"By the time I met Marita, I was 54 years old and had worked with five different therapists over a 20-year period.  I was not particularly optimistic that she could help me where so many other attempts at therapy had failed, but I was as broken as I had ever been and I needed to try something new.  I had heard, from two other therapist-friends, that Marita was skilled with EMDR and that I should give her a try. 

The different psychologists I had seen over the years were all good people and well qualified but even after years of working with each of them, I never experienced any sustained growth.  I was stuck when we started, and I was stuck when we stopped.  This was difficult for me and for them, and at times, I could feel their frustration at my inability to recover. 

I had more or less accepted that because of my addiction, difficulty in relationships, failure with AA and the 12 steps, repeated relapses, and childhood trauma that I was beyond the help of any therapist. 

I was wrong. 

I wept through the entirety of our first session.  Marita took copious notes as I rambled through my life history and at the end of our first hour together she told me that she could help me. 

No one had ever said that they could help me before.

She was right.

That was a strong statement given my life history and the experience I’d had with therapy up to that moment. 

At that point, I really had no option but to believe in something.  I was out of answers; my life was completely out of control.  I was drinking and using again to medicate my pain, and I knew I was headed for a crash landing. 

The previous year, I had been told by a counselor at an inpatient treatment center for alcoholism that if I didn’t deal with my childhood trauma that I would never stay sober.  He also told me that my PTSI (Post Traumatic Stress Index) test scores were the worst trauma scores he had ever seen.   That was gut wrenching news because up to that point I had worked with a lot of therapists in an attempt to recover from my childhood trauma, but there I was in the hospital again.  Whatever I had done in the past, even though I had really tried hard, had yielded nothing but more debilitating pain and frustration. 

Marita explained EMDR, what it was, how the equipment functioned, what its potential benefits were, and how we would use EMDR and work together to deal with a variety of excruciating pain points from my childhood. 

She said that we would reprocess those traumatic events with my adult mind rather than being stuck in parts of the past that were only visible through the lens of my childhood. 

Two of the other therapists from my past had “experimented” on me with EMDR but nothing came of it and so I was skeptical to try it again.  After a number of sessions with Marita prior to starting EMDR I could see that her approach was going to be different.  She was thorough and incredibly patient. 

By the time we actually started using the EMDR equipment, Marita had spent many sessions getting to know me and getting to understand the details of my particular history.  I was really warmed by this as my previous therapists rarely took notes and seemed uncertain about how to use the EMDR equipment or how to prepare me for the experience. 

After several EMDR sessions, I learned that EMDR is a process that would settle down on me slowly and makes its adjustments over a period of time.  In the immediate aftermath, I felt fuzzy, even a little spacy, like I had shaken the snow-globe of my mind.  With time though, those painful memories started to sift and settle in a different way.  The shame associated with those events began to lift. 

All of that would be meaningless if it were not for tangible and otherwise unexplainable changes in my reactions to previously stress-creating-events that took place routinely in my day-to-day relationships.

After a short while, I was no longer a slave to my reactions.  Where I seemingly had no choice but to fly off the handle with hostility and brokenness to all-too-common daily events, I suddenly had a choice about how to deal with certain interactions that were previously a painful part of my daily life.  EMDR had given me the mental space to consider my reactions to relational situations that previously created incredible stress for me and the people around me.  

In addition to the change in my reactions, I have had an easier time staying sober and working my recovery program. 

Nothing short of a miracle. 

My time with Marita has given me back my tears.  I was only able to cry in self-pity and self-absorbed pain, but today I experience a full range of emotion and many times that includes tears of sadness and empathy for others and their hurts.  Another miracle. 

I could go on and on about what my time with Marita has meant to me and to the quality of my life, but I will wrap it up with this:

Here are some things that were different about Marita from the other therapists I had seen in the past:

• She takes incredible notes.
• She remembers everything I have ever said to her (and that is a lot).
• She understands how therapy and the 12 steps can work together to help each other.
• She has never shown frustration toward me or made me feel that I was doing something wrong during our many sessions.
• She is open about her own life when it will help me and she is honest in a beautiful way.
• She has always made me feel like I was really important, kind of like I was her only client.

And finally, for me, knowing how to handle difficult moments was only 10 percent of the solution.  I generally knew what I should or shouldn’t do in a given situation, but my trauma made it impossible for me to follow through during high-stress moments.  Actually, walking through those difficult times without creating additional stress for myself and others was the remaining 90 percent of navigating difficulty.  That is what I have gotten from my time with Marita and my experience with EMDR." --SS

"I first met Marita in June 2014 when I began IOP at Cumberland Heights.  I remember walking through the door on my first day and the way she greeted me made me feel not only welcomed, but at ease.  For me, the latter was extremely important as I was in a very fragile state in my recovery.  As my counselor, Marita was thorough, forthright, and understanding.  She had, and still does have, a way about her that brings out the realness of others and myself.  She is passionate about recovery and helping those who are willing to go the distance.  Marita’s knowledge of her profession is but an asset to her innate awareness and compassion for those who desire her help.  It is my opinion one of the reasons she is so beautifully effective in what she does is because she has walked the journey of recovery herself; thus allowing others to experience a deeper sense of identification with the disease of Alcoholism.

I am forever grateful for her counsel during IOP.  I believe through her tenacious guidance, I was launched into an amazing walk of sobriety.  Marita continues to be a strong force not only in my own recovery, but in many others as well." --KM

"Marita Beth Earle is the best there is, bar none.

Like everybody else, I came into rehab at a low ebb. I was wondering, “Have I hit bottom? Is this it?” I needed help, I needed someone who was going to be honest with me and someone who knew an addict (and a liar) when she saw one.

Marita ran therapy sessions with authority, competence, and no tolerance for any of the typical lines of BS that alcoholics and addicts use to communicate. The first thing you need when you come into treatment is someone who will zero in on your own BS and call you out on it. Marita did so, not with cruelty, but honesty and integrity, and the hard-won experience she'd gained throughout her own struggle to recovery.

Marita changed my life. 42 months ago, I could barely think. Life baffled me. I couldn’t comprehend how people managed to not only live their lives but get ahead and thrive. Now I’m DOING those things myself! Life is a joy. I’m grateful to my Higher Power, and I’m so grateful that the God of my understanding put Marita Beth Earle in my life. She does God’s Good Work, and I couldn’t recommend her highly enough." --TW                                         

"LIFE CHANGER~~  Marita Beth is a difference maker.  In December of 2007 I knew that I needed help.  I had/have never stayed in a hospital or any other institution overnight (and I'm now 42), so a treatment facility was not an option.

I was directed to Marita and spent approximately 60 hours with her over a five-week period.  There is no question that without the foundation she helped me build, I would not be where I am today.  She totally met me as well as others in the class where we were and taught us from there.  I stay in touch with her still today because she invested in my life and my journey.  She knows how to give tough love to adults, share her experiences and make people reflect inwardly; therefore get better outwardly! 

FOR ANYONE WITH AN ADDICTION ISSUE AND DESIRING TO UNDERSTAND AND PUT THEIR DISEASE IN REMISSION, SPENDING TIME WITH MARITA IS A MUST!" -- TB

"Marita’s grounded compassion made me feel safe enough to be honest about painful things in my life.  Marita has the experience and knowledge to help you get right to the heart of the issues and then offers steady, thoughtful guidance as you work through them. 

I am actively involved in a 12 Step recovery group, but felt like once I’d worked the steps and found my part I hit a roadblock—what about the things I don’t have a part in?  That’s where Marita played a critical role. She helped me work through those things I did not have a part in. I couldn’t change them—but I could be at peace with them. I am very grateful for Marita and highly recommend her." -- LR                            

I’m so grateful for Marita! Several years ago she was my counselor in an Intensive Outpatient Program that helped change my life forever. Her passion for helping, subject knowledge, and professionalism along with her engaging communication skills helped so many of us start a successful 12 Step-based Recovery Program.

There are so many verbs and adverbs, nouns and adjectives to describe my experience, but they all condense down to one statement:

If you are open, honest, and willing, and think you need help with a problem, Marita, in her firm and to the point manner, but in a loving, caring, and empathetic way, will help you learn and grow as a person, resulting in an extremely positive experience. One you will cherish and be grateful for as well!

Years later now, I consider Marita a close friend, great counselor and therapist, and truly believe you will, too!! Good luck to you. -- MW

I can't imagine my life today without knowing Marita. The journey of my recovery started with Marita. She knew exactly what my main issues were and directed me to wonderful resources. She caught my attention when no one else could. I am forever grateful for Marita and our continued friendship today. -- KC