Dr. Rebecca Hoffenberg is our Senior EMDR Specialist and leading expert in the treatment of Complex PTSD, with a particular focus on helping clients overcome the deep and lasting impacts of prolonged trauma, often rooted in their early experiences with emotionally unavailable or inconsistent parents. Her expertise lies in understanding how complex trauma can develop in environments where caregivers, due to their own struggles or emotional limitations, fail to meet the child’s emotional needs. These might include parents who are emotionally distant, preoccupied, or struggling with their own mental health challenges, leaving their children feeling chronically unseen or misunderstood. Dr. Hoffenberg recognizes the profound impact of such environments, where a child’s sense of being constantly alone, lost, or emotionally adrift shapes their ability to cope with the world.
Dr. Hoffenberg not only addresses Complex PTSD, but is also an expert in related issues as a result of c-PTSD, such as emotional eating, social anxiety, relationship challenges, and low self-esteem. She employs a holistic approach that intertwines her advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with relational and psychodynamic techniques. Dr. Hoffenberg guides her clients toward a robust understanding of their concerns and utilizes EMDR alongside mindfulness and meditative practices to address specific issues.
Dr. Rebecca Hoffenberg holds a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and is licensed as a Clinical Psychologist. She intertwines a wealth of practical and academic experience in her approach to holistic healing. Her educational journey commenced with earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Union College, and further flourishing with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from William James College, Boston, MA. Here, she honed her skills under esteemed psychologists, addressing diagnoses such as trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Moreover, she embraced specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) within a community mental health center and delved into person-centered therapy during her tenure in a private practice in Boston. Her experiences at the Manchester VA Medical Center further refined her capabilities, as she engaged in evidence-based trauma therapy for individuals grappling with PTSD, under the mentorship of leaders in trauma therapy and research.
This multi-faceted background empowers Dr. Hoffenberg to navigate through a broad array of psychological and emotional issues, ranging from mild anxiety to more complex cases involving eating disorders and advanced trauma. Her rotations at the National Psychology Training Consortium provided her with profound insights and training in managing trauma, grief, and implementing varied approaches to treat anxiety and depression. Notably, during her rotations in the inpatient facility, Dr. Hoffenberg provided therapeutic support to individuals facing severe mental illnesses, fortifying their adaptive coping skills to enhance their life quality. With a subtle focus on relational difficulties, she assists people in understanding their relational patterns and their pervasive impact, thereby guiding them through a journey from introspection to holistic well-being.
Through her advanced training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Dr. Hoffenberg offers a targeted approach to addressing these intricate trauma patterns. Her practice is especially effective in guiding clients who grew up with caregivers that could not provide consistent emotional support or validation, helping them process deeply rooted memories and transform the adaptive strategies they developed in response to their early environment. By focusing on these early relational dynamics, she enables her clients to reframe their understanding of past experiences and to move beyond the lasting effects of chronic neglect, emotional dysregulation, and disrupted attachment.
Dr. Hoffenberg's extensive training includes specialized courses such as the Paradigm Shift through the EMDR Therapeutic Framework, A Relational Model for Parts/Ego State Work in EMDR Therapy, EMDR & Performance: Removing Blocks and Raising the Bar, Trauma-Informed Clinical Skills for Treating the Spectrum of Eating Disorders, and Complex Trauma/Developmental Trauma Training. Her training under renowned experts Dr. Curt Rouanzoin and Dr. Michelle Gottlieb has further solidified her expertise.
As a certified EMDR therapy provider and member of the EMDR International Association, Dr. Hoffenberg blends EMDR with other supportive modalities, proving particularly effective for clients dealing with binge eating, trauma, anxiety, depression, and shame. Inspired by "The Body Keeps the Score," she discovered that integrating EMDR enables rapid identification and addressing of root problems, liberating patients from detrimental thoughts and behaviors.
Dr. Hoffenberg's leadership and advanced training position her as a pivotal figure in her practice. She not only provides exceptional client care but also mentors other clinicians, guiding them in the effective use of EMDR. Her individualized approach melds EMDR with additional methodologies to fortify growth and transformation. By integrating mindfulness and dialectical behavioral therapy, she equips clients with tangible skills to enhance their emotional well-being.
Dr. Hoffenberg’s dedication to perpetual learning and adept application of EMDR optimizes client outcomes and enriches their quality of life. She believes in the pivotal role of the therapeutic relationship as an essential catalyst for change, fostering warm, cooperative relationships to enhance self-understanding, self-compassion, and aligned decision-making.
Formal Education
Trauma & EMDR Trainings
Other Specialized Trainings
