About Emerson & Lemon Tree
Hi there! My name is Emerson and I cannot undersell how eager I am to meet you. I am a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) with a passion for supporting my community through empathetic, non-judgmental, and creative approaches to escaping rigid mindsets. I ground my practice in compassion, curiosity, and collaboration with the goal of empowering folks toward a more authentic connection with themselves and each other.
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"Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)"
- Walt Whitman
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​​I have been in and out of therapy my whole life. But coming from a loud, emotional, working-class family, much of my therapeutic experience felt too stuffy, too quiet, or made healing seem like it would only happen when the rest of life could slow down (which never felt possible). I strive to create an environment where my clients can bring their mess, their contradictions, and their personal history, no matter how contentious, so we can find a path for them that works. Lemon trees require lots of care, water, and sunlight, but they are resilient and yield an abundance of fruit that never loses its punch. I believe that each of my clients has endless potential and deserves high-quality care to bring out the strengths they already have in them. Sometimes we can feel sour about the hard work that goes into growing, but with the right support we can flourish, too.
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"I love lemon trees, I too am bitter but growing."
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My
Approach
As far as therapeutic approach, I work primarily with Internal Family Systems, Narrative Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Therapy. I see treatment through a holistic, relational, trauma-informed lens. Trauma-Informed therapy asks the question "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?" This also means that I believe our best healing happens in community with others, and that systematic marginalization must be taken into account by care providers.
It is a priority of mine to root my practice in anti-racist, anti-ableist, and anti-carceral approaches. This includes remaining Queer and Trans Affirming, respectful of all street economies, and continuing my education in unlearning capitalistic and imperialistic approaches to mental health. What all this means is that I take understanding my client's culture and needs very seriously! You should hold your therapist to a high standard, and I would love to talk more about this or explain what these approaches mean in our consultation. Schedule yours now!