I’m Emily (she/her) and I am a Professional Counselor Associate and National Certified Counselor (NCC) located in Portland, OR.  I’m glad you are here and I know it takes a lot of courage to ask for help. I believe that everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in their therapist, feel less pressure to explain themselves, and safe enough to bring their whole self to the counseling space. Together, we can re-imagine identity, subvert recycled narratives, and disrupt patterns of isolation to create meaning, connection, and hope.

You might be someone who is exhausted from looking for a therapist who looks even a little like you. You might be someone who is entering a new stage of your life, career, friendships, or relationships. Maybe you are feeling stuck. Maybe you are feeling grief, heaviness, sadness, and even anger about…everything. Perhaps you have saved every mental health Instagram slide deck and TikTok, or read every self help book out there, but you still don’t feel like it’s clicking for you. You may be someone who has felt different for your whole life and can’t quite figure out why. You may be someone at a crossroads with the story and template you have been told you need to fit into. You may even feel just “fine” right now, but you know there is more—more to expect, hope for, and be.

My desire to become a therapist began when I walked through my own spiritual and cultural deconstruction, which led to first hand experience of my own depression and anxiety. Part of my healing has been creating space to advocate for my intersectional identities as a second generation Taiwanese American woman, and process the grief that comes from institutional religious and emotional trauma. Now, I believe uncertainty can feel clear, our stories are nuanced, and healing is collective.

My priority is to create a space that feels safe and comfortable for you to bring your full self to the counseling room. This means holding space for your wins, losses, joy, and pain. Healing and hope are possible, and we can find it together.