is an EMDRIA Approved Trainer, Approved Consultant, and Certified EMDR Therapist. Kara’s skill and passion in providing EMDR training and consultation is accentuated by her previous career as a college-level academician.

To learn more about the professional services Kara offers, please visit her private practice website at www.karanossardi.com.

Dena Robertson Blackford, LMFT is a Certified EMDR Therapist, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, Practicum Supervisor at Sonoma Psychotherapy Institute, and an EMDRIA Approved Virtual Trainer in EMDR Therapy. Dena was trained in EMDR in 2013, and has been in private practice in El Dorado Hills, California (outside of Sacramento) since that time. Dena specializes in treating adults with anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress.

To learn more about her professional services, please visit www.denarobertson.com

Christina Narensky is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, an EMDRIA Approved Consultant (AC), and is Certified in EMDR Therapy. Christina has been in private practice in Alameda, CA since 2014, where she provides trauma-informed care for a variety of clinical concerns in her work with adolescents, adults and families. Christina has a special interest in working with underserved populations, post traumatic stress, and supporting people through difficult changes (e.g., becoming a parent, new diagnoses, moves, starting high school) and problem behaviors (self-injury, procrastination, etc.).  Christina has a background in community mental health, school-based counseling, and juvenile justice, and brings her experience as both a collegiate and post-graduate instructor, and as a clinical supervisor with EETC.

To learn more about the professional services Christina offers, including therapy and EMDR consultation, please visit her website at www.drchristinanarensky.com.

Brenda Frechette is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in both California and Arizona. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant (AC), a Certified EMDR Therapist, and has a private practice in Solano County, California. Brenda has worked in community mental health for over 40 years, specializing in psychiatric crisis, addiction, and complex trauma treatment. Brenda has also been a graduate school instructor for the past twenty years in the California Bay Area. Currently, she specializes in working with first responders in her private practice. Brenda’s therapeutic style is primarily phenomenological, with training in hypnosis, cognitive behavioral, sensorimotor, somatic experiencing, as well as EMDR Therapy.

To learn more about Brenda’s professional  background and services, including therapy and consultation, please visit her website at www.themindfulcenter.org.

To learn more about the professional services Jane offers, including therapy and EMDR consultation, please visit her website at janewinchell.com.

Merissa Mathews, LCSW is a Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant in Training (CIT). Merissa has a private practice in San Diego and Murrieta, California, where she specializes in using EMDR to treat complex trauma; working with the LGBTQIA+ community; and helping clients navigate relationship challenges. Merissa has experience working with foster children and families, and as Director of Operations in addiction treatment facilities. Merissa’s therapeutic style is based in attachment, parts work, psychoanalysis, and DBT. 

To learn more about Merissa’s professional background and services, please visit her website at www.merissamathews.com

Jenny Watt, M.A., RCC is an EMDRIA-Approved Consultant and a Certified EMDR Therapist who has been in private practice since 2012 in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is the founder of EMDR Therapy Group where she provides consultations to EMDR-trained therapists, supervises Master’s level Practicum Students, and works with clients who desire to heal from painful experiences. Prior to private practice, Jenny worked with marginalized children and their parents in non-profit settings, where she discovered the importance of trauma and resiliency-informed practice, and became dedicated to trauma work.

Jenny is excited to join the EMDR Education and Training Center as a Consultation Facilitator and share her passion in supporting therapists become confident and skilled EMDR Therapists.

To learn more about Jenny’s professional background and services, including therapy and consultation, please visit her website at https://jennywatt.ca

Amanda Santarossa, R.Psych is a Registered Psychologist in Alberta, Canada, and an EMDRIA Consultant-in-Training. Amanda works in private practice with adolescents, adults, and families. As a counselor, she provides support to clients with anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem concerns, and challenges with parenting. Amanda’s therapeutic style is grounded in psychodynamic, attachment, and cognitive behavioral therapy. She has a special interest in forensic psychology, neuropsychology, and working with first responders and front-line workers.

To learn more about Amanda’s professional background and services, including therapy and consultation, please visit her website at https://www.icanheal.ca

Brett Ryan, M.A., LMFT is a Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant-in-Training (CIT). Brett has a private practice in Corona, California where he specializes in using EMDR Therapy to treat first responders and military personnel. Brett is also an ICEEFT trained EFT Therapist and works with couples through affair recovery, as well as general marriage difficulties. As a clinician, Brett’s therapeutic style is based in attachment theory.

Additionally, Brett has served as an Adjunct Professor at Azusa Pacific University and California Baptist University where he taught graduate-level courses in psychobiology, moral identity formation, interdisciplinary integration, and psychotherapy. 

To learn more about Brett’s professional background and services, please visit his website at www.brettryancounseling.com.