Em Feldman-Adams, LCSW
She/her (click here to learn why pronouns matter)
Are you looking to feel better connected with yourself and others but juggling day to day life doesn’t leave much extra space to get to where you wanna be?
You're human. You have your best self, worst self, and most days are somewhere in between. We’ll look at your patterns and decide which are serving you well and which you want to shift or release. My goal is to normalize the messiness of being human and then help you untangle it, so you can connect with your underlying needs and feel good about getting them met.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) will help get in touch with your body’s innate wisdom and you’ll learn to better trust yourself, simplify your communication, and feel more connected with others. Some of the other modalities I use include narrative therapy, mindfulness, and some modified, more culturally and trauma-informed CBT.
In both individual and relationship therapy, we’ll work together to slow down reaction times, interrupt negative thinking, identify and reinforce your own boundaries, and practice all of these skills, so you feel more confident using them in real life. I will gently challenge you to dig a little deeper so you can make space for creating a life that feels richer, more authentic and more true to who you are and who you want to be.
*I generally work with people aged 16 & up.
Specialty Populations and Shared Identities
Are you “still coviding” and looking for a therapist who won’t gaslight you?
Are you an unschooling or homeschooling family hoping to find somebody who supports your family’s values?
Are you foster or adoptive parents trying to support and validate your kid’s unique life experiences, while also figuring out how to take care of yourselves in a larger culture which seems to pigeonhole you either as savior or villain, and meanwhile you’re often just feeling confused, invisible, and/or alone?
Are you neurodivergent and looking for tools to lift up your super powers and strategize your challenges in a society still thinking there’s some sort of neurotypical “normal” box you should be trying to fit yourself into?
Might you be looking to explore identity or just to receive identity-affirming care anywhere on the LGBTQ+ continuum? (I am also happy to provide gender-affirming care assessments and letters of support for those in need for medical providers)
Are you part of a blended family or do you have a non-traditional relationship? Are you an older parent? Are you trying to forge a path toward a life that looks different than what you were raised to believe you should be trying to achieve?
If any of the above describe you, we might be an exceptionally good fit!
Other specialities (besides what’s mentioned above), include supporting survivors of intimate partner/domestic violence, PTSD and military sexual trauma, and working on self-esteem and self-understanding by healing past attachment wounds and finding your own sense of grounding and belonging.
Maybe you don’t fit any of the identities listed above but you’re looking to deepen your understanding of and connection to each other in relationship. Maybe you’re a middle-aged man who has always been a little skeptical of therapy or you’re the family matriarch looking to redefine yourself and the path you’re on? Whoever you are, everybody deserves a supportive space to sort it all out and that’s my favorite thing to do.
My professional experience comes from community mental health clinics, medical clinics, domestic violence agencies, the veterans administration, an alternative school, & a labor union. I received my masters degree in social work from Portland State University.
I strive to work from an anti-oppression and social justice based perspective and believe that YOU are the expert in your experiences.
Other stuff to know about me: I’m very grateful to be the parent of a toddler, step-parent of 3 adults, and married to my best friend. I love our life in this little coastal town and when I’m not working, I like playing with plants, working on mutual aid and community care, and taking long walks and hikes. I’m also a big fan of The Grateful Dead, Star Wars, dogs and soup (and talking or not talking for hours).
