Today we’d like to introduce you to Yesim Saldivia.
Hi Yesim, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I often say that I don’t think anyone becomes a trauma therapist by accident. My path was shaped by my own experiences, my own healing, and a deep curiosity about why we do the things we do.
As the daughter of Turkish immigrants, I grew up navigating different cultures and identities while witnessing how resilience and hardship often coexist. Those experiences gave me an early appreciation for how our families, relationships, and environments shape us in ways we often don’t recognize until much later.
Over the years, I’ve also walked through my own experiences with grief and trauma. While everyone’s story is different, those experiences taught me something that textbooks never could: healing isn’t about “getting over it.” It’s about learning how to carry your story differently—with more self-compassion, more freedom, and less shame. My own journey eventually led me to specialize in trauma and seek out approaches like EMDR that help people heal on a deeper level.
I don’t believe therapists need to have lived every experience their clients have, but I do believe there is something profoundly grounding about doing our own healing work. It reminds us to approach people with humility rather than from a place of having all the answers.
That philosophy continues to shape the way I show up in the therapy room every day. I’m passionate about creating a space where people feel deeply seen—not just as individuals, but within the context of their families, identities, cultures, and the systems that have shaped their lives. Healing, to me, isn’t just about feeling better; it’s also about reclaiming your voice, your agency, and the freedom to live more authentically.
Today, I work as a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado, an EMDR Certified Therapist, and an EMDR Consultant-in-Training. I specialize in helping adults heal from trauma, including complex PTSD, attachment wounds, grief, and the lasting impact of emotionally immature caregiving. Many of my clients are high-functioning on the outside but quietly carrying anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or complex trauma beneath the surface. They often tell me they feel like they’re holding everything together for everyone else while slowly losing themselves in the process.
My work integrates EMDR, parts work, attachment theory, and nervous system-informed approaches because I’ve seen how transformative it can be when healing addresses not just our thoughts, but our bodies and the deeper patterns that have kept us stuck for years.
In addition to working with clients, I provide EMDR consultation to therapists, which has become one of the most rewarding parts of my career. I also enjoy creating mental health content online to make trauma education more accessible, relatable, and rooted in compassion.
When I’m not working, I try to practice what I encourage my clients to do and make space for joy, rest, and connection. You’ll usually find me spending time with my husband, our two kids, our furbabies, and friends, whether we’re camping, paddleboarding, exploring the outdoors, or planning our next family adventure. Nature has always been one of the places where I feel most grounded, but I’m just as happy curled up with a good book, listening to a podcast, or unwinding with some reality TV. I’m also a little witchy at heart and love celebrating the changing seasons and finding small ways to stay connected to the natural world. I believe those moments of play, curiosity, and connection aren’t just enjoyable—they’re an important part of healing, too.
Looking back, my path hasn’t been linear, but each chapter has shaped the therapist I am today. My own healing has deepened my empathy, strengthened my clinical work, and continually reminds me of the courage it takes to be vulnerable and ask for help. It is an incredible privilege to witness people reconnect with parts of themselves they thought were lost. Watching someone move from merely surviving to genuinely feeling alive again is one of the greatest honors of my life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some of my greatest challenges have also become my greatest teachers. Experiences like my parents’ divorce, my own divorce, and the loss of my father changed the course of my life in ways I never expected. They taught me that healing isn’t about avoiding pain—it’s about learning how to move through it with self-compassion, support, and hope. Doing my own work in therapy, along with the healing practices I embraced outside of it, transformed those experiences into opportunities for growth. They continue to remind me that while we can’t always choose what happens to us, we can choose how we move forward.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in helping adults heal from trauma, complex PTSD, grief, attachment wounds, and the lasting impact of emotionally immature caregiving. Many of the people I work with are incredibly high-functioning—they’re successful, dependable, and the ones everyone else leans on—but underneath, they’re exhausted from years of people-pleasing, perfectionism, hyper-independence, or feeling like they have to earn their worth.
What sets my work apart is that I don’t believe healing is just about changing thoughts or reducing symptoms. I take an integrative approach that combines EMDR, parts work, attachment theory, and nervous system-informed care to help clients understand not only *what* happened to them, but how those experiences continue to shape the way they see themselves and move through the world. I also approach therapy through a liberation-oriented lens, recognizing that our mental health is influenced not only by our personal histories but also by our relationships, identities, cultures, and the systems we live within.
I’m also passionate about supporting other therapists. As an EMDR Consultant-in-Training, I provide consultation to clinicians who want to deepen their skills and confidence in trauma work. Helping therapists grow ultimately expands access to high-quality trauma treatment, and being part of that ripple effect is something I’m incredibly proud of.
Beyond the therapy room, I love making mental health education more accessible through social media. One of the things I hear most often is that my content helps people feel seen while also giving them language for experiences they’ve struggled to explain. If someone comes away feeling a little less alone or more hopeful about healing, then I’ve done what I set out to do.
At the heart of everything I do—whether I’m sitting with a client, consulting with another therapist, or creating content online—is the same hope: that people leave feeling more connected to themselves, more empowered in their healing, and reminded that they were never meant to carry everything alone.
How do you think about happiness?
The things that make me happiest are often the simplest. Quality time with my family and friends, creating new memories through travel and outdoor adventures, and feeling connected to nature all fill my cup. I also find a lot of joy in slowing down enough to notice the changing seasons, whether that’s celebrating seasonal traditions, spending time outside, or simply appreciating the beauty of the natural world. Those moments remind me to stay present and connected to what matters most.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yesimsaldivia.com
- Instagram: @heal_with_yish
