Hi, I’m Emily (she/her).
As someone born in the Midwest, I am built with the wide open in my being. I laugh heartily - mostly at myself, and people would generally describe me as introspective, intuitive, creative, playful, and remarkably unembarrassed. I am someone who will deeply listen to you but who will also challenge you in moving toward harmony with yourself and values.
I refuse to be a blank slate therapist. I allow myself to be fully embodied with you. To be moved, tender, sad, angry, and scared with you because thats where transformation happens — when we have a felt sense of not being alone. I take care of myself thoroughly and intentionally so I can show up in this way.
When I’m not a shrink, I am an abstract painter and water colorist, gardener, animal lover, bread baker, and lifelong learner. My partner and I reside in beautiful Bellingham, WA where we love wandering around the bay and exploring the Puget Sound.
Philosophy
&Approach
My approach is collaborative, relational, trauma informed, and human. I offer long term psychotherapy as well as intensives and mental health therapy “check ups.” if you are someone who wants to take a preventative or seasonal check in approach to your mental health.
I draw on my own history/faith departure from Christianity and seminary education for spiritual matters and supporting folks through abuse, questioning, losing, reconstructing, or mourning their beliefs.
I am HAES aligned (Health at Every Size) and offer 11 years of working with eating disorders and an anti-diet, weight inclusive, fat liberational, sex positive approach to clients working to confront their relationship with food and/or negative body image.
As a painter and artist, I draw on my experience of presence over product and seeing the world through a creative and curious lens.
As a gardener, I draw on my experience of permaculture and tuning into environmental variables that allow one to thrive given the right conditions.
As someone who deals with chronic pain, I draw on my own relationship with my body, her strength, limitation, and how necessary body attunement is.
I strive to promote an atmosphere of respect, curiosity and humility; to offer a space that is anti-oppressive and aware of political, economic, and socio-cultural determinants of health that includes injustices inherent in the systems we operate.
Modalities
Though I have experience, I do not believe I am the expert, but a co-traveler, collaborator and companion to your journey. I trust that you already contain within you all of the resources you need to heal, sometimes we just need someone who can reflect that back to us in bearing witness.
Above all else, I am a client centered therapist. I am a Psychodynamic practitioner at heart, but utilize attachment theory, IFS and parts work (internal family systems), somatic work, inner child work, trauma informed care, existential and mindfulness practice. My favorite work is the deep deep work.
Body Liberation
I am an anti-diet therapist and support the HAES model (Health at Every Size). This means I will not suggest or endorse dietary, nutrition or eating behaviors that are restrictive, disordered, or weight loss intended. If you are in the stages of eating disorder recovery where you require your therapist to collaborate with dietary & medical support, are stepping down from a residential or outpatient program, or require more intensive support for eating disorder behavior reduction, we are likely not a good fit.
I will however, offer weight neutral, size accepting, gender and sex affirming care to move in the direction of body liberation and body respect, free from the constraints and judgments inherent within diet culture.
If you want help losing weight or need an assessment prior for bariatric or weight loss surgery, these are not services I can ethically offer. However, I would love to support you in any other way I can. Please contact me for questions or referrals.
“Living in a female body, a Black body, an aging body, a fat body, a body with mental illness is to awaken daily to a planet that expects a certain set of apologies to already live on our tongues. There is a level of “not enough” or “too much” sewn into these strands of difference.
”
My Own
Work
I am committed to the ongoing work of acknowledging my own implicit racism and biases so that my (virtual) office continues to be inclusive, affirming and welcoming to anyone who enters. I welcome feedback and constructive criticism in our relationship as I know I always have room to grow. Therapeutic relationships work best when they are partnerships, not hierarchies.
My space is welcome to you regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, body size, ability, age, gender, or sexual orientation. As a white female in a straight sized body I continue to examine the privileges I have and how they impact my work, especially with larger bodies. I remain humbled by the beauty and diversity of bodies I get to work with everyday, and strive to acknowledge and honor the sacredness of this work we do together.
Education & Training
Continuing Education 2023
July 2023: Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy, Hakomi Institute
July 2023: Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) via PRATI
July 2023: IFS & Psychedelics via PRATI online training
Oct 2022-May 2023: Supervision of Clinical Supervision from Jackie Abeling, LMFT
May 2023: Fatphobia as Mysogynoir, Race & Weight Stigma- Sabrina Strings via Lewis & Clark University
May 2023: IAEDP Body Image is the First Step to Recovery
Experience
2020-Current —Solo private practice
2014-2020— Adolescent and adult Eating disorder, mood and anxiety disorder residential, PHP, IOP and outpatient programs
2012-2014 —Group and private psychotherapy practice seeing individuals with eating disorders, relational issues, anxiety, depression, trauma and substance abuse
Education
Multnomah University, Portland, Oregon - Masters in Counseling, with distinguished honors 2013
International Federation of Coaching (IFC) Life Coaching Certificate 2012
Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana - Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Art & Religious Studies 2011
My practice makes a monthly donation to Rachel Cargle’s foundation The Loveland Foundation so that more Black womxen and girls have access to mental health therapy. Want to join me? The Loveland Foundation