For Referring Professionals

Specialized therapy for Working Moms and DIvorcing Women

I’m Dr. Emily Fornwalt, PhD, a licensed counselor in private practice, and I see individual clients by secure telehealth in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Iowa.

This page explains which of your clients I can help, which concerns I refer to other providers, and how your client can schedule with me.

Contact Emily Directly
Contact Emily Directly
Dr. Emily Fornwalt sitting outside on a windowsill

Clients I Work best With

I work with two groups of women in individual therapy.

Women going through a divorce

Most of the women I see are separated, in the middle of a divorce, or in the first year or two after it, and many of them are working moms who are co-parenting with their ex.

→ More about my work with divorcing women

Professional Working moms

I help professional moms work through the guilt, stress, and pressure of managing a demanding career and a family, including after a new baby or a return to work. Some moms also come to me worried about how they’re parenting.

I work with moms of children of any age, from pregnancy through the teenage years.

→ More about my work with professional moms

When to Refer a Client to Me

These are the situations where your clients are most likely to benefit from working with me.

  • Family law attorneys and mediators: A client is too emotionally overwhelmed to make decisions, or she keeps bringing her grief and anger into your meetings. Therapy with me gives her a place to work through those feelings, so she can think clearly when she makes decisions about her divorce and her children.

  • Divorce financial planners: A client is having difficulty making thoughtful financial decisions due to the stress of her divorce. Working through her feelings with me helps her weigh her options and choose a settlement she can live with.

→ My role in a divorce: I’m your client’s individual therapist, so I don’t do custody evaluations, and I appear in court only when a court orders me to. I can’t give legal or financial advice, and I’ll send your client back to you with those questions.

  • Women’s health, menopause, and pelvic floor providers: A patient comes to you with a tight jaw, neck, or pelvic floor, or with trouble sleeping, and she tells you she’s stressed because she’s never off, either at work or at home with her kids. I can help her work through the guilt and pressure of managing a demanding job and a family while you keep treating her symptoms.

  • Career coaches: A client plans to ask her boss for a flexible schedule but keeps putting off the conversation because she feels guilty asking, or she turns down a leadership role because she worries she’d be letting her kids down. I can help her work through that guilt and worry, so she can make a decision about her career that fits her family, and you can help her carry it out.

  • Parent coaches: A mom knows the bedtime routine you planned together, but she gives in when her child cries because she feels guilty about how many hours she works, or she loses her temper with her child and spends the evening blaming herself. I can help her work through that guilt, so she can follow the plan you made together and respond to her child the way she wants to.

  • Couples and family therapists: One partner wants her own individual therapist, or a parent you’re seeing needs support with the pressure of a demanding job and a family.

Concerns I Refer to Other Providers

I want every client to get the right care, so I refer these concerns to other providers:

  • Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, such as depression, panic attacks, or OCD during pregnancy or after birth

  • Couples therapy

  • Family therapy

  • Individual therapy for the child or partner of a client I already see

If you aren’t sure whether a client fits my practice, contact me, and I’ll help you decide or suggest someone who’s a better fit.

Prices and logistics

My practice is private pay, so your client pays me directly for each session.

First session: $450 for 90 minutes

Ongoing sessions: $225 for 45 minutes, once per week

Insurance: I’m not in network with any insurance company, and I don’t provide superbills.

Location: I see clients by secure video, and your client needs to be in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, or Iowa during each session.

Scheduling: I see clients Tuesday-Thursday from 10am-5pm Eastern Time.

How to Refer a Client or patient

Your client can request a first session on my HIPAA-compliant calendar here: Schedule

I’ll confirm the appointment within one business day and send her intake forms and a secure video link.

If you’d like to talk before you refer, you can call me at 423-281-4089 or send me a message using the form on my contact page.

FAQs

Don’t see your question listed? Please see my FAQ page.

  • My approach draws on Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB), attachment research, and self-compassion.

  • I have a PhD from UNC Charlotte, and I’ve completed Level II training in AEDP and training in IPNB.

    I’m licensed as an LPC-MHSP in Tennessee (#5318), an LCMHC-S in North Carolina (#S6459), an LPC in Virginia (#0701013449), and an LMHC in Iowa (#140678), and I’m a Professional Counselor Telehealth Provider in South Carolina (#TLC 214 PC).

    I’m also a Board Certified-TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH-3701), a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S #T2008), an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), and a National Certified Counselor (NCC).

  • Yes. I offer paid consultation for therapists and other providers on ethical and clinical questions about children, teens, parents, AEDP, or interpersonal neurobiology, and I offer clinical supervision in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Still have questions?

Please contact me using the button below. I’ll respond within 2 business days.

Contact Emily Directly