Hello,
I’m so glad you’re here!
My name is Emily and I’d love to help you feel more yourself.
In my presence, I want you to feel at ease. Like you're wrapped in a cozy blanket of genuine care and warmth. I use humor, invitations for somatic practices, playfulness and deep interest in what makes you YOU. We’ll probably talk about your past; your childhood and other formative and significant experiences in your life. We’ll talk about the places you feel stuck and hopefully get closer to unsticking them. We might talk about the things that get you excited and spark joy in your life, too! I believe that your inner wisdom is inside of you. I would like to support your journey towards yourself.
Your sense of comfort and safety in the presence of your therapist is one of the most significant predictors for healing and success in therapy. Please set up a consultation to see if that’s something you feel with me.
I am a licensed clinical social worker located in Oakland, California. I graduated with a Master’s from Smith College School for Social Work (Northampton, MA), with a focus on psychodynamic and attachment theories. Over the last 10+ years, my clinical work has mostly been in community mental health focused on supporting young children and families recovering from, or still living through, trauma. This work has highlighted and confirmed for me the impact of early childhood experiences and the ripple effect that they have in our lives.
My work is trauma-informed, culturally responsive and liberatory in nature. Depending on the unique needs of each person with whom I work, I blend attachment and psychodynamic theories, somatic practices, my own sense of playfulness and an orientation towards the inherent wisdom in each of us and the natural world of which we are a part. I bring with me years of experience working with folks impacted by both big “T” Traumas as well as little “t” traumas. Regardless of what you’ve experienced in your life up to this point, I would love to walk with you as you forge your path now. In the present moment.
As a queer, white-bodied, cis-woman committed to anti-racism and anti-oppression, I love working with folks whose identities differ from my own and those with whom I experience identity overlap. Ultimately, a trusting relationship with a therapist is one of the most significant predictors for healing and change. I realize that your trust in me may be informed by various elements of my lived experience. I am absolutely open to exploring this together to see if we are a good fit. Let’s schedule a consultation and see how it feels.