About Daphne Fatter

Daphne Fatter (she/her) is a licensed psychologist, clinical trainer, author, and international speaker dedicated to providing education on integrative trauma-informed therapies. She is considered to be a thought leader in ways to integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS) with other modalities. She is certified in IFS and an Approved IFS Clinical Consultant. She is also certified in EMDR and an EMDRIA Approved EMDR Consultant. As a certified ancestral healing practitioner, she also works with intergenerational and historical trauma.

Dr. Fatter’s book: Integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS) into EMDR Therapy: The Step-by-Step Guide to Complex Trauma Recovery is available for pre-sale.

Dr. Fatter also provides consultation and guidance to develop innovative AI technology that can help provide ethical trauma-informed therapeutic support services to meet mental health needs.

Dr. Fatter received a Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University. She was then awarded a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Pennsylvania State University before completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Psychology at The Trauma Center under the direct supervision of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD. She has authored works on IFS, EMDR, countertransference, mindfulness, and ancestral healing. Her varied clinical experience and mastery of multiple trauma processing models allow her to approach both clients and fellow therapists innovatively, meeting them exactly where they are.

Other accolades include her work as a:

  • Therapist in private practice since 2016.

  • Former Military Sexual Trauma Coordinator for the Fort Worth Veteran Affairs Outpatient Clinic

  • CE Provider Webinar instructor offering continuing education in trauma treatment for mental health providers in the United States, Canada and Europe.

  • Program assistant and training support for the IFS Institute, Education for Racial Equity, and Ancestral Medicine organizations.

Meet Daphne Fatter, PhD

As a licensed psychologist, seasoned therapist, and clinical consultant, I approach my work with curiosity and humility. I learn something from just about every person I work with, whether they’re a world-renowned instructor or client coming to me for healing and support. I believe my job as a therapist—and teacher—is to reorient the people with whom I work so they can access their innermost wisdom and resilience to move forward in their lives. 

SELF TAPPING FOR ATTACHMENT READINESS & REPAIR (STARR)™

I created SELF TAPPING FOR ATTACHMENT READINESS & REPAIR (STARR)™ which is a multi-sensory intervention to use slow self-tapping for internal relational connection between one's Self and their internal parts. I have presented this at the IFS Institute 2023 International Conference and have also introduced it in my book chapter published in 2023: “IFS and EMDR: Transforming Traumatic Memories and Providing Relational Repair with Self.” In Riemersma, J. (Ed.), Altogether Us: Integrating the IFS Model with Key Modalities, Communities, and Trends. Pivotal Press.

SELF TAPPING FOR ATTACHMENT READINESS & REPAIR (STARR)™ training programs and services are offered in various continuing education workshops, classes, conferences, seminars and webinars that I teach, including:

3 CE Hours: 

Honoring Clients Where They Are: The Innovative Integration of IFS and EMDR

6 CE Hours:

EMDR & Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy: Integration Techniques to Resolve Inner Conflicts for Enhanced Trauma Processing

My History As A Trauma-Informed Clinician

Decades ago, I discovered mindfulness, Buddhist meditation, and other elements of my spiritual journey that eventually culminated in a profession as a therapist.

As I began teaching mindfulness in the early 2000s, I noticed that many clients had traumatic memories surface when practicing meditation. With this in mind, I began to pursue a clinical focus in trauma, receiving a Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counseling and eventually a PhD in Counseling Psychology. I even had the honor of completing my postdoctoral fellowship under the direct supervision of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, the psychiatrist and best-selling author of The Body Keeps The Score, among other notable titles.

My Clinical Focus & Approach

I continue to expand my knowledge of best practices in the field and consider myself a dedicated lifelong learner. My specialties include:

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

  • Ancestral Lineage Healing

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

  • IFS Consultation

  • EMDR Consultation

  • IFS/EMDR Integration Consultation

  • Trauma-specific issues

I use both evidence-based methods and also integrate a holistic lens that honors the culture of each client. I believe that we are impacted by many forces beyond our control, including systemic factors and our ancestors who came before us, which can completely transform our internal selves when brought into intentional consciousness. By healing internal components, we can then begin to heal ancestral and collective traumas.

How Can I Help You Or Your Practice Thrive?

Whether I am working with clients in individual counseling or fellow clinicians in training, I aim to be an open, affirming professional that honors each person’s individual experiences, identity, abilities, and goals. To find out more, contact me. 

Representative Presentations

I provide on-going live and on-demand webinars that I present on a rotating basis. You can read more about my trainings here . I also provide trainings and am an international speaker both online and in-person.

Professional Summits & Conferences

  • PESI’s 2024 Innovations Conference, Anaheim, California

  • PESI’s 2024 Suicide Prevention Summit

  • Western Canada 2024 Trauma Conference: Treating & Healing Traumatic Wounds

  • IFS Institute: 2023 International Internal Family Systems (IFS) Conference

  • PESI's 2023 Summit: Beyond Cultural Competency Summit: Leading the Way Towards More Inclusive and Empowering Therapy

  • Ontario 2023 Mental Health Summit

  • IFS Institute’s International 2021 Annual Internal Family Systems (IFS) Conference: Restoring Wholeness through Collective Transformation

  • 2020 Texas Psychological Association Conference

  • Texas Association Against Sexual  Assault Conference

  • American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Conference

  • National Outreach Conference for Counseling Centers

    Federal & State Agencies, Community Mental Health Providers, & Private Group Practices around the World

  • Active duty mental health clinicians serving active duty soldiers, Fort Cavazos, Killeen, Texas

  • Active duty mental health clinicians serving active duty soldiers, Schofield Barracks, Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi

  • The Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (serving First Nations Communities), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

  • The South Dakota Department of Social Services, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

  • PESI Italy: Integrating IFS & EMDR (Translated Live in Italian)

  • Behavioral Health Services, The Yakama Nation (Serving Indigenous Communities within the Yakama Nation), Toppenish, WA

  • Grand Rounds for Medical Staff, Maimondies Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York

  • Life Architect (an International IFS Professional Community based in Poland; Translated in Polish)

  • Ancestral Medicine Practitioner Network based in Spain

  • New York Psychotherapy and Counseling Center, Jamaica, New York

  • Jack Hirose & Associates based in Canada

  • Aceradepsicoterapia (CE Professional Community based out of Madrid, Spain; Translated Live in Spanish)

  • Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Haywood, CA

  • IFS Talks (an International IFS Professional Community based in Portugal)

  • Better Beginnings, LLC., Florida

    Non-Profits, College Counseling Centers & Professional Associations

  • The Rocky Mountain IFS Community hosted from Denver, Colorado

  • Nebraska Association of Marriage and Family Therapist Conference, Omaha, Nebraska

  • Northeastern Counties Association of Psychologists (NCAP), an affiliate of the New Jersey Psychological Association

  • The Mountain Child Advocacy Center, Asheville, North Carolina

  • The Family Service Society, Inc., Corning, New York

  • University of California Irvine Counseling Center, Irvine, CA

  • Southern Methodist University Counseling Center, Dallas, Texas

  • Brigham Young University Counseling Center, Provo, Utah

  • The Diversity, Community & Culture Special Interest Group, EMDRIA

  • Dallas Psychological Association for the Annual Diversity and Ethics Workshop

  • Collin County Psychological Association, Plano, Texas

  • Pat's Place Child Advocacy Center's CHAT Collaborative, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • The Trauma Center, Brookline, MA.

    Published Works

    Fatter, D. M. (2024) “Integrating Internal Family Systems into EMDR Therapy’s 8 Phases.” In EMDRIA’s Go with That Magazine (available to members of the EMDR International Association). 

    Fatter, D. M. (2023). " IFS and EMDR: Transforming Traumatic Memories and Providing Relational Repair with Self.” In Riemersma, J. (Ed.), Altogether Us: Integrating the IFS Model with Key Modalities, Communities, and Trends. Pivotal Press.

    Fatter, D. M. (2023). "Ancestral lineage healing: Restoring Belonging and Reconnection with Ancestral Wisdom and Collective Self-Energy." In Riemersma, J. (Ed.), Altogether Us: Integrating the IFS Model with Key Modalities, Communities, and Trends. Pivotol Press.

    Fatter, D. M. (2021). Interview on "How Ancestral Medicine informs IFS Legacy Burdens work - with Daphne Fatter". IFS Talks podcast. June 2021.

    Fatter, D. M. (2021). Interview with Tammy Sollenberger. IFS and Inviting Curiosity with Racist Parts with Daphne Fatter. The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems podcast. February 19, 2021.

    Zhuang, X., Fatter, D. M. & Grossenbacher, P. G. (2016). Exploring the lived experience of meditation instructors through transpsersonal lens. Kaklauskas, F., Hoffman, L., Clements, C. & Hocoy, D. (Eds.) Shadows and Light: Philosophy, Practice, and Pedagogy of Contemporary Transpersonal Counseling. University Professors’ Press.

    Fatter, D. M. & Hayes, J. A. (2013). What facilitates countertransference management? The roles of therapist meditation, mindfulness, and self-differentiation. Psychotherapy Research, 23(5), 502-13.

    Davis, D. M.  & Hayes, J. A. (2012). What are the benefits of mindfulness? Continuing Education, APA Monitor, July-August issue.

    Davis, D. M. & Hayes, J. A. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy, 48(2), 198-208.

    Davis, D. M. (2010). Mindfulness and supervision: What psychotherapists need to know. Psychotherapy Bulletin, 45(1), 9-17.