EMDR + Play Therapist in Peoria, AZ

Rachel Hodgson

Rachel Hodgson, M.Ed. LAC, play therapist and EMDR clinician at Inside Out Therapy in Peoria, AZ

Serving Adults + Children  |  BSL and ASL-Fluent

Maybe your child has stopped talking about what's bothering them, or maybe they never had the words for it in the first place. Maybe they're acting out, shutting down, or struggling in ways that don't respond to the usual approaches. Or maybe you're an adult who has spent a long time trying to find language for an experience that lives somewhere deeper than words.

Some things don't need to be spoken to be healed. That's exactly why I do the work I do.

Through play, creativity, and sand tray, I create a space where children and adults alike can express what they're carrying — in the way that feels most natural to them.

Begin Healing

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Therapy for adults + children (5+)

* Therapy for adults + children (5+)

Who is EMDR + play therapy right for? Adults + Children in Peoria, AZ

A woman sitting on a couch holding a mug and talking openly, representing adult therapy and EMDR treatment at Inside Out Therapy in Peoria, AZ

I work with children as young as five and adults of all ages who are navigating trauma, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, grief, or attachment wounds. I also have a deep personal and professional connection to Deaf culture — as a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), I bring lived understanding to work with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and CODA clients and families.

My clients often include:

  • Children (5+) whose behavior, emotional responses, or mood have shifted in ways that feel hard to reach through talking alone

  • Kids who have experienced trauma, loss, or transitions — and who communicate more through play and action than through words

  • Adults drawn to a creative, non-traditional therapeutic approach — or who find that talk therapy alone hasn't fully reached what they're carrying

  • Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and CODA clients seeking a therapist who understands the culture from the inside — not just clinically

  • Families navigating the particular emotional dynamics that come with Deaf-hearing household experiences

"I believe in creating a space where clients can feel comfortable and confident in their ability to express themselves — whatever form that expression takes. Healing doesn't have to look like a conversation."

—  Rachel Hodgson, LAC

How I use EMDR, play, + sand tray to help clients heal

I'm fully trained in both Sand Tray therapy and EMDR, two of the most powerful non-verbal approaches available in trauma treatment. For children especially, these modalities change everything. Kids don't need to articulate what happened. They show it, build it, move through it — and the nervous system responds accordingly.

Sand tray therapy gives clients a physical, three-dimensional way to externalize and process inner experiences. A child who shuts down in conversation can build an entire world in the sand and tell you everything you need to know. For adults, it accesses what words can sometimes obscure.

Sand texture representing sand tray therapy used with teens and children at Inside Out Therapy in Peoria Arizona
Three girls together, representing children's play therapy and EMDR treatment for kids at Inside Out Therapy in Peoria, AZ

EMDR helps the brain process painful memories so they no longer hold the same charge, and when integrated with play and creative approaches, it becomes especially effective for younger clients whose nervous systems need safety and movement before they can process. Learn more about EMDR at EMDRIA.org.

My approach is humanistic and existential at its foundation — which means I'm always holding the whole person in mind: their sense of meaning, their identity, their capacity to grow through difficulty rather than just survive it.

A note on deaf culture + sign language fluency

I grew up as a Child of Deaf Adults. That experience is not incidental to my clinical work — it is foundational to it. I understand what it means to navigate between two cultures, to be a bridge, to hold space for experiences that others in a room may not fully see.

I am fluent in BSL and ASL and welcome Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and CODA clients who are looking for a therapist who doesn't need the experience explained. I also bring cultural humility and genuine understanding to hearing family members navigating Deaf-hearing household dynamics.

This is a rare combination in the West Valley — and for clients who need it, it matters enormously.

What it feels like to work with me

Clients often describe feeling immediately at ease, like the room itself gives permission to show up without having everything figured out. I lead with warmth and genuine curiosity, and I follow the client's lead rather than imposing a structure that doesn't fit.

For children, I'm the therapist who gets on the floor. For adults, I'm the one who makes space for the things that haven't had a container yet. I don't need you to have language for what you're carrying. I just need you to be willing to show up.

Explore my specialties

Training + qualifications | Serving Peoria

I hold a Master of Education in Counseling from Northern Arizona University and am a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC). I am fully trained in both Sand Tray therapy and EMDR, grounded in Francine Shapiro's foundational model alongside the full Inside Out clinical team.

My approach is rooted in humanistic and existential frameworks, with trauma-informed care as the through-line across all my work. I believe in addressing root causes rather than managing symptoms — and in the client's innate capacity to heal when given the right environment to do so.

An Arizona landscape representing Inside Out Therapy and Consulting, serving Peoria and the West Valley
Rachel Hodgson, M.Ed. LAC, play therapist and EMDR clinician at Inside Out Therapy in Peoria, AZ

A little more about me

I grew up in the UK and brought my perspective and my bicultural, bilingual experience, with me to Arizona. My background as a CODA shaped not just how I practice, but why. I understand what it means to sit in the middle of two worlds, to translate experience across gaps that others don't always see.

Outside the therapy room, that same warmth and curiosity are very much present. I bring my full self into this work — and I invite my clients to do the same.

Ready to take the next step?

If something on this page resonated — for yourself or for someone you love — I'd be honored to connect. Reach out and let's talk about whether I'm the right fit. No pressure, just a conversation.

Begin Healing

Common Questions About Working With Me

  • That's exactly what play therapy is designed for. Children don't need words to do this work — they process through play, movement, and creative expression naturally. The absence of words is not a barrier. It's where we begin.

  • Sand tray gives clients — children and adults alike — a physical way to represent and work through their inner world using miniature figures in a tray of sand. It bypasses the need to articulate experiences verbally, which makes it particularly powerful for trauma, grief, and experiences that don't have easy language. The therapist observes, reflects, and helps the client make meaning of what they've created.

  • Yes — when adapted appropriately, EMDR is both safe and effective for children. I integrate it with play-based approaches so that processing feels natural and age-appropriate rather than clinical or forced. Children don't need to talk through their experience in detail for EMDR to work. Learn more at EMDRIA.org.

  • Yes — and this is an area I care deeply about. As a CODA fluent in BSL and ASL, I offer culturally informed therapy for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and CODA clients, as well as hearing family members navigating Deaf-hearing dynamics. You won't need to explain the cultural context — I already understand it from the inside.

  • I work with children as young as five through adults of all ages. My approach is always tailored to where the client is developmentally — play-based for younger children, increasingly verbal and creative as clients grow.