Meet Jodie Carvalho | LCSW and Owner of Jodie Carvalho Therapy LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jodie Carvalho and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jodie, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
The world is filled with so much pain. I want to see less of it. As a mental health therapist, every session can make an impact in lessening that pain. There’s so much empowerment in that. Every day I get to go to work and make peoples lives a little bit less heavy. What an amazing opportunity.

We all can benefit from therapy. I’ve done therapy. My kids do therapy. There’s so much relief that can be found even in naming our discomfort out loud. The therapeutic work is all centered around taking power out of the things that have a hold on us- trauma, poor attachment patterns, cognitive distortions, etc. This involves untangling wires in our brains that have gotten tangled through trauma or our cognitive distortions. When we untangle, whether through naming things to make them lose power, unveiling and connecting patterns, or using trauma-focused modalities such as EMDR, the world becomes a little clearer, the heaviness lifts, the anxiety decreases. Things get a little brighter. And that brightness carries on even outside of the therapy space, as the healing person breaks patterns and repairs wounds, impacting their relationships and passing healing on to those around them.

I am so honored to be part of this process, and that I have created a space to show up as my best self through owning my own private practice, without the pressures of working for a corporation. I get to cultivate my best therapeutic work, and to humbly witness the world getting brighter as a result.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Last year I got trained in EMDR. This has been a game changer for my work. I gained interest in EMDR, after doing EMDR with ny own therapist to work through my own trauma experiences.

EMDR sounds kind of hokey, and I was a skeptic at first. But I can say with confidence it is the most effective and powerful modality that I’ve used to date. It works by using bilateral stimulation to get to a deeper subconscious processing of our trauma experiences.

In my personal experience, I thought I had worked through my trauma- to be fair, I had done a lot of talk therapy around it. However, once beginning EMDR, I found myself sobbing on my therapist’s couch, the heaviness of the trauma pouring out of my body. Heaviness I didn’t even know was still there.

EMDR allows for powerful healing to take place. I soon became trained in EMDR myself, and my clients have had similar experiences.

It took determination and lots of logistics to get to where I am with my business. But I do encourage anyone with a passion and a dedication to go for it- running your own business takes some paperwork but it’s so freeing and empowering. I love getting to learn new skills and become a better therapist, and I love that I get to do it on my terms.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d start in Old City, Philadelphia. Historic row homes and country landmarks meet nighttime bar scene and diverse food scene. After tapas and sangria at Amada, we’d head to Varga bar for dinner and drinks. Nightlife other nights may include Garage in Fishtown, JJ Thai Cusine for dinner in Center City, or an Escape Room at 15th and Walnut. During the day, we’d tour the brick homes along the alleys of Fitler Square, make up names for the dogs at the Schuylkill River dog park, and bike all through the city from University City to Fishtown, enjoying the cityscapes and people watching.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m so grateful to so many people in my life. I’m part of such a good support system that has helped me believe in myself and love myself more. I came from a supportive and encouraging family- my mom especially was always building me up and providing me with attention and opportunities. My husband also has been incredibly supportive and has played such a cruciql role in helping me untangle my own cognitive distortions, through his steadfastness and emotional safety.

But I think the experience that has been the most shaping of my life is my experience with my children. I am a foster/adoptive parent, as well as the biological parent. My family is a blended family, and it comes with so much beauty and so much messiness. My kids have taught me so much about humility, selflessness, and pushing myself more than I thought I could. Along with my husband, they’re my biggest cheerleaders.

Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/jodie-carvalho-conshohocken-pa/706935

Instagram: @jodiecarvalhotherapy

Other: https://www.jodielcsw.com

Image Credits
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