Since 2016, the founder has become an EMDR practitioner. She has traveled worldwide, meeting other practitioners and discussing innovations for providing EMDR online.
On a trip to South America, the founder came across many women who could not find help with a long history of trauma.
Her grandmother did bilateral tapping, where she learned how to create a quiet place to relieve her chronic pain.
That day she asked the founder to help the women in that area.
This is how it all began, breaking paradigms and helping people with emotional relief and in their pain, also physical, Michelli created her own software to reach remote and at-risk places.
Until then, it was not a reality, a vulnerable patient having access to a professional in real-time, but a difficulty, sometimes posing a risk to the patient's life.
Through DUO, we want to continue this work with much more reach and change the pain of many people worldwide.
Although the founder was one of the first to apply to EMDR online, in 2017, she could not find many fellow EMDR therapists or virtual practitioners in the world.
After this tool's necessary and satisfactory feedback, DUO can and comfortable sharing with other therapists. It took 5 (five) years of research, user testing, and improvement until DuoAttention was ready.
Michelli Simpson, MA, LMHC, BC-TMH, CDVS-I
Founder & CEO
Michelli Simpson is the CEO and founder of Duo. An EMDR Certified Therapist, EMDRIA Approved Supervisor, Domestic Violence Specialist and Certified Telehealth Professional, Michelli has been practicing for the past seven years between the United States and Europe. Based on the knowledge acquired from online practice, training and certifications in the treatment of trauma, she helped therapists during the pandemic by facilitating online EMDR courses in the United States, Europe and Brazil, being one of the pioneers of the long-distance modality.
With extensive experience in intercultural work, dealing with trauma and racial oppression, he has volunteered in Brazilian community projects. He also specializes in working with addictions, attachment wounds, relational trauma, domestic violence, and sexuality-related trauma. Works with teenagers, adults, and couples.
She was the first BIPOC therapist to launch a platform with an “out of the box” vision and approach. Inspired by an emergency with a remote patient in the wilderness, she embarked on this journey as a mission.
Renner Celestino
Co-Founder and CTO/CFO
Renner Celestino is the CTO and Co-Founder of Duo. Graduated in Engineering and Finance, and he has more than 20 years working in Digital Transformation and Finance in multinational companies.
He initially developed the EMDR and Brainspotting platforms to meet the needs of CEO and therapist Michelli Simpson, and together they founded Duo.
The passion for working with Duo was so intense, that Renner is currently a Psychology student and aims to contribute to developing mental health platforms, combining his technological expertise with new knowledge.