Meet Gianna - Faith Based Counseling & Therapy in Arizona

HEAL YOUR TRAUMA BRAIN: REPLACE HATE WITH LOVE | 928-890-4642

I am Gianna Elms, LCSWI am a Catholic psychotherapist with more than ten different specialties.

I have been so blessed throughout my life, to begin learning about trauma and how to treat and heal it from a very young age. I am so grateful to have been taught by or worked alongside pioneers in the fields of disability rights ^[1], psychological trauma ^[2], veterans ^[3], and religion (spirituality) ^[4]. As much as these experts have taught me, some of the most powerful and gifted teachers I have are my clients and those who hate me. It has been a privilege to learn with them and from them ^[5]. In the field of disability rights: C. David Roberts, Ph.D., James “Jim” De Jong, James “Jim” Brinkmann, Michael Merrick, and Mark Laird. In the field of psychological trauma: Grandma Lucy, Robert D. Enright, Ph.D., Raymond Lloyd Richmond, Ph.D., Rita Witt (Victims of Domestic Violence), Joseph “Joe” Marinello (Domestic Violence Offenders), and my beloved parents. In the field specific to veterans: Alex Waigandt, Ph.D., Dennis Blang, and my family. In the field of religion (spirituality): Grandma Lucy, Raymond Lloyd Richmond, Ph.D., William Coulson, Ph.D., Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi, Discalced Carmelites, Missionaries of Charity, my beloved husband and our precious son.

EDUCATION
LICENSURE & CERTIFICATION

B.S. Disability Studies
M.Ed. Educational & Counseling Psychology
MSW Clinical Social Work
Fellowship in Psychoanalytic Thought
ADA Coordinator Certification Program

Licensed Clinical Social Worker – LCSW
Certified Rehabilitation Counselor – CRC
Certified ADA Coordinator – ADAC
Clinically Certified Domestic Violence Counselor – CCDVC
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level 2 – CCTP-II
Certified Forensic Social Worker – CFSW
Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist – ASDCS
Registered Clinical Supervisor/Qualified Consultant
Certified Storytelling Leader
Certified Seizure First Aid

HISTORY

My Life

As I look back on my life today, I understand that there was a plan for me to help people heal from trauma through forgiveness from the beginning. I was the go-to person who even adults relied upon when they struggled with difficult emotions from childhood traumas. I was considered “gifted and talented” in elementary school to the point where they wanted me to be “tested” and placed in “extra classes”, which I hated! I was first nominated to become a peer counselor in middle school. Part of my training included working with adult male offenders who were incarcerated in a medium-level security state prison.

FAST FORWARD. I graduated high school early and joined the military. I served as a non-combatant and first-responder. My plan was to become a doctor. Ironically, my time in the military resulted in permanent injuries that effectively made medical school no longer an option. After receiving an honorable discharge and medical retirement as a teenager, I went to college in order to start “exercising my brain”. It wasn’t what it used to be; it was different, and it needed to be retrained. I received a B.S. in Disability Studies, an M.Ed. in Education and Counseling Psychology, and an MSW in Clinical Social Work. I also became involved in social justice issues and discovered that I have a gift for researching and writing policy and law. I have even earned a nickname because of the way that my brain works now. I converted to the Catholic faith after a period of studying nearly every major religion and experiencing a reoccurring dream, which also relates to my love for language.

After 25 years of professional experience with trauma, 15 years as a clinician, and a decade of experience, specializing in Forgiveness Therapy, I was humbled to receive an official endorsement on Veterans Day, November 11, 2022, for my work with treating and healing trauma. This endorsement came from the 2022 American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award Winner, Robert D. Enright, Ph.D., who is regarded as “the Father of Forgiveness Therapy” and who Time magazine named “the forgiveness trailblazer”. Forgiveness has only recently been formally recognized in the psychological field as being central to healing from trauma. Yet, it’s a truth that has long been known, although often misunderstood for ages. Even I first started speaking about it in my early childhood. I believe that forgiveness is more than a choice. Forgiveness is the opportunity to change the way your story ends. I look forward to being part of your story!

NOTES

^[1] In the field of disability rights: C. David Roberts, Ph.D., James “Jim” De Jong, James “Jim” Brinkmann, Michael Merrick, and Mark Laird.

^[2] In the field of psychological trauma: Grandma Lucy, Robert D. Enright, Ph.D., Raymond Lloyd Richmond, Ph.D., Rita Witt (Victims of Domestic Violence), Joseph “Joe” Marinello (Domestic Violence Offenders), and my beloved parents.

^[3] In the field specific to veterans: Alex Waigandt, Ph.D., Dennis Blang, and my family.

^[4] In the field of religion (spirituality): Grandma Lucy, Raymond Lloyd Richmond, Ph.D., William Coulson, Ph.D., Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi, Discalced Carmelites, Missionaries of Charity, my beloved husband and our precious son.

^[5] I believe that I will always be a lifelong learner because I thrive on learning. As a clinician, who specializes in treating and healing trauma, including complex trauma, with Forgiveness Therapy, I can only continue if I choose to learn and grow with the help of others. However, I have my own identity. The only teacher who I worship is Christ Himself, who has been and always will be my best teacher. I have the confidence to trust my training and my ability to interpret the unconscious and assist in the healing of the hearts of others. This is all possible because of what I’ve learned and continue to learn, each and every day. It’s my passionate desire to learn that has even saved lives. I trust in God the Father, that my passion for Christ, the Good News, and His Divine Mercy, as well as my willingness to be open and responsive to divine inspiration, received from the Holy Spirit, will help save my soul. I hope to share what I’ve learned with you.