About Emily

I'm Emily (she/they), your liberation-oriented therapist in California.

I am a licensed marriage and family therapist (CA #135147) and Certified Body Trust® Provider. I became a therapist because I’ve been where you are. Throughout my adolescence and young adult life I struggled with getting my needs met, finding connection and feeling safe within myself and the world around me. I spent so much of that time hiding. Hiding my queerness, the shame I carried from my past, my insecurities and my humanness. When I finally decided to make a commitment to myself and start my own therapy, I remember feeling afraid that it was too late. I felt so stuck in my hiding and the comfort of the narrative I had carried for so long that I wondered if I was too broken to heal. To my surprise, I wasn’t. Through my time in therapy I have been given an opportunity to write a new narrative for myself that’s filled with hope and compassion instead of fear and shame. I won’t lie, therapy can feel scary and hard, and so I believe you deserve a therapist who helps you navigate all of the ups and downs of this process without judgment — I hope I can be that therapist for you!

"Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness."

Dr. Peter Levine
my Values

  • I am committed to bringing my authentic self to every therapy session and creating a supportive and authentic space for my clients to explore their thoughts and emotions. I believe that being genuine and transparent creates a non-judgmental environment that encourages you to feel comfortable doing the same.

  • Liberation and social justice are core values that are embedded in my work. I recognize that therapy is inherently political, and that the societal issues that impact my clients' lives are present in the therapy room. That's why I am passionate about anti-racism and anti-oppressive practices, and I work to ensure that you feel seen, heard, and valued.

  • Connection is a vital element in human relationships, and it plays a significant role in our lives. As a therapist, I recognize the immense value of connection in helping clients achieve their therapeutic goals. I prioritize creating a strong therapeutic relationship built on trust, compassion, and safety.

Therapy with me is rooted in…

explore therapy services

Education and Trainings

  • Education

    Chapman University - Bachelor of Arts in Psychology - 2018

    Chapman University - Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy - 2021

    Loma Linda University - Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy - anticipated graduation June 2027

  • Somatic Experiencing

    Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Program

    “SE resolves symptoms of stress, shock, and trauma that accumulate in our bodies. When we are stuck in patterns of fight, flight, or freeze, SE helps us release, recover, and become more resilient. The large majority of people worldwide have traumatic experiences in their lifetime, which can have major impacts on their health and well-being. Rates of trauma exposure are estimated to be anywhere from 60-100% in the general population.”

    Beginning Level I, II, and III with Debra Clydesdale, LAc, DNBAO, SEP, CDS, LMT

    Intermediate Level I with Debra Clydesdale, LAc DNBAO, SEP, CDS, LMT

    Intermediate Level II and III with Francine Kelley SEP, RYT500, LCPC

    Advanced Level I with Dr. Joshua Sylvae, SEP, LMFT, PhD

    Completing Advanced Level II with Dr. Joshua Sylvae, SEP, LMFT, PhD

  • Certified Body Trust® Provider

    Body Trust® is an approach to healing body shame and disordered eating based on the clinical work of Hilary Kinavey, MS, LPC and Dana Sturtevant, MS, RD. The approach is designed for multi-disciplinary helping professionals to make a shift from a weight-normative to a weight-inclusive approach to care that includes recognition of what helps address intersectional oppressions that have made “body trust” challenging, unsafe or inaccessible.

    Body Trust® is both a radical paradigm shift for helping professionals and a specialized, practical intervention for healing body shame and disordered eating that addresses internalized weight stigma and moves towards resilience and liberation from individual, cultural and systemic body oppression.

    Certified Body Trust Providers and Advocates are multi-disciplinary professionals who have completed a rigorous and intensive training. They are dedicated to speaking on behalf of justice and inclusion. To become certified, Body Trust® providers agree to not promote dieting, specific food philosophies, or promise weight loss.

    Body Trust® is a registered trademark of Be Nourished, LLC.

  • Internal Family Systems

    IFS Institute

    “IFS is frequently used as an evidence-based psychotherapy, helping people heal by accessing and healing their protective and wounded inner parts. IFS creates inner and outer connectedness by helping people first access their Self and, from that core, come to understand and heal their parts.”

    Completing Level I Training with Kim Paulas, LMFT, IFS Certified and Dr. Sand Chang, PhD, IFS Certified in 2025

let's get started

Are you ready to transform your life?

schedule a call