Whitney Zirilli

I know what it’s like to perform for an audience every single day (even when that audience is just your own inner critic telling you you’re not doing enough, being enough, or holding it together well enough). Before I became a therapist, I performed on Broadway. What that life taught me is that the most powerful thing a person can do is show up fully as themselves, even when it’s terrifying. I bring that same belief into the therapy room.

Here’s what I see with many of my clients: you understand WHY you react the way you do. You’ve read the books, you’ve done the work, and you can explain your patterns perfectly. But your body still braces. Your chest tightens the moment something feels even a little off. That’s not a thinking problem, that’s your nervous system stuck in a story it hasn’t finished processing yet.

That’s exactly what I’m trained to help with. I specialize in EMDR, a body-based approach that helps your nervous system process the experiences that got stuck so they stop running your reactions from the background. You don’t have to relive everything in detail for it to work.

My style: Warm, grounded, and genuinely curious about what’s underneath the surface. I won’t rush you toward insight or hand you a coping skills worksheet and call it a day. I’ll slow things down with you, help you understand what’s been shaping your patterns, and use approaches like EMDR, CBT, and Somatic Therapy to help you actually move through it (not just talk about it endlessly).

Starting therapy can feel like a big leap. The free 20-minute consultation is a chance to ask questions, get a feel for how I work, and decide if it feels right before you commit to anything.