From Engineer to Therapist: Nervous Systems, Neurodivergence, and the Art of Attunement
In this episode of The Art of Being a Therapist, hosts Morgen and Ashley sit down with licensed clinical social worker and trauma therapist Maria Jensen. Maria shares her unconventional path from industrial engineering to trauma-informed clinical work, and how her analytical background shapes her approach to EMDR, brain spotting, and nervous-system-focused healing. The conversation explores attunement, co-regulation, the limits of what can and can't be taught in therapy and working with neurodivergent clients.
Guest Bio:
Maria Jensen, MSW, LCSW, is a trauma therapist specializing in anxiety, OCD, trauma, shame, and neurodivergence. Before becoming a therapist, Maria worked as an industrial engineer, an experience that shaped her ability to blend analytical problem-solving with deep empathy and human connection.
Drawing from specialized training in EMDR, Brainspotting, and shame resilience, Maria takes a nervous-system-informed approach to healing that emphasizes brain-body integration, self-compassion, and sustainable change. She is passionate about helping clients better understand themselves, reconnect with their strengths, and move beyond survival mode toward lives that feel more authentic, meaningful, and aligned with their values.
Originally from Baltimore and now based in Las Vegas, Maria believes healing happens when people feel truly seen, supported, and empowered to create lasting change.
Host Bios:
Ashley Charbonneau, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, evaluator, clinical supervisor, consultant, and educator. Her clinical expertise centers on working with individuals impacted by the legal system, grounded in a commitment to offender accountability, survivor healing, and restorative justice.
Ashley has developed multiple 45-hour training programs on clinical supervision and is the author of The Resilient Therapist (Bloomsbury, 2026) and Supporting Clients of Sexual Trauma: Establishing Safety, Processing Shame, and Fostering Healthy Intimacy (PESI, 2026). She provides training nationally on restorative justice, addiction, clinical supervision, working with individuals who have committed sexual offenses, professional boundaries in therapy, and mandatory reporting.
To contact Ashley directly, her website is: https://www.ensopllc.com/
Morgen Villegas, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, writer, consultant, and an EMDR International Association Approved Consultant. Through her practice, Vida Idílica Therapy & Consulting, she specializes in helping women heal from trauma, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and the lasting effects of overfunctioning and caregiving. Using a blend of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), she helps clients reconnect with themselves and create lives that feel more authentic, spacious, and connected.
Morgen also provides consultation to EMDR therapists seeking greater confidence and nuance in working with complex trauma. Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, she is passionate about helping people move beyond "faking fine" and toward lasting healing. She is the author of Shadows to Light, a collection of stories and reflections on emotional neglect, motherhood, and breaking intergenerational cycles. Morgen lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, rescue dog Raven, and an ever-growing stack of library books waiting to be read.
To contact Morgen directly, her website is: vida-idilica.com
