About Emily
Hi, I’m Emily! I help smart, sensitive people rewrite harmful stories from the past, tame anxiety, and live with more peace and confidence.
I specialize in supporting Exvangelicals, religious trauma survivors, and people in faith transition or deconstruction.
I’m trained in EMDR therapy to help you heal and reduce trauma responses so you can embody your values, not your past.
Costs and Insurance
$185 per session
Out of Pocket
Why did you become a therapist, and what motivates you to continue?
Therapy is hard work, but it worked for me and that made me want to help smart, sensitive people like you! Therapy helped me improve my relationships with family members, my romantic choices, emotional well-being, and self-confidence. I worked through trauma so it didn’t dictate my decisions and I could live out my own story. I love seeing people come alive, step into their power, heal, and be who they always wanted to be.
Your path forward won’t be the same as mine, but I know healing is possible because I’ve done it, and I’ve helped clients like you make changes that last.
For people that are hesitant to try therapy, what do you wish you could tell them?
When I first started therapy in my early twenties, I thought it would just be the therapist telling me what to do and how to live the best way. I thought I'd have to do homework worksheets like I was taking a class and that I'd suddenly be this perfect kind of person who didn't have anxiety or relationship difficulties anymore. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy, but fortunately, therapy is so much more than just another series of To-Dos for your already overwhelmed life. You can grow, heal trauma, and find ways to move forward.
According to research about what makes therapy effective, the relationship between therapist and client is key. This means basically that you should like your therapist, want to talk to them, and feel like they like you! For people who have faced a lot of rejection, a relationship like therapy can be kind of scary, but I always remind my clients that therapy is a place where you are ultimately in charge. You choose what we work on, how fast, and how we go about it. My job is to help you see a little beyond your capacity, to support the stories in your life you want more of, help you puzzle through stuck spots, and to notice and point out your progress.
We do not have to talk about your childhood if you don't want to or don't find that helpful! Therapy is about your goals, and I'm here to help you identify them and find ways to move towards them.
What should people thinking about working with you, know about you?
If you want a therapist who knows what it’s like to deconstruct a harmful upbringing and reconstruct a meaningful life, you’ve found her!
I’ve dealt with betrayal, anxiety, family difficulties, and the pressures of being raised as a good Christian girl. I’ve lost my voice in toxic relationships, deconstructed the religion that tried to silence me, and learned to speak up again. I’ve practiced standing up for myself without losing my cool, burning anything down, or snapping back into perfectionist-people-pleaser mode.
In addition to studying and practicing psychotherapy, I work in higher education, and you can still find me trying to get through all my library audiobooks before I have to return them. I'm probably a little too online, but I'm working on it.
What does a typical session with you tend to look like?
When we're first starting out, a lot of the time in our sessions will be about getting to know you, helping you identify your goals, and mapping out how to help you get there. I am collaborative in the sense that I'll keep us going, but you tell me which direction we're going.
I don't tend to assign homework unless we come up with something together, but I do help link sessions together from week to week to make sure you're getting what you want out of therapy. I value feedback, and think therapy is a great place to practice speaking up for yourself and your true desires. I also think therapy sessions can be funny, imaginative, and include as much swearing as you want.
How can you provide care remotely?
I offer all psychotherapy services, including EMDR, via secure video teletherapy. I'm a Millennial, so I grew up always having friends online and maintaining meaningful relationships with people across the country (or the world), so remote therapy fits naturally for me.
My clients find that virtual therapy sessions are easier to fit into their busy lives with no commute time. Virtual therapy is also a way for me to support people with certain disabilities, autoimmune conditions, or high risk for COVID-19 complications who cannot meet in person, and I’m committed to that option.
Teletherapy laws means that I can work with you anywhere in California, but not if you are located in another state, even temporarily. Certain situations are not well-suited to virtual therapy, but we will determine right away if this method and my therapy skills will be a good fit for you.
Interested in talking?
(949) 478-5644Costs and Insurance
$185 per session
Out of Pocket
Specialties
Anxiety
Men's Issues
Self Esteem
Sexual Abuse
Trauma and PTSD
Women's Issues
Approaches
EMDR
Feminist
Narrative
Somatic
Trauma Focused