ABOUT
ANDREA PATTEN, LICSW
EMDR Clinician | EMDRIA Certified | EMDRIA Approved Consultant & Basic Trainer
Andrea is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Minnesota, USA.
Andrea has been passionate about complex trauma and mental health long before she began her career. Andrea found this passion when she stumbled upon great empathy and fascination for the resilient stories of humankind amidst great (and sometimes terrifying) challenges in the memoirs she read at a young age.
Andrea continues taking in information through books and trainings as much as possible. She often tells her clients that she considers herself “kind of a brain nerd” and enjoys learning about the complex nature of neuropathways and neuroplasticity, especially as it relates to mental health and trauma.
Andrea has worked with clients across the lifespan: 2 years old to adults. Read more below.
EMDR CLINICIAN | EMDRIA CERTIFIED | EMDRIA APPROVED CONSULTANT & BASIC TRAINER
- University of Kansas, 2007, Bachelors in Psychology
- University of St. Thomas/St. Catherine University, 2009, Masters in Social Work
- Licensed Graduate Social Worker 2009-2011
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker 2011- current
- MN LICSW 20032 (active)
- MN Board of Social Work approved Clinical Supervisor 2012-present
- EMDR Certification (EMDRIA) 2016
- EMDR Consultant-In-Training (EMDRIA) 2016-Present
- EMDRIA Approved Consultant 2018
- Working with Midwest Center for EMDR Training’s Basic Training program since 2018.
- EMDR Approved Trainer 2023 under Midwest Center for EMDR Training
Level I (2011) & Level II (Spring 2012)
50 hours of training including required consultation, which is equivalent to a University 12 week semester class.
1. EMDR with Children: “Complex Trauma, Attachment and Dissociative Symptoms: Treating Children with Pervasive Emotion Using EMDR Therapy and Adjudicative Approaches” by Anna M. Gomez, LPC 2012 (14 CEU)
2. Somatic Interventions: “The Embodied Self: Somatic Methods for EMDR Practitioners” presented by Sandra Paulsen, Ph.D. 2014 (14 CEU)
3. Complex PTSD & Dissociation: “What You Need to Know About Successful Treatment of Complex PTSD and Dissociative Disorders with EMDR and Without!” Presented by Joanne Twombly LICSW, 2014 (14 CEU)
4: Children & Attachment: “I See You, I Feel You, I Know You: An EMDR Attachment-Focused Model to Heal the Parent, the Child and Strengthen Their Bond” presented by Anna Gomez 2015 (virtual training, 12 hours)
5. Preverbal Trauma Protocol: “When There Are No Words: Reprocessing Early Trauma & Neglect Held in Implicit Memory” presented by Sandra Paulsen, Ph.D. 2015 (14 CEU)
6. Dissociation: “Adaptive Internal Relational Network Model Advanced Intensive Training on Complex PTSD, Developmental Trauma and Neuro-Dissociative States” presented by Dawn McClelland PhD. LP, Patti Miller MA LP, Phyllis Solon PsyD. LP 2016 (45 CEU, equivalent to a University 12 week semester course)
7. Merging EMDR & AIR Network Model: “EMDR in AIR Network with Complex Trauma and Dissociation” presented by Dawn McClelland PhD. LP, Patti Miller MA LP, Phyllis Solon PsyD. LP (6 hours)
8. OCD: “Did I Lock The Door? Treating OCD With EMDR Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, and Ego State Therapy” presented by Sandra Paulsen 2018 (13.5 CEU)
9. Flash: “Flash Technique” (earlier version) presented by Phillip Manfield 2018 (6 hours)
10. Dissociation/Complex Trauma: “The EMDR Toolbox: Adaptive Information Processing Methods for Treating Complex PTSD and Dissociative Personality Structure” presented by Jim Knipe 2018 (14 CEU)
11. Somatic: “Somatic Psychology: Enhancing Embodiment in Trauma” presented by Arielle Schwartz 2019 (14 CEU)
12. Culture: “Cultural Responsiveness and Addressing Cultural Trauma and Adversity in EMDR Therapy” presented by Mark Nickerson, David Archer, Wendy Ashley, Allen Lipscomb, Viviana Urdaneta, Viviana Triana 2021 (6 CEU)
13. Culture: “The Elephant in the Room: Systemic Racism and Psychotherapy” presented by David Archer, Wendy Ashley, Quandra Chaffers, Rocio Herndandez 2022 (1.5 CEU)
14. Culture: “EMDR Diversity & The Spectrum of Trauma Prevention” presented by Rocio Hernandez 2022 (3 CEU)
15. Culture: “Racial Trauma, Neurons, and EMDR: The Path Towards an Anti-Racist Psychotherapy” presented by David Archer 2022 (2 CEU)
16. Culture: “EMDR Therapy for the Trauma of Downward Social Drift in the LGBTQ+Community” presented by Paul Miller, Jess Converse, Victoria Blom, Jenna Burton 2022 (3 CEU)
17. Flash: “Flash Technique” (updated version) presented by Phillip Manfield and Lewis Engel 2022 (6 CEU)
In progress:
- “Imaginal Nurturing, Ego States, and Attachment: An Integrated Approach to Early Deficits” presented by April Steele (13 CEU)
In addition to the trainings listed above (children, somatic, pre-verbal, dissociation), through consultation, books, additional research, and self study, Andrea has knowledge and experience with:
- First and foremost, the standard protocol, from start to finish including the often forgotten past, present, future orientation for reprocessing targets, installation, and future templates. Additionally symptom based treatment planning.
- Assessing for Dissociation using the DES Taxon, Adolescent DES, MID, and more.
- Extended Resourcing and Stabilization.
- Window of Tolerance and Polyvagal Theory.
- Single Event Traumas & Complex or compounded Trauma.
- EMDR for clients with Depression or Anxiety, who deny any Big-T traumas (little-t reprocessing).
- Addiction Protocols, which can be used for the standard addiction, but also for binge eating, or other non-traditional “addictive” behaviors.
- Protocols for Pain.
- Reverse Protocol.
- Multiple tools related to fear of the targets or avoidance of reprocessing phase.
- And more!
Andrea has been working with Midwest Center for EMDR Training as a consultant for the Basic EMDR Trainings since 2018.
Andrea has provided consultation in the following ways:
- Individual Consultation for EMDRIA certification candidates.
- Individual Consultation for complex/advanced cases.
- Multiple ongoing Consultation groups (meeting monthly).
- Provided consultation and practicum facilitation at Basic EMDR training.
- Individual Consultation-of-Consultation for EMDRIA Consultants in Training
- EMDR Approved Trainer 2023 under Midwest Center for EMDR Training
Andrea has also been supervising Social Workers and Counselors (interns, graduate level clinicians, and fully licensed providers) since 2012, in individual supervision both in-agency and independently. She additionally led case consultation for agency school-based mental health team consisting of both licensed and pre-licenced providers (2 years). She additionally runs a group private practice and leads case consultation and group supervision since 2019.
These are additional trainings that have been a part of Andrea’s journey. While they are not EMDRIA approved or EMDR specific, each of these trainings has in some way impacted or connected with understanding or the practice of EMDR in some way.
- Multicultural and diversity training: Andrea regularly seeks training and consultation around multicultural and diversity related topics, as a white therapist, to continually seek to engage in the most up to date culturally humble, responsive, affirmative practice possible.
- Polyvagal Theory
- Safe and Sound Protocol
- Sand Tray
- Experiential Play Therapy (60+ hours)
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
- DC 0-3
- Autism Training
- Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (virtual/home study)
- Narrative Therapy for youth
- Brainspotting
Andrea has worked in non-profits, schools, and private practice. She has worked doing school social work, day treatment, in-home crisis stabilization (family and individual short-term therapy), school-based outpatient, clinic based outpatient (agency and private). She has worked with a few special populations: high risk youth (in crisis), pre-school/early childhood, autism, dissociation.
Through all of that one thing has stayed the same; Andrea is passionate about Trauma Informed Care.
Andrea currently works with adults and children ages 2-7 in private practice. She focuses primarily on trauma related mental health and wellness.
For more information about this or to refer clients, click here.