Dr. Emily Fornwalt (formerly Donald) is an affirmative therapist specializing in helping teens and adults heal their perfectionism, embrace self-compassion, and build healthy relationships so they can create fulfilling and joyful lives.
Embrace self-compassion; build a life you love.
Your story
You wish you could see yourself how others do. They look at you and see the successes–in work, school, athletics, the arts. You’ve actually got things other people want. At least that’s what they tell you when you try to talk about this stuff. But instead of feeling fulfilled, you’re exhausted, and reassurances fall flat. You worry constantly about failing. And that voice in your head just keeps on reminding you that you’re not good enough. “The next mistake is clearly only moments away,” it insists. So you don’t let up, even for a moment, all the while feeling lonelier and lonelier…
The truth is, that critical voice often represents a scared part of you. And even though it’s downright mean and wildly inaccurate, it’s a part of you that deserves understanding. Together we can work on strategies to help it settle down. In fact, we’ll help you shift from criticism to curiosity and self-compassion, where you will learn to turn kindness and empathy inward. With my relational, mindfulness-based approach, you will learn to spot even the most subtle self-criticism, identify what fuels it, and care for yourself with kindness. Armed with your new self-compassion super-powers and a deeper understanding of yourself, you will begin to hear your authentic voice, practice how to set boundaries and express yourself to others, and choose fulfilling, authentic relationships. What you practice in therapy will (for real) create new connections in your brain; the critical voice will finally be out of the driver’s seat.
How I can help
“Why you, Emily?”
While I know that this is a line from pretty much every single counseling page you’ve checked out, I think you will find me not like other counselors. (That’s the hook…the spot where you can hardly wait to read more. Right?) Ok, so it’s easy to see that I like to have fun and, believe it or not, counseling can be fun. I pretty much guarantee we will find ways to laugh together, as we work toward your goals. I know you can make the changes you want (Now say, “Well no kidding Emily. You wouldn’t be a counselor if you didn’t think that.” You can roll your eyes if you need to, as well.). And as you make changes, I will be with you every step of the way, collaborating, guiding, and sometimes just being together. Don’t worry though; we will do it at your pace and in your time. Our relationship matters to me. I will help you better understand how your brain works, so you can harness its ultimate power (channeling some superhero action movie stuff here) to think, feel, and act differently. Heck, you’ll BE different. Finally, I believe strongly that counseling is not only the purview of us wizard-like (ok, not really, but I wish) practitioners of therapy. I will talk to you about what we are doing, and why we are doing it and seek your feedback on how it’s going. I will be 100% real and honest with you. I’m nothing if not authentic (basically by default, because I am so very bad at acting).
“Emily, this sounds just like me! What do I do next?”
I work with folks ages 12 and up. Check out more about my counseling approach. In particular, I specialize in:
My Services
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Counseling
More about individual online counseling or parent support.
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Supervision
More about pre-license or play therapy supervision.
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Consultation
More about post-licensure consultation.
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Online Courses
Coming soon. Topics to be determined.
Aligned & Imperfect
Thoughts on authenticity, self-compassion, and therapy