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Discover how starting EMDR therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
As a veteran and counselor, I help service members, first responders, and their families make sense of what they’ve been through a...
About
As a veteran and counselor, I help service members, first responders, and their families make sense of what they’ve been through and take practical steps toward a life that reflects what matters most to them.
Hi, I'm Dr. Troy Pharis, a licensed professional counselor with over 10 years of experience and a doctoral degree in health science. For the past five years, my clinical work has focused on active-duty military, veterans, first responders, and their families—people who often carry high-stress experiences long after service ends. Having served 20 years myself, I understand life in uniform and aim to provide a space where you don't have to explain the basics to be understood. I typically work with clients who are dealing with trauma, stress, anxiety, irritability, difficulty adjusting, or feeling stuck with no momentum for change.
I primarily use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an action-oriented approach that helps you stop getting stuck and start moving toward what matters most to you. I also incorporate EMDR to help process past events that may still be impacting you. Clients can expect a laid-back, informal environment with real conversations and tools that actually work.
You don't have to have everything figured out to begin or even know where to start—if you're ready to move toward what matters most, I'm here to help you take that next step.
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As a woman who has spent a long time learning how to claim my authentic self to empower my personal choices, I use my own loss, gr...
As a woman who has spent a long time learning how to claim my authentic self to empower my personal choices, I use my own loss, grief, and trauma, as well as life changes, to witness my clients' truth and courage to choose their transformation.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with 27 years of experience helping children, adults, couples, and families navigate depression, anxiety, grief, ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder, and major life transitions. My goal is to provide compassionate and grounded support as clients explore their emotional patterns and rediscover their capacity for healing, growth, and connection in a safe, nonjudgmental space.
I earned a Master’s in Counseling from the University of South Carolina. I believe that healing begins with awareness and recognizing outdated coping mechanisms and learning new ways to respond that align with who you are today. My approach integrates cognitive behavioral therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.
I encourage clients to feel deeply without losing themselves in the process and to “feel everything, just don’t drown in it.” I believe healing is found in mindful presence, self-compassion, and consistency. I would be honored to walk beside you as you uncover your most authentic self and build a life rooted in strength, peace, and empowerment.
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
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Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a specialized psychotherapeutic approach that focuses on assisting individuals in processing traumatic memories, diminishing their emotional intensity, and facilitating the integration of the traumatic experience into their past, enabling them to progress in their lives. This process follows four steps: history-taking, preparing the client, assessing the target memory, and processing the memory and finding an adaptive resolution. After this, Thriveworks EMDR therapists in Columbia will continue to help individuals process the memory and evaluate the results of the treatment to ensure its effectiveness.
EMDR is primarily employed to aid individuals who have endured trauma, including those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and who have experienced other distressing life events.
EMDR therapy is generally less suitable for individuals currently experiencing acute trauma or those who have not yet acquired fundamental coping and distress tolerance skills. To engage in EMDR therapy effectively, one must possess a certain degree of distress tolerance.
EMDR tends to be very effective in relieving the negative symptoms associated with trauma. In a study performed by Francine Shapiro called The Role of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in Medicine: Addressing the Psychological and Physical Symptoms Stemming from Adverse Life Experiences (2014), results showed that after just three EMDR sessions, 84% of participants reported a remission of PTSD diagnosis. EMDR will often have a higher success rate for survivors of a single traumatic event than for those who have experienced repeated or multiple instances of trauma when EMDR is performed for the same amount of time. This is due to the increased intensity of the trauma and the need to process multiple events.
At Thriveworks, we accept most major insurance plans, allowing many clients to pay as little as $0–$50 per session with their co-pay. We also offer self-pay options for those out-of-network or without insurance. Self-pay rates for talk therapy range from $160 to $240 for intake sessions and $135 to $195 for follow-ups, depending on your state. For psychiatry services, self-pay intake sessions are $255–$375, with follow-ups ranging from $175–$300, also varying by state. More information on current self-pay costs is available on our pricing page.
If you’re looking for EMDR therapists in Columbia, SC, you’re in luck. EMDR therapy at Thriveworks can be conducted both in person at one of our many offices around the U.S. and online via remote video conferencing. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
Generally, EMDR is a shorter-term therapy, typically encompassing multiple sessions. While some individuals may make substantial progress within just a few sessions, others may opt for an extended treatment period, particularly if dealing with complex or severe trauma or conditions.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Columbia is located in the Barringer Building and near Main Street and Hampton Street, off US-76. It is right by the South Carolina State House and Finlay Park.
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