Candice Covington-Thomas

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in both New Jersey and New York, as well as a trained attorney, with experience across clinical, community, and systems-based settings. I am also the founder of Lessons N Sessions, a boutique behavioral health practice designed to provide thoughtful, relational, and high-quality care.

My legal training informs a strong analytical lens that I bring into my clinical work, particularly with high-functioning professionals who value depth, precision, and clarity in understanding their internal experiences and decision-making patterns.

I pursued training in EMDR to deepen my work with complex trauma and am currently working toward certification. In addition to my clinical work, I teach upper-sequence graduate-level courses to MSW students at Rutgers University and provide select clinical supervision, supporting the development of emerging clinicians.

Availability: I maintain a select caseload and see clients on select Sundays only, allowing for a focused and intentional therapeutic experience. I accept Aetna insurance or private pay. For specialized services, including EMDR, rates may vary and will be discussed in advance to ensure clarity and alignment.

Our work together is thoughtful, paced, and individualized. I listen for patterns, both spoken and unspoken, and help you make meaning of your experiences in a way that feels both grounding and expansive.

A core focus of my work is supporting individuals with complex trauma, often those who have learned to function at a high level while carrying unresolved internal experiences that continue to shape their relationships, decisions, and sense of self.

Sessions may be reflective and insight-oriented, or more direct and focused on helping you challenge patterns and move forward with intention. I integrate cognitive, relational, and trauma-informed approaches, including EMDR, while also considering the environments you move through, because healing does not happen in isolation.

Equally important, we will identify where change is possible and where acceptance is necessary. Learning to discern between the two is often where the deepest growth occurs.

You can expect a space that is warm, grounded, and intentional. My style is calm, observant, and discerning. I will hold space for you while also helping you see what you may be missing. Sessions are not rushed or formulaic. There is room for reflection, honesty, and depth, with careful attention to pacing.

I work best with individuals who are ready to engage in meaningful, in-depth work and who value insight, precision, and alignment.

My Sunday caseload is intentionally reserved for a small number of clients, often high-functioning professionals navigating complex trauma that has gone unseen or unaddressed.

This work is best suited for those who are open to a thoughtful, paced process that includes both change and acceptance, and who are ready to engage in work that is not only understood, but fully processed and lived.

In addition to traditional psychotherapy, I offer a limited number of EMDR-focused treatment opportunities for adults seeking a more concentrated approach to trauma healing, integration, and lasting change.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps the brain process experiences that continue to create distress in the present. This work may be beneficial for individuals experiencing the effects of childhood experiences, relationship injuries, grief and loss, medical trauma, professional burnout, anxiety, or significant life transitions.

My approach combines more than three decades of clinical experience with advanced trauma training to help clients move beyond symptom management toward deeper healing, increased self-understanding, and lasting resolution.

This service is particularly well-suited for high-functioning adults and professionals who have achieved success in many areas of life, yet continue to experience persistent patterns rooted in unresolved experiences from the past.

What to Expect

Treatment begins with an initial consultation and assessment process to determine readiness, appropriateness, and fit. Consultation sessions may be billable to insurance when clinically appropriate and covered by your plan.

Once a treatment plan has been established, services may include:

• Trauma timeline development and treatment planning
• Resource installation and stabilization work
• EMDR preparation sessions
• Focused trauma processing sessions
• Extended EMDR intensive sessions
• Integration and future-template work

Treatment Options

Depending on your needs and treatment goals, treatment may include:

• Consultation & assessment sessions
• EMDR Preparation & Resourcing
• Focused Trauma Processing
• Extended EMDR sessions
• Integration & Future Template Work

Because of the depth and individualized nature of this work, EMDR appointments are offered on a limited basis and begin with one or two consultation appointments to determine readiness, appropriateness, and overall fit.

If you are interested in EMDR & Trauma Recovery, please indicate this on your Appointment Request Form under Types of Services.