My name is Emma and my goal as a Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate (LCSWA) is to provide a therapeutic space for healing, compassion, empathy, and acceptance. You matter, and you don't have to walk your journey alone. Your struggles and triumphs deserve to be heard in a non-judgmental and caring space, with a therapist who values your individuality and the goals you want to achieve. My background consists of working with women who have experienced addiction, trauma, intrusive thoughts, attachment wounds, depression, anxiety, abusive relationships, and low self-esteem. When working with clients, I utilize evidence-based practices, including a trauma-informed and person centered approach. Other practices that I utilize are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an attachment frame, Polyvagal Theory, and the three-phase trauma processing model. All of these practices are designed to help promote healing, positive coping skills, healthy thinking habits, and self-confidence. I value the lessons that psychoeducation can give and have also integrated this consistently throughout my time as a therapist. I graduated with my Bachelor of Social Work Degree and Master of Social Work Degree from Eastern Michigan University. I also have a Certificate in Child Welfare and worked primarily in this field during the years in which I was an undergraduate and graduate student. This included being an on-the-ground social worker serving families through child protective services, adoptions, and foster care, and witnessing first-hand how childhood trauma impacts us as human beings. After graduating with my Master's Degree, I moved to the mountains of North Carolina, a place I frequented every summer growing up and dreamed of one day living. It was here that I discovered my passion for working with adults in a counseling setting when I was employed at a nonprofit domestic violence agency in Brevard. I worked with women healing from and actively fleeing domestic violence for a year and a half and I obtained my LCSWA in the process. After being granted my licensure, I shifted to working in a residential rehab in Fletcher, NC, for women in active addiction and with co-occurring mental health disorders. It was here that I worked with women individually and also in groups, witnessing and walking alongside their journeys of hardship and hope. After deciding to shift to an outpatient setting, I came to work at Hendersonville Counseling and am so looking forward to the journey ahead. I would consider it an honor and a privilege to work with you as you make the brave decision to step outside of your comfort zone and prioritize yourself and your healing. Deciding to make a change in your life is a hard and important step, and I would be happy to talk to you more about your goals and what you are looking to focus on in your therapeutic work. “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anaïs Nin, writer"