About Lorna Christensen
Lorna Christensen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and certified EMDR therapist with more than fifteen years of experience working with trauma survivors in San Diego. She completed her graduate training in social work at San Diego State University and has held clinical positions at community mental health organizations throughout the region before transitioning to private practice.
Lorna's approach to trauma therapy is grounded in the understanding that healing is not linear and that each person arrives at therapy with a unique history, set of strengths, and relationship to their own pain. She brings both clinical rigor and deep warmth to her work, drawing on EMDR, Brainspotting, and somatic awareness techniques to help clients move through trauma that has resisted resolution through conventional talk therapy.
Clinical Specializations
EMDR Therapy for Trauma and PTSD
Lorna is trained in all eight phases of EMDR and has worked extensively with survivors of complex and developmental trauma. She takes particular care during the preparation and stabilization phases to ensure that clients feel grounded and resourced before engaging in active processing. For individuals who have experienced repeated or childhood trauma, this careful preparation is often the most important part of the work.
Grief and Loss
Losing someone — whether to death, divorce, estrangement, or a fundamental shift in relationship — can produce a form of distress that does not respond well to ordinary therapeutic conversation. Lorna specializes in helping individuals process grief that has become stuck, particularly when loss is complicated by ambivalence, sudden or traumatic circumstances, or unresolved relational conflict with the person who was lost.
Anxiety Disorders
Many anxiety disorders have traumatic roots that standard cognitive-behavioral approaches do not fully address. Lorna uses EMDR to help clients identify and reprocess the early experiences that set the template for their current anxiety patterns, often producing lasting relief from chronic worry, panic, and avoidance behaviors.
Brainspotting
In addition to EMDR, Lorna is trained in Brainspotting (Phase 1 and Phase 2), a complementary method that uses sustained eye positioning to access deeply stored trauma material. She often integrates Brainspotting into EMDR treatment for clients who find the bilateral stimulation difficult to tolerate or who are working with pre-verbal or non-narrative trauma. Read more about how Brainspotting compares to EMDR.
Education and Training
- M.S.W., San Diego State University School of Social Work
- B.A., Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara
- EMDR Basic Training, EMDR Institute (Francine Shapiro, founder)
- Brainspotting Phase 1 and Phase 2 Training
- Certified in Somatic Experiencing (SE) Foundations
Who Lorna Works With
Lorna works primarily with adults and older adolescents. She has particular experience with first responders and emergency medical personnel, survivors of childhood abuse and neglect, individuals navigating life transitions that have disrupted their sense of identity, and those dealing with the long-term effects of medical trauma or chronic illness. She does not offer couples therapy at this time, but can provide referrals to couples therapists within the directory network.
Sessions are available in-person at her Hillcrest office and via secure telehealth for California residents.