I live in relationship with unceded Coast Salish lands in Western Washington.
I am a licensed clinical social worker associate, offering integrative relational, somatic, and ecological therapy for folks navigating the layered work of being human.
I come to this work by way of being in my body and kinships, with years of experience as a death doula, community organizer, outdoor educator, caregiver, and service worker. I am also an artist, a dancer, a writer, a student of our natural world, a Vipassana meditation practitioner, a hospice volunteer, a Work That Reconnects facilitator, a trained conflict mediator, and a student of Somatic Experiencing® trauma resolution.
At the core of my practice is a deep respect for your inner wisdom, and the ecology of all of your relationships. I believe that healing happens through attuned connection. My approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in presence, creating space for you to feel seen, supported, and empowered to navigate challenges with greater awareness, intuition, and belonging.
Original artwork by Emily
Modalities
While these tools can be helpful, I believe in you and your ability to heal, in your inner strength and your intuitive wisdom.
Lens
Queer, decolonial, anti-racist, and rooted in social and environmental justice. My approach is relational, heart-centered, and rooted in the belief that we are already whole, and that sometimes all we need to do is come home to the ecology of kinship — the interdependence that is our true nature. It's here where we can be deeply witnessed, fully express ourselves, and experience true belonging.
A little more about the road that led here
As someone who has always felt a deep kinship with the natural world, I believe that our sense of belonging is intimately tied not only to our relationship with ourselves and other humans, but with the wider natural world as well.
I grew up spending my days climbing trees and tending to the land, being nourished by these connections in ways I wouldn't fully understand until adulthood. In 2012 I was diagnosed with a rare chronic illness which brought about near-death experiences that fundamentally reoriented my life. Since then, I have felt called to tend to the thresholds of life, and to help others as Ram Dass said, "we're all just walking each other home," home in our wholeness, with our bodies, within community, and with our Earth.
In 2019 I studied with Bodhi Be, Ram Dass, and others to become a death doula. I have walked alongside individuals, families, and communities experiencing grief, loss, and profound transitions. During my Master of Social Work program, I specialized in perinatal mental health care, helping folks heal amidst complex challenges during the transition to parenthood, as well as infertility, perinatal loss, and grief.
I continue to be passionate about accompanying folks through the tender transitions of birth, life, and death, as well as healing from growing up with emotionally immature caregivers, supporting those living with chronic or life-altering illness, and those desiring a deeper sense of connection to their bodies, inner world, and the natural world. Mother nature is my greatest teacher and guide, and I believe we can learn so much from reconnecting with the rhythms, lessons, and reciprocity she offers us.
Education & Training
Deep gratitude for those who have guided, taught, mentored, supported, and witnessed me.
- Master of Social Work — The Ohio State University
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner — Somatic Experiencing International (in progress)
- Death Doula — Doorway Into Light
- Full Spectrum Doula — Birthing Advocacy
- Foundations in Somatic Abolitionism — Education for Racial Equity
- Conflict Resolution & Mediation — Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center
- Group Peer Support Facilitator — GPS
- Work That Reconnects Facilitator — Work That Reconnects Network
- Perinatal Mental Health Training — Reducing Harm & Centering Healing: Justice-Oriented, Culturally Responsive Perinatal Support; The Intersection of Substance Use Disorders and Perinatal Mental Health; Perinatal Grief and Loss — Perinatal Support Washington & Whatcom Perinatal Mental Health Taskforce