About Zaria
A therapist who knows this journey from the inside out
My passion is helping people heal from narcissistic family trauma (and its effects), sexual abuse, and emotional neglect because I know what it takes to untangle the confusion, process the pain, grieve, and to build a life grounded in your truth.
Zaria Garden, MA, MFT
“When you can experience first-hand that knowing the truth, however painful, is so much better than not knowing it, then you are on the road to deep healing and reconnection with your real self.”
When I began therapy, I was suffering from unprocessed trauma from my childhood and a profound lack of connection to myself. I felt weighed down by negative beliefs, disconnected from my body sensations and emotions, and estranged from my family of origin. I both longed for and feared intimacy, both with myself and with others.
Over time, with the help of knowledgable, skilled, and empathetic therapists, I slowly began to know myself and learned how to be ‘in-relationship-with’ myself. When I started to remember and talk about the trauma of my childhood, I came to realize I was raised in a narcissistically structured family. And after my father passed away and my mom developed dementia, I realized that even when the narcissist is gone, the ramifications and the roles in the system continue.
Trauma-focused therapy and EMDR were major components of my work, both of which helped me explore the effects of trauma and understand how my childhood shaped both my past and present. Layers of negative conditioning began to peel away, revealing inner strength, clarity, connection, and aliveness.
My past informs the work I do now
with my clients
Clients often tell me I have "guide energy” and that I excel at really “getting” them. I listen deeply, ask questions, check in to see if what I say “fits,” and then I reflect it back to you. The goal and result is you feeling seen and understood. And it lays the foundation for you to explore and understand the context of your family system, how it affects you today, and what you can do about it.
This work is not about blame or making anyone wrong. It’s about unpacking what happened and clarifying what’s really going on. As you begin to explore your parts, you’ll meet survival parts stuck in time, still trying to navigate and find agency within the complex family system of your childhood. It’s not about judging these parts but rather seeking to understand and appreciate the protective roles they have played. That’s when you become in-relationship-with yourself, and that’s when change happens.
Education & Training
Degrees & Certifications
MA in Integral Counseling Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco (2014)
BSBA in Business Administration and Finance, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Hypnotherapy Academy of America, Santa Fe, NM
Professional Training
EMDR Basic Training Parts I, II, & III, Parnell Institute (2018)
Member, 2018-present, EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)
Crossroads of Trauma Therapy training with Rachel Walker, LMFT
Harmony Within: Embracing Transformation through IFS training with Dr. Richard Schwartz & Jeanne Catanzaro
Introduction to Internal Family Systems training with Dr. Richard Schwartz
The Treatment of Trauma & the Internal Family Systems Model with Dr. Richard Schwartz
Understanding the Narcissistic Structure, a Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center training with Bob Engel
Therapeutic Modalities
My work integrates multiple approaches, including:
• Trauma-informed therapy
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
• Internal Family Systems (IFS/Parts Work)
• Psychodynamic theory
• Somatic awareness and bilateral stimulation
Before we meet
You’ll need to fill out my client intake form before our first session. You can print out the form here and bring it with you.
And here are the other forms for my practice. Feel free to download as needed.