Therapy for complex trauma, complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and relational trauma, integrating IFS, EMDR, and Brainspotting.

Helping people who struggled during childhood recover choice, possibility, and fulfillment in adulthood.

Certified IFS, EMDR, Mindful Self-Compassion, and Brainspotting therapist

Online psychotherapy throughout California & Virginia

Anny Papatheodorou, LMFT

Image of Anny Papatheodorou, Licensed Therapist certified in IFS and Brainspotting in the San Francisco Bay Area

Welcome! I’m Anny.

I'm a licensed psychotherapist certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, EMDR, and Brainspotting. Not to mention a fantasy novel nerd, human and dog mother, and candlemaker.

I know in my bones what it is like to come from a challenging and painful background. As a relational trauma therapist, I have the honor of helping people heal their childhood wounds so that they create lives full of possibility and choice.

In our work together, I bring my full Self, meaning I'm right there with you every step of the way. I'm not a "blank slate" and will offer reflections and personal examples that may shed some light on your experiences, moments of "stuckness," and isolation.

I can hold intensity. There's no such thing as "being too much or too needy." I will laugh with you. I will curse with you. And welcome all parts of you wholeheartedly.

I work best with…

People who gravitate towards my practice are self-reflective and invested in their psycho-emotional well-being and personal development.

I offer a non-judgmental space to explore your inner experience, deepen your understanding, and feel more connected to yourself, those you cherish, and your community.

We might be a good fit if you desire to:

Shift behavioral patterns that stem from a difficult childhood, repeated violations of boundaries, rejection, betrayal, abandonment, and confusion,
Transform your relationship to internalized shame, rejection, and criticism, mainly when driven by your inner critic (or choir of critics!) For instance, feelings of "not being good enough," having been characterized as being "too much,” and having heard the phrase, “what is wrong with you?” one time too many.
Better understand the different parts of yourself, feel more self-assured and confident in yourself, and increase your self-compassion (please view Internal Family Systems Therapy/parts work therapy).
Create a gratifying and meaningful professional and creative life.
Seek ways to find your authentic voice and speak your truth in a self-affirming way.
Reflect on identity, positionality, purpose, and meaning and reconnect to ancestry and heritage.
Set healthy boundaries around your time, space, and emotional energy, i.e., not pouring from an empty cup.

Getting Started & FAQs

How I Work

Humanistic

I meet you where you are, without assuming I know what your experience means better than you do. You are the expert on your life; my role is to bring curiosity, experience, challenge, and companionship to the work.

Trauma-Responsive & Culturally Affirming

I’m interested in what happened to you and what helped you survive it, rather than reducing your experience to what is “wrong” with you. Culture, identity, family, history, and social context belong in the room.

Relational

The relationship between us matters. I show up as a person, not a blank slate, and pay attention to what unfolds between us as part of the work. Therapy is something we explore together rather than something I do to you.

Contextual & Liberation-oriented

We don’t develop in a vacuum. Families, communities, culture, power, oppression, economic realities, race, disability, gender, migration, and history can all shape suffering and healing.

Approaches to therapy

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that alleviates many forms of psychological suffering.
It is a practical framework for depression therapy, anxiety therapy, and healing from a difficult childhood.
It can help us safely connect to our shame, anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety from a place of wisdom, curiosity, and compassion.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy that supports healing at the nervous system level.
It is a powerful approach for trauma therapy, anxiety treatment, and recovery from chronic stress or a painful past.
When integrated with Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR helps us safely connect with the parts of us that carry fear, shame, or self-blame, gently releasing what no longer needs to be held.
Brainspotting is a relational mind-body therapy that works by bypassing the "thinking" part of our brain and accessing the deeper emotional and body-based parts of the brain.
It is a treatment for healing from trauma, anxiety, and depression. It also aids in expanding creativity and performance.
Many people enjoy the comfort and convenience that teletherapy provides. It can feel easier to share your struggles when you’re in a space where you feel at ease.
Whether you’re looking for depression therapy, anxiety therapy, and/or healing from a difficult childhood, I’m here to support you remotely.

Areas of focus

As a complex relational trauma therapist, I'm passionate about helping adults who did not experience good childhoods live fulfilling and meaningful adulthood.
While we can't rewrite the past, we can make sense of it and heal it so that it no longer governs our present.
For more on complex trauma, please visit this page.
Our culture is pathologically preoccupied with eradicating any part of ourselves that doesn’t fit neatly into the mold. We are told that we are “too anxious,” “too depressed,” “too dependent,” and “too sensitive.” Instead of immediately seeking to suppress symptoms through medication, we can decipher the underlying messages our anxiety is trying to communicate in therapy.
For more about anxiety therapy, please visit this page.
Depression goes way beyond feeling sad or down. Depression can be powerful and debilitating, leaving you feeling worthless, purposeless, hopeless, and unable to "snap out of it."
With therapy, we can:
- Identify the triggers to get to the source of the suffering.
- Identify short and long-term solutions to bring about a sense of relief.
- Explore different avenues to help balance how you view yourself and your future.
For more about depression therapy, please visit this page.
Being an immigrant from Greece and Minor Asia/Anatolia, I'm passionate about serving immigrant communities and addressing cross-cultural dynamics.
In therapy, I will work with you through a culturally-humble and culturally-affirming lens to help you navigate these challenging dynamics.