About Leigh Ann Fernandez
Clientele seen
Teenagers (13-17)
Seniors (65+)
Young adults (18-24)
Individuals
Adults (25-64)
Treatment approaches
Brainspotting
Interpersonal
Clinical Supervision and Licensed Supervisors
Person-Centered
EMDR
Trauma Focused
Identity
Gender
FemaleLanguages spoken
English
Getting to know Leigh Ann Fernandez
I help clients facing daily triggers take back control of their nervous system and their life by showing you how to rewire your stress response with brain/body based techniques like EMDR, Brainspotting, and polyvagal exercises. I'd love to partner with you with the best techniques mental health has to offer to help you take control of your stress response which empowers you to transform your relationships. With 23 years' experience as a psychotherapist, I have seen most issues, but trauma recovery is my passion and calling. It would be my honor to partner with you in your mental health goals.
My approach
I am trauma-informed, strengths-based, person-centered, trauma recovery specialist who uses Eye Movement Desensitization, Brainspotting and Internal Family Systems to help my clients gain healing from past hurts. I teach clients how to use Polyvagal exercises to regulate their nervous systems. If you feel your trauma recovery in "talk therapy" is stalled, these techniques will place you on a path of healing in weeks, not months and years. If you would like to implement your faith into your trauma recovery journey, I will encourage and support that as well in therapy sessions. If you don't want that approach, I will not include it. As a person-centered, trauma-informed therapist, I treat you as the head of the comet, and I am the tail. Restoring your sense of self is integral to trauma recovery, and I encourage the development of it from moment #1 on our free consultation call and throughout the course of therapy by empowering you to make all the choices about which triggers are most important to work on and which techniques fit you best.
What should a new client know about working with you?
Clients and colleagues have most often used the word, "disarming," to describe working with or communicating with me. I show up as a real person with real feelings and struggles who is also working on the same things I ask my clients to work on. Clients understand very quickly from me that I am deeply empathetic, yet an expert in the area of trauma and its effects on the brain and how to heal it.
My first session with you
We will NOT go through all your traumatic experiences. It's too flooding, and there is no benefit to it. I will guide you to tell me what you would like life to look like, and I will ask you to identify the types of trauma (not the entire narrative to protect you from flooding). What I am interested in for the first appointment is understanding how trauma affects your current life, and we will cast vision for what you would like your life to look like instead. We will look at your current examples of how symptoms of hypervigilance, avoidance and dysregulation set you in a pattern of behavior that doesn't serve you, and I will begin to help you infuse yourself with hope that it will change because on the first appointment, I will give you an experience with EMDR or brainspotting so that you can see its transformative power.
How we will set goals (very simply):
I will share it here. In a few months, I would like to be feeling more ______ and less ______. I would like to be doing __________ more and ________ less. This question gives me a blueprint for what we need to work on first to customize your trauma recovery journey to your deepest values and highest goals for a better life.
What is your typical process for working with clients?
I set my clients at ease by letting them know that we will not go too far too fast. By putting you in the driver's seat of your healing journey that you invited me into the passenger seat of, we are already working on building trust for our therapeutic alliance and re-establishing your sense of self, which always gets altered by trauma.
My sessions always include some education about the brain and trauma symptoms, teaching of an easy skill to help you recognize and regulate dysregulation, processing with the counseling process, and rewiring with EMDR and/ or Brainspotting.
I like to make sure when you go back into your day, you are grounded and your nervous system is resourced to face your next daily challenge when you leave our sessions.
Leigh Ann Fernandez, LCMHC is not in-network with any insurances
It’s common for mental health providers to be out-of-network. Many insurance plans offer out-of-network coverage, so you may get partially reimbursed. Learn more
Office location
Leigh Ann Fernandez, LCMHC also offers online video visits for patients
Education and background
Practice names
Education and training
- Campbell University, Master's in Clinical and Counseling Psychology
NPI number
1790801751
How soon can I make an appointment with Leigh Ann Fernandez?
Generally, Leigh Ann Fernandez has appointments available on Zocdoc within 1 week. You can see Leigh Ann Fernandez's earliest availability on Zocdoc and make an appointment online.
Is Leigh Ann Fernandez accepting new patients?
Leigh Ann Fernandez generally accepts new patients on Zocdoc. You can see Leigh Ann Fernandez's earliest availability on Zocdoc and schedule an appointment online.
Does Leigh Ann Fernandez accept my insurance?
Choose your insurance plan to verify if Leigh Ann Fernandez is in-network.
Can I make an appointment with Leigh Ann Fernandez online?
Yes, you can make an appointment online with Leigh Ann Fernandez using Zocdoc. It’s simple, secure, and free.
What practice does Leigh Ann Fernandez work with?
Leigh Ann Fernandez works with TraumaRecoveryNow4u.
Where is Leigh Ann Fernandez's office located?
Leigh Ann Fernandez has 2 office locations, including in Raleigh and Watha, view full addresses on Leigh Ann Fernandez's profile.
What are common reasons for patients to see Leigh Ann Fernandez?
Leigh Ann Fernandez frequently sees patients for New Patient Visit, Pain Management Consultation, Psychotherapy, Psychotherapy Intake / Initial Visit, and Sleep Problems. You can see other visit reasons for Leigh Ann Fernandez on their profile.
What languages does Leigh Ann Fernandez speak?
Leigh Ann Fernandez speaks English.