Biography

Meet Rev. Karla Fleshman, LCSW, MDiv (They/She)

Building Bridges through EMDR Consultation for LGBTQ+, Spirituality, & Dissociative Experiences

Rev. Karla Fleshman, LCSW, MDiv. (they/she) is a Certified EMDR Therapist, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, Advanced Certification in Dissociation Studies for EMDR, Trainer/Educator, and owner of Transitions Delaware, an LGBTQ+-affirming group practice. They specialize in mentoring clinicians working with LGBTQ+ clients and those experiencing complex trauma, dissociation, medical trauma, and religious trauma through an intersectional, culturally responsive lens. Karla is passionate about helping clinicians apply EMDR with confidence, ethical integrity, and clinical flexibility. Her teaching emphasizes case conceptualization, attachment-informed and parts-informed treatment, mindfulness, and adapting EMDR to each client’s unique nervous system and lived experience, fostering compassionate, reflective, evidence-informed practice.

LGBTQ+ folx are at increased risk for experiencing intersectional trauma, including yet not limited to socioeconomic marginalization, racial discrimination, religious abuse, and ableism. These compounding trauma exposures can amplify psychological distress and heighten reliance on dissociative coping mechanisms.

Publications

“The Forgotten Parts of Me: A Clinician’s Journey Through Breast Cancer & Early Childhood Trauma” in Queering EMDR Therapy by editor Roshni Chabra, LMFT (Creative Mindfulness Media: 2025)

The Role of Dissociation in Surviving Severe, Systemic Bullying: A Reflective Narrative for EMDR Therapists (and Trauma-Responsive Clinicians Serving LGBTQ+ Folx) in Delaware Journal of Public Health, (2025) Volume 11: Issue 2, pp 74-79

“Who was Nex? Who is Nex.T?” in Delaware Journal of Public Health, (2025) Volume 11: Issue 2, pp 80-81

“Building Resilience, Reducing Risk: Four Pillars to Creating Safer, More Supportive Schools for LGBTQ+ Youth” in Delaware Journal of Public Health, (2019) Volume 5: Issue 3, pp. 46-52.

“Understanding and Dealing with Spiritual Violence: Preaching, Testifying, and Gandhi’s Satyagraha as Tools in the Queer Social Justice Movement” in Understanding and Dealing with Violence: A Multicultural Approach, pp.95-112 by editors Barbara C Wallace and Robert T Carter (Sage Publications: 2003)