About

Welcome to a space meant for you.

Finding a therapist who you will allow to peer inside your brain and possibly make suggestions, criticisms, or validations can be a challenge. I want to share some about me and working with me.

When you enter my office’s door, you’ll find a vast waiting room that looks out on a porch and a lake between the golf course and Hodges Boulevard. You’re welcome to wait in the waiting room, where it’s quiet, or sit out on the porch on the rocking chairs. When you sit in the reception area, come on in if you see my door is open. If closed, then I am probably in a session with another client. I will check if you’re there when it our time if you haven’t just walked into my office.

We’ll have the option of meeting in my small office, which can hold a lot of big feelings! The white noise machines outside my door help create an atmosphere of privacy. I use lamps for ambient lighting, and we will have a window for the inevitable afternoon thunderstorm experience.

Alternatively, we can sit on the rocking chairs, looking out onto the water, reducing the need for awkward eye contact or feeling closed into a small space. We can also walk around if that helps, which sometimes it does.

What is it like?

My office is ideal for someone who feels like they move so fast and feel things profoundly and quickly before they even realize what’s hit them. This time together is a practice of slowing down.

Therapy is a space holder for noticing what’s happening in your body, noticing why, learning new ways of approaching those circumstances, and learning how to transition that slower approach to your daily life.

The work can be challenging. Noticing the uncomfortable sensations in your body when stressed might make you feel like crying. You might cry. Some clients will cry every time they come to therapy. Life can be painful. Giving yourself that space and time to notice your body and what it’s going through due to life is a gift.

There are challenges in this Comfort Zone.

When you become my client, surprises lay in store for you. I want our time together to feel like the perfect workout. There is this space between so-easy-I-won’t-see-change and too-hard-I-quit. That’s our sweet spot. It’s just enough of a challenge to be interesting, but I am not looking to overwhelm you with your own life experiences and emotions.

This scenario generally applies to every appointment, but since we do not know each other yet, that first session will be even easier! Think of your first day of elementary school. It is hard enough to walk into an unknown place and meet a stranger.

I want your body to feel like my office is a haven allowing you to unload your feelings.

Here’s what to expect the first time.

Discussions in our first session will help me understand what brought you to my office.

We may establish a general understanding of what relief would look like for you and what you have tried in the past. We will discuss how much time and how frequently you’ll be able to attend sessions, and the work we’ll do together will move you toward your goals according to that timeline.

After that first session, I’ll keep the goals we have discussed in mind and revisit them occasionally to ensure we are in sync.

Therapy is an expressive art.

The surprises may continue, as there are many ways for us to access the feelings you’ve been dealing with and bring them to light.

There will be options for organizing the information you are learning about yourself or trying to express using creative methods (clay, paint, poetry, writing, drawing, sand tray).

Talk therapy is always available to address the root of emotions and find healing if it is within one’s comfort zone.

Balance the past, present, and future.

A session usually begins with me asking how you are, which is always an open and honest invitation to notice the current moment.

You might reflect on how your body is feeling, name the emotions you are experiencing, or remember what happened the days before the appointment.

Will it work for me?

It can feel like you’ve tried everything before you get “on the couch” – when you’re just looking for help. It may feel like you are never going to change. It can feel like this is just the way it is for you, and this is just how you interact with others.

Let me encourage you there is hope. Our work will change your life, and I’ll be here to help you see your progress. Therapy will help you stay motivated to do the hard work that builds a life you can be proud of and find joy in.

Art is part of who I am.

Hi! I’m Emily! Outside my office, I have other notable labels: artist, mom, and wife. I have loved art my whole life, and it has always allowed me to pass the time and feel connected, calm, and confident. My art has never been about the final product but more about the process of making the art. I love to teach these processes if my clients are interested because I think they lend themselves to being present with yourself, noticing your feelings, and creating something you’re proud of.

I try to balance being wildly creative with an intentional effort at keeping a tidy office – just a fair warning. When you come into the room for therapy, you’ll probably see a desk covered in art materials, stacks of paper notes, and coffee cups. Right now, I have four mugs: one is my Starbucks Japan mug from this Christmas, when I visited my brother-in-law who lives on base there, and one is the Jacksonville Jaguars mug I stole from my husband.

Many clients have helped organize the art supplies because my giftedness is in managing emotions and holding space for others to process their feelings, not administrative tasks or organizing art supplies. So, together, we will be in the business of making a mess, not cleaning them up.

My alma mater is Florida State – Go Noles!

I wrote every research paper on how to use art in therapy, but I also wanted to learn other treatment styles for family therapy, trauma, teen therapy, and child development.

Another of my interests is bridging the clinical world of treatment with the faith-based world of biblical counseling. I would like to clarify that I place the highest value on being client-centered and working within the ethical guidelines of my license. I am a licensed clinical social worker, which means I provide an open, client-centered environment, starting with where my clients are mentally, spiritually, and emotionally (and going where they want to go!).

My business involves healing through honesty and hard work.

Last but not least…

…I’m a dog mom! Although I have a therapist, my pup should get paid, too. Animals are the best. His name is Lincoln.