Liberation-focused Psychotherapy

Hi, I’m Emily

I offer an engaged and collaborative space to explore the stories and beliefs you carry, as well as suffering and longings that need attention. I’m here to support your agency, and I’m here so you’re not alone in your exploration and meaning-making; being with someone in this work makes possible things that aren’t as easily achieved alone. 

Our work together can illuminate the multiple ways you feel about something, which is inherently rich. And it can lead to more effective ways of being in relationship with others, as well as with sides of yourself that might be stuck/ in conflict/ traumatized/ burdened by unhelpful beliefs. This can be difficult and disorienting work, but also profound and invigorating–and often playful!–leading to an increased sense of living a life aligned with your deepest self. I’m honored to witness and accompany my clients in their exploration and transformation, and I truly believe that working to expand and heal ourselves serves the work of expanding and healing the larger world.

My treatment approach is trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, sex-positive, and kink-positive, and I draw from a range of treatment modalities: relational therapy techniques, psychoanalytic theory, therapies that focus on the physical body, and Internal Family Systems therapy. I believe we are both going to be changed by being in relationship with each other and that we our relationship can itself be a vehicle for healing. I believe it is helpful to make conscious the beliefs, ideas, associations, and stories we hold. I pay attention to the information held and communicated by the body, and listen for ways to make use of our imagination. Sometimes I invite us to think about ourselves as a collection of different self-states or “parts” that are in relationship with each other and can enter into fruitful internal dialogue/ interactions.

I tend toward—and enjoy!—working with trauma survivors, queer and gender-expansive folks, disabled folks, neurodivergent folks, academics, immigrants, creatives and outsiders; however, my clients hold a variety of identities and backgrounds. I believe firmly that personal struggles are shaped by interpersonal and systemic oppression and trauma, and I’m attentive to my own imperfections and growth areas as well as to how my own social positioning impacts my client relationships. 

My work is dynamic, evolving, and tailored to each client. It expands in collaboration with my clients.

Outside of my role as a therapist, I can be found swimming in the ocean, lakes, and rivers, playing old time fiddle, dancing, working on my home, learning to garden, making up games with my nephew and getting my dog Osa out into the woods. Occasionally I make art.