IT’S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE.

I’m Emily. I provide online therapy for teens, parents, and adults.

So…

You're here because you want to stop pushing pause on the life you really want.

You're tired of pretending that everything is ok, that you’ve got a handle on it. You just want a place where you can stop trying so hard and just be.

you’ve found it.

Who are you, Emily????

I am a person who is also your therapist.

I could have put another uber-professional looking headshot-type photo here. Trust me, I thought about it. But is that the entirety of who I am? Nope. I am sure you’ve seen those throughout my site—and here, too—(feel free to hunt another one down if you need to see that side of me), but I think it’s important that you see both the therapist and the person. Like you, I am not one-dimensional.

Have you ever sat with someone you knew was just pretending to be someone they really aren’t? I bet you’ve been that person! (Spoiler alert: we all have.) Exhausting — both being with that person, and especially being that person, right?

So, my promise to you is that first and foremost, we can be real with each other.

“what does that even mean, emily?” you ask.

And for you, I can’t totally answer that, but I strongly believe that the starting point for you in therapy is learning how to be exactly who and where you are — accepting all the ways you’ve made it to this point of your life.

This includes the things you want to change (I always say yes, even though I cannot take on any more!), because you do those things for a reason. And if I am to help you do that, I have to also show up as your therapist and a real, actual person. 

This means that I know I am not perfect, and I won’t pretend to be so in our relationship. What that looks like in sessions:

I’ll check in.

If I am not sure about something, or I notice that something I said led to you feeling some kinda way, I will stop and check with you about it.

For example, if you’re confused (likely because I didn’t make sense at that moment) or I didn’t get it quite right (that’s not how you really felt), or I accidentally said something that sounded just like your mother (or some other challenging relationship), I want to know and figure it out together.

If I can make mistakes and work through them with you, then you can do it too! 

You’re the expert.

I am not the expert in you, and I don’t intend to try to be; I will make significant effort to get to know you well so that I can understand things you share with me better, but I will always want to hear feedback from you about your needs and how things are working for you. And I will ask you for it.

your identity matters.

I don’t know your exact experience of living in the world you do, but you are welcomed fully as you are.

Depending on your ethnic identity, gender identity and expression, neurodivergence, sexual orientation, relationship structure, and all the other overlapping ways that you are you, we likely experience the world very differently.

I will work hard to understand as best as I can what your experience is like, while also understanding that I can never know fully. This means I acknowledge that I move through the world with more ease than many people who experience racism and other oppressive systems and we can talk about that in our sessions.

Tree with multicolored hiking blazes painted on its trunk.
Close up of several sunflowers in a large field of sunflowers.

You might also get to know a bit about me as a person who is also your therapist.

what that looks like in session.

  • I might share a book, podcast, quote or something else that made me think of you and/or our work together. 

  • I sometimes say exactly what’s in my head and ask you to bear with me while we sort it out. What I mean by that is, sometimes my spidey sense says “Emily, you really need to check this part out” or “Emily, there’s something to this part…” but I can’t quite put my finger on it yet, and I don’t have a fully formed understanding of my brain is insisting I say something. And sometimes I decide to risk it and say it as is, with the hope that something will also jump out to you. 

  • I might share with you how I see you to help you see yourself differently (I’d call it feedback, but that feels so formal and I am decidedly not formal). 

  • I enjoy laughing and believe it’s healing; we will find ways to laugh together. Sometimes, if I get too therapist-y and sound like what everyone thinks we all sound like, we can laugh about that! I will totally call myself out for it. 

It is my hope that, in doing the things above, I can help you stop trying to hard to be someone you’re not…

…first with me and then slowly but surely with the other people in your life. And trust me, when you do, I will celebrate right along with you. 

  • The first time you ask someone for what you need. 

  • The first time you say no, because you really don’t have the time/energy/desire to do that thing. 

  • The first time you make a mistake and don’t spend hours (days?) beating yourself up for it. 

In closing, it is very important for me to include that I am affirming of all gender and sexual orientation identities, enjoy working with folks in a variety of relationship (for example, non-monogamous) and family structures (for example, single parent), and celebrate the diverse ways people build intimate partnership and family. For you, this means that you can talk about these parts of you in therapy without fearing judgement. In other words, you can be you.

I’m excited to meet you!

I’ve intentionally avoided boring you with my professional stuff, but if you’re someone who loves therapy lingo or wants to know a bit more about my training and experience, please check that out here.

If you just want a few random facts about Emily the person: 

  • I adore good food made with love.

  • I have two dogs.

  • I love backpacking, hiking, and camping. 

  • I have a very dry (and sometimes corny) sense of humor. 

My background

I’ve spent over 20 years—teaching, supervising, and providing therapy.

  • I’m trained in providing several types of therapy which allow me to approach our work integratively, but with purpose. These include:

    • Interpersonal Neurobiology

    • Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy

    • Play Therapy & Child-Parent Relationship Therapy

    • PhD in Counseling

    • Multi-state counselor licensure

    • Registered Play Therapy Supervisor

    • Multi-state counselor supervisor

    • Board Certified Telemental Health Provider

    • Approved Clinical Supervisor

    • National Certified Counselor

    • Level II AEDP Therapist

let’s get started working together.

Click the button below to schedule a session or reach out if you have questions.