Therapists in Traverse City, MI

On the outside you're trying to keep it all together. On the inside you're falling apart. You feel stressed, overwhelmed, and everything is a struggle. No matter what you do it's never good enough. You're tired of feeling tired and ready for change. I specialize in helping people struggling with depression, anxiety, and trauma. This may show up in your life as low self-esteem, difficulty staying motivated, or feeling overwhelmed by emotions. You've taken a big step in looking for help. Finding a therapist that you feel comfortable with is an important part.

Traverse Health Clinic provides behavioral health services to adults and adolescents ages 12 and up, even if you haven't established primary care with one of our medical providers. Our behavioral health services are provided by licensed therapists who are trained and qualified to help patients experiencing life stressors or mental health issues. Therapists are able to assist individuals in learning constructive ways to handle problems that interfere with everyday life. Services are usually time-limited and focused on specific goals that you, the patient, have identified.

I consider counseling a safe space to share struggles that we are facing in this world. Life can be hard, lonely, and overwhelming at times for all ages. Having support for yourself as you navigate through difficult feelings, situations, and decisions is what counseling provides. I believe that we all want to live at our true potential and sometimes that takes a refresh or deep look at how we are currently functioning. Life is a journey meant to be experienced with others.

Human beings are resilient. They survive unimaginable things through resourceful measures, though these can be incomprehensible to others. Sometimes, the very things people do to get through tough times can result in negative consequences (for example: addictions, people-pleasing, perfectionism, suicidal behaviors, or avoidance). Recognizing this, some seek therapy to find different ways to thrive that cause less disruption in their lives and/or less harm to themselves. Some people use therapy to process events from earlier years while others focus on adjusting current behaviors. There is no wrong way on the path toward healing.

Emmy believes that your well-being relies on achieving balance in all aspects of your life. This requires a whole health approach that will serve the mind, body, and soul. Emmy specializes in trauma; specifically sexual, violence, family/intergenerational, and grief. Her other specializations are working with individuals with attachment style issues, anxiety disorders, and relationships in need of healing. She has extensive experience working with children, teens, families, LGBTQIA+ community; as well as working with individuals struggling with addiction and recovery.

I think a lot about wounds from the past, our traumas, and the way they get in the way of living the life that we want. For many it is really hard to recognize when these show up but often we can begin to notice when we are "triggered", when an intense emotion hijacks us and we find ourselves at the mercy of our reactivity. It can be so painful and overwhelming. Over time we are all capable of "unpacking" the thoughts, feelings and experiences that have come to shape us.