Meet Eric

Hello! I am Eric Norton, and I’m glad you’re here.

At the heart of my work is a simple belief: healing happens in relationships and when you feel safe enough to set down the heaviness you’ve been carrying. 

Sometimes that looks like a child building their story in their play. Sometimes it’s a teen who can’t quite find the words yet but can show us through metaphor or creative expression. And sometimes it’s an adult who is reworking their way of thinking after years of surviving anxiety, hurtful relationship patterns, or identity wounds that never fully made sense.

The tools I use shift with age. The philosophy stays the same.

I integrate Play Therapy, Sandtray, Internal Family Systems, and EMDR to help experiences move from overwhelm into confidence. I’m especially attuned to trauma that hides beneath the surface, the quiet anxiety, the attachment injuries, the identity stress, the “I should be fine by now” stories. My approach is relational, creative, and grounded in attachment and regulation mastery.

I’m highly committed to providing quality LGBTQ+ competent care no matter the age. Identity development is lifelong. Identity stress, religious trauma, and attachment wounds often intersect with developmental milestones in complex ways. This is a space where every identity belongs and where your full story is welcome.

As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I’m trained to think systemically. That means I don’t see struggles as existing in isolation. We are shaped by relationships;  families, communities, cultures, faith systems, and social structures. When I work with a child, I also work with the family system around them. When I work with an adult, we often explore attachment patterns, relational dynamics, and intergenerational themes.

As a Registered Play Therapist, I deeply value the language of play. But expressive work isn’t just for children! Play engages the nervous system in a way that fosters safety, flexibility, and new possibilities for connection. Whether through dramatic play with a child, metaphor with a teen, or EMDR and expressive processing with an adult, we work at the level where it makes the most sense for you.

As a Certified EMDR Therapist, I use EMDR as more than a protocol, but as a framework for understanding how experiences are stored in the nervous system and how they can be reprocessed safely and effectively. Trauma is not just remembered; it is encoded in images, body sensations, beliefs, and relational patterns. EMDR allows us to access and integrate those experiences at their root to help your brain and body update old experiences so they no longer define your present.

As much as I know about trauma, anxiety, and identity development – nobody knows you as much as YOU do. I don’t have a lot of ego in this game. Therapy is only therapeutic if you think it is. I often let clients lead the way and I encourage you to let me know is and what is not working for you.

Whatever hardships you’ve experienced, I’d be honored to walk beside you and hold some heaviness as you continue your quest.

EDUCATION
MA in Marriage and Family Therapy | Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
BA in Theatre Arts | University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. 

SELECTED TRAININGS
Anchored Relational Therapy (formally AIR Network) for Complex Trauma and Dissociation
Playful EMDR for incorporating Play Therapy and EMDR
Therapeutic Use of DnD with Teens and Adults for Identity

FUN FACTS
My partner and I have two french bulldogs named Nico and Luna.
My favorite novel is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
I will watch most reality tv shows.
I always play as Toad in Mario Kart.