About Carrie Hill, LMFT

Hi there, I’m Carrie.

I’m so glad you’re here.

I’m Carrie Hill (she/her). I’m a dog mom, a Lagree enthusiast and aspiring yogi, an avid international traveler, a proud Washington state native (PNW 🫶), and a huge nerd for anything related to the psyche and self-healing. I’m also a licensed marriage and family therapist and private practice owner in San Diego, California.

It’s a hard thing to be a highly sensitive person, and even more so when you’re also balancing the challenges of being a high-achieving person. It’s all too common that we doubt ourselves or face mental health struggles, navigating the space between feeling both “too much” and “not enough”.

Over the years of work that I’ve done, I’ve come to realize that the ease with which we navigate this space is largely determined by our ability to embrace and celebrate our strengths while simultaneously accepting and holding the parts of ourselves that we might not appreciate so much with non-judgment and self-compassion. These practices alone can determine whether we’re leading our lives acting as our own most powerful ally… or our own worst critic. Empowering highly sensitive and high achieving people, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and survivors of trauma to develop and hone these skills is where my passion lies.

Through my own life experience I’ve learned the most effective and practical tools to better understand yourself, acknowledge and appreciate your unique gifts, protect and prioritize your energy, and overcome the anxieties and insecurities that are holding you back from thriving in your daily life.

Using coping skills and evidence-based therapies like mindfulness, EMDR Therapy, and IFS Therapy, I provide other highly sensitive and high achieving people with a holistic approach to help overcome the effects of trauma and complex trauma. By tapping into and building upon your inherent strengths, internal wisdom, and natural ability to heal, you can start relating to yourself and others in a healthier way, without the burdens of self-doubt, relationship anxiety, perfectionism, and people-pleasing behaviors. It takes work and dedication, but a life of joy and peace is waiting on the other side.

(Ps. Meet my fur-child, Hopper.)

EMDR Therapy Near Me

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  • "I will offer you warmth, genuine care, and a nonjudgmental and actively listening ear, but I will also take a more active approach when it best serves your goals and circumstances."

    Carrie Hill, LMFT

  • "I have personally practiced every therapy, skill, and tool that I offer to my clients. I will never ask you to engage in treatment modalities I have not practiced myself."

    Carrie Hill, LMFT

  • "One of the most rewarding things as an EMDR therapist is witnessing firsthand how quickly you can process and heal from past or recent traumatic experiences by focusing on and processing the traumatic material stored in the body."

    Carrie Hill, LMFT

  • "IFS allows you to access and grow the grounded sense of security that is available (though sometimes buried) within each of us. Self Energy is similar to another beloved and well known therapeutic framework, DBT's Wise Mind, in that it also provides a sense of calm, clarity, and spaciousness."

    Carrie Hill, LMFT

  • "It's important you know that there is a spectrum on which therapists exist, and I lean towards being more active and, if needed, directive. This can look like gently challenging you on an ineffective mindset or behavior, or teaching a communication or coping skill in session and assigning homework to incorporate the new skill in your daily life over the coming week."

    Carrie Hill, LMFT

  • "I am constantly reading therapy books, listening to well-being and relationship podcasts, and attending trainings on human diversity issues and client-centered therapeutic approaches. I will share useful tools and resources incorporating the treatment of trauma and relationship issues with you, and may assign homework involving reading, written exercises, or listening to a relevant podcast episode."

    Carrie Hill, LMFT

Professional Background

I earned a Master’s Degree in Marital and Family Therapy from Alliant International University and hold Bachelor’s Degrees in International Business and Spanish from Western Washington University.

I am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP-I and CCTP-II), am trained in Standard Protocol EMDR Therapy through Humanitarian Assistance Programs (HAP) Trauma Recovery and am working towards my Attachment-Focused EMDR certification through the Parnell Institute. I have extensive training in EMDR, IFS, and DBT, and frequently integrate IFS parts work into EMDR Trauma Therapy work using a technique called Super Resourcing. Additionally I am trained in Polyvagal Theory, Attachment Theory, and using EMDR and Resource Tapping to treat addiction behaviors and substance use.

Prior to starting my private practice I worked at Center For Mindful Relationships, a clinic in Bankers Hill, San Diego providing low-fee services to individuals, couples, and families; Personal Evolution Psychotherapy (PEP), a San Diego DBT clinic where I provided Comprehensive DBT and IOP services, and acted as Lead DBT Skills Trainer, facilitating weekly DBT Skills Training groups and training new hires in Skills Training best practices; and Stronger Together Community Services, a San Diego non-profit where I specialized in anxiety and depression-related disorders, borderline personality disorder, and symptoms related to complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

Before coming to the mental health field, I worked for eight years in Corporate Fashion as a Buyer and Merchandiser.

Education & Training

  • Bachelor’s Degrees in International Business and Spanish, Western Washington University

  • Master of Arts in Marital and Family Therapy, Alliant International University

  • Humanitarian Assistance Programs Trauma Recovery EMDR Basic Training Course

  • Parnell Institute Attachment-Focused EMDR Basic Training Course Level 3

  • Complex Trauma Certification Training Level 1 & 2 (CCTP/CCTP-II)

  • EMDR Super Resourcing for Treating Attachment Trauma

  • EMDR and Resourcing Tapping for Treating Addiction

  • IFS Online Circle

  • Certified in TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

  • Trained in CBT Essentials including CBT for Depression and CBT for Anxiety

  • Core Skills in DBT Master Class by Annie McCall, MA, LMHC

  • Jump Start in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Shari Manning, Ph.D., at Treatment Implementation Collaborative

  • Polyvagal Theory and Attachment Theory