Annie Dieleman

Hello! I’m Annie, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I grew up in Southwest Michigan and I completed my Bachelor of Social Work at Trinity Christian College in Illinois, and my Master of Social Work at the University of Illinois, Chicago. I started my career as a therapist in Chicago for adults with severe and persistent mental illness, with a specialized focus in assessment and diagnosis. I transferred my practice to Washington state where I was a therapist within the Kaiser Permanente Washington health system for several years. During my time in Washington I re-centered my practice to align with the Internal Family Systems model, Polyvagal Theory, and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. I recently moved back to Michigan and maintain licensure in Illinois, Washington, and Michigan.

I believe that everything that we do, helpful or unhelpful, self-serving or self-harming, is in service of survival. As we move through life we encounter moments that cause us to adapt; whether from trauma, unmet expectations, humiliation, lack of nurturing, societal pressure, or our role within our family. We cultivate these adaptations and carry them with us, applying them to new parts of life where they may no longer be needed. I believe that if we learn how to meet ourselves with compassion, gratitude, and curiosity, getting to know the parts of us that work so diligently to protect us, we can begin to uncover and heal the deeper wounds that they shield. As we begin to unburden ourselves we become freer to live an authentic life.

I am trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); both are profound trauma therapies that can spearhead transformational healing and significantly change our relationship with ourselves and others. While these therapies are typically used for those struggling with PTSD, they are helpful for all people who have had to make some type of adaptation in life in order to carry on; putting on a smile when feeling sad, being the strong dependable member of your family/friend group, code switching to avoid bigotry or prejudice, feeling frozen or indecisive, being quick to anger or defensiveness, people pleasing, etc. These adaptive habits or ‘parts of us’ take energy, and while they are protective, we can begin to lose ourselves in them. IFS and EMDR offer non-judgmental healing that will help you slow down, find peace with yourself, and feel more in control of your life. I work with adults and couples of all religious, ethnic, racial, gender spectrum identification, and sexual orientation.

You can contact Annie directly at annie@corcounselingmi.com OR by calling 616-425-9384 OR by clicking the contact button

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